Walnut (Juglans nigra) anthotype by Arindam Majumdar

“Who was your mother, before she was your mother?” by Arindam Majumdar, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Parts used: Shell
Amount: 30 shells
Extracted by: Soaked in water for an hour, then boiled for one hour and filtered with a cloth
Solvent: Tap water
Application: Floating watercolour paper on top of the emulsion in a tray of walnut extract overnight to soak

Layers: 1
Substrate: Arches watercolour paper
Created with: The original image is an old black-and-white photograph from a family album, taken several decades ago. The print was scanned and converted into a positive transparency for printing.
Exposure: 6 months (~180 days exposure) on sunny days from May to October, 2025
UV strength: Natural sunlight
Temperature: 16-32° Celsius or 61-90° Fahrenheit
Contrast: ✿✿ (Medium)
Challenges or observations: Walnuts yield a deep chocolate tone but demand very long exposures—around 180 days of strong sunlight—to achieve rich contrast. Working with walnut dye encouraged me to extend exposure times far beyond my usual anthotypes made with berries. The extract stains skin, so gloves are essential.
Additional information: The image is a repurposed vintage photo of my mother. I float the watercolour paper in a tray on top of the walnut extract overnight.  This allows for the paper to become full saturated with the extract and results in deep colors, and a large photosensitive dynamic range, not possible with simply brushing on the extract.  There is a technique to this way of coating the paper, being mindful not to trap air bubbles.The contact frame and matte formed a border that reveals the original saturation of the walnut dye. The exposed regions highlight juglone’s wide photosensitive range. The work invites reflection on who our parents were before becoming parents.
Instagram: @arindam_dream_no9