Our Contemporary Master Goldtones™ are created using a proprietary process invented by Curtis Centennial Editions ("CCE") in 1998. The Goldtones created by CCE are unique in the 170 year history of the photographic medium and are created in strictly limited editions. Centennial Edition Goldtones are created exclusively from Curtis' original glass plate negatives and, thus are considered posthumous original prints, not reproductions. Goldtones are printed directly on an optical glass plate, which has been coated with a unique, specially formulated emulsion. The exposed sensitized glass plates are processed with traditional photographic chemistry and then toned and stabilized to give each print a superb archival permanence and a warm sepia tonality. Each goldtone is then backed with multiple microfine layers of brilliant golden metallic particles and finally treated with an inert archival sealant. Goldtones have a luminosity and three-dimensionality that is unequaled by any other photographic medium. While it was Curtis' favorite process, the complexity and expense of producing goldtones in his day meant that only about 1 in 1,000 of his negatives were originally printed as goldtones. Each contemporary, limited edition Goldtone and frame are the result of over sixty separate, distinct steps. . The frame, which is a beautiful handcrafted recreation of Curtis' vintage frames, is custom made of wood and various traditional materials. We are pleased to offer this unique American treasure to a new audience of discerning collectors. Goldtone, or "Orotone", was a process of producing photographic images on glass with a gold metallic backing, and was pioneered by Edward S. Curtis 100 years ago. It was his most favored way of producing his photographic images. Curtis wrote: "The ordinary photographic print, however good, lacks depth and translucency. We all know how beautiful are the stones and pebbles in the limpid brook of the forest, yet when we take the same iridescent pebbles from the water and dry them they are dull and lifeless; so it is with the orthodox photographic print, but in the Goldtones all the translucency is retained and they are as full of life and sparkle as an opal."