This Book From The 1900s Shows How Retouching Was Around Long Before Instagram And Photoshop Ever Was

You'd be forgiven for thinking that retouching photos is a relatively modern phenomenon. With beauty standards at an all-time high and social media promoting them, it's no surprise that plastic surgery is in high demand and retouching our photos has become the norm.

However, you may be surprised to discover that photographers have been retouching their photos for centuries. An instructional book published in 1868 shows examples of photo retouching dating all the way back to the nineteenth century.

"Complete Self-Instructing Library of Practical Photography" is a 10-volume collection of black-and-white books. It provides instructions to photographers on how to shoot, retouch, and 'eliminate imperfections' from their subjects.

We have some of the most fascinating before-and-after photos from the collection to share with you below. It's clear from these images that people have always wanted to achieve flawlessness.

The 1909 edition of the book states, "In delivering finished work to your customers, you do not hand them the photographic negatives, but the prints made from these negatives." It also notes that "in the early days of photography, prints were made directly from the negative without any alteration."

This is because "the wet plate rendered softer effects than are obtainable with the ready-prepared dry plate." Therefore, "the imperfections were less visible, and at that time, the general public was satisfied with an exact likeness of themselves."

However, when the dry plate began replacing the wet plate, photographs became more accurate, and "the defects in the human face became more apparent on the negative, leading to a demand for a greater softening of the lines and the removal of the more objectionable imperfections." That's when retouching became a common practice!

This image mentions the use of "first stage, preliminary etching."

American School of Art and Photography

The finished result appears much smoother. The photographer used "second stage etching and retouching."

American School of Art and Photography

The image on the left shows the original negative, while the image on the right shows the reproduced negative after retouching.

American School of Art and Photography

And below is the original negative print alongside the retouched negative print.

American School of Art and Photography

The photographers began removing imperfections from their subjects using a brush and color from each print individually. However, with so many images to retouch, photographers soon realized that the process was far too time-consuming.

Thus, it was time to develop a method to edit the negatives rather than the prints. "The results of these endeavors led to retouching the negative," the book explains.

A photographer using a pencil and etcher to retouch an image.

American School of Art and Photography

Some front view before-and-after examples of first stage retouching.

American School of Art and Photography

And the side view.

American School of Art and Photography

Back then, the retouching process was far more involved than the Facetune and Instagram filters we use today. Photographers would use tools such as a magnifying glass, etching knife, retouching fluid, spotting brush, negative varnish, and more to retouch and edit their images.

An image retouched using an etching knife.

American School of Art and Photography

And an example of practical commercial etching.

American School of Art and Photography

This woman has been made to look thinner.

American School of Art and Photography

The three stages of elementary retouching.

American School of Art and Photography

This man's crossed eyes were straightened.

American School of Art and Photography

And this woman's closed eyes were "opened."

American School of Art and Photography

The size of this woman's neck was reduced.

American School of Art and Photography

A child is removed from the photo.

American School of Art and Photography

This woman's outfit was altered.

American School of Art and Photography

And this woman was transformed into a statue.

American School of Art and Photography

Here's how people reacted.

i-Ake

"Photoshop is nothing new."

mskvzdt

"Ruining self-confidence for over 150 years."

AngelWyath

A good point!

ChefLoven

The truth is out!

amiokrightnow

Another interesting perspective.

David Little-Smith

"I still prefer the original."

Brandon Esp

The process couldn't be faulted.

Steve Reud

"Amazing to see."

Siobhan McKenna-Power

The book states that "by the combination of etching and retouching - i.e., by the use of the knife and pencil - you etch and model, and with these two instruments, you can make any alteration you desire on the negative." The most common alterations included straightening crooked noses, adding hair, making necks look thinner, and removing items or people from the background of the photos.

How fascinating are these images? What an insight into the beauty standards of history!