Early Photography Presentation by Mindy McAdams Week 9.1 / MMC 2265

The Inventors 1826: Nicéphore Niépce produces the first permanent photograph, in France The image exposure required 8 hours 1839: Louis Daguerre invents the daguerreotype Image exposed directly onto a polished silver surface (copper plate) with a chemical coating A “direct positive” process — there is no negative from which copies can be produced Use of different chemical coatings later resulted in shorter exposure times Source: Wikipedia

1826: Nicéphore Niépce produces the first permanent photograph, in France

The image exposure required 8 hours

1839: Louis Daguerre invents the daguerreotype

Image exposed directly onto a polished silver surface (copper plate) with a chemical coating

A “direct positive” process — there is no negative from which copies can be produced

Use of different chemical coatings later resulted in shorter exposure times

Image by Louis Daguerre, 1837 : Still Life

Daguerreotypes Also sometimes called tintypes or Ambrotypes All these are photographic images, typically stored in a folding leather case All used a process that produced pictures without negatives

Also sometimes called tintypes or Ambrotypes

All these are photographic images, typically stored in a folding leather case

All used a process that produced pictures without negatives

Daguerreotypes (2) The daguerreotype , invented first, was also the first commercially successful photographic process Brought portraits to the masses By the 1850s, a photo cost only 50 cents Portrait painters went out of business!

The daguerreotype , invented first, was also the first commercially successful photographic process

Brought portraits to the masses

By the 1850s, a photo cost only 50 cents

Portrait painters went out of business!

Library of Congress. [rbpe20200600] ( source )

Portrait of a Seated Child with Hands Crossed, 1850s . J. Paul Getty Museum [ JPGM84.XT.1582.18 ]

Daguerre taught his process to Samuel Morse in Paris in 1839 . Morse took it to the U.S. and taught it to paying students in the 1840s. Thousands of photographers opened shops or traveled to rural areas and knocked on doors. Source: http:// www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/roadshow/speak/dtype.html

Spreading like wildfire … In one year ( 1855 ) in Massachusetts, 403,626 daguerreotypes were taken A New York photo gallery advertised that it produced 300 to 1,000 portraits per day The subject of the photo had to sit still for at least 30 seconds, not blinking The mortality rate (especially infant mortality) drove people to be photographed Source: The History of Photography, by Beaumont Newhall, 1982

In one year ( 1855 ) in Massachusetts, 403,626 daguerreotypes were taken

A New York photo gallery advertised that it produced 300 to 1,000 portraits per day

The subject of the photo had to sit still for at least 30 seconds, not blinking

The mortality rate (especially infant mortality) drove people to be photographed

Drawbacks The daguerreotype was hard to duplicate It was fragile, so had to be kept inside a case or frame By 1864, the once popular profession of “daguerreotypist” had almost disappeared in America What replaced the daguerreotype?

The daguerreotype was hard to duplicate

It was fragile, so had to be kept inside a case or frame

By 1864, the once popular profession of “daguerreotypist” had almost disappeared in America

What replaced the daguerreotype?

Calotypes William Talbot experimented with photography before Daguerre, but Daguerre showed his early pictures first 1841: Talbot publicized his new calotype process A calotype produced a negative You could make numerous positive prints from one negative For a while, Talbot was charging photographers a fat annual fee to use his patented process Source: Wikipedia

William Talbot experimented with photography before Daguerre, but Daguerre showed his early pictures first

1841: Talbot publicized his new calotype process

A calotype produced a negative

You could make numerous positive prints from one negative

For a while, Talbot was charging photographers a fat annual fee to use his patented process

Freedom to Photograph Talbot’s lawsuit against another photographer, Martin Laroche, had a mixed result for Talbot: His patent rights were upheld But the court ruled that Laroche, using a similar process, was not infringing on Talbot’s patent As a result, Talbot did not renew his patent 1855: The patent expired

Talbot’s lawsuit against another photographer, Martin Laroche, had a mixed result for Talbot:

His patent rights were upheld

But the court ruled that Laroche, using a similar process, was not infringing on Talbot’s patent

As a result, Talbot did not renew his patent

1855: The patent expired

Glass Plates Both the daguerreotype and the calotype were made obsolete by collodion (1851) A viscous solution that dries to a waterproof surface Applied to glass plates Used in conjunction with a dip of silver nitrate A wet plate process that required rapid processing in the field This process ruled photography until 1880 Source: The History of Photography, by Beaumont Newhall, 1982

Both the daguerreotype and the calotype were made obsolete by collodion (1851)

A viscous solution that dries to a waterproof surface

Applied to glass plates

Used in conjunction with a dip of silver nitrate

A wet plate process that required rapid processing in the field

This process ruled photography until 1880

1880 – 1890 A photographer could not make a living shooting news until the collodion process was replaced Gelatin dry plate process: 1880 In 1890, it became commercially feasible to reproduce photographs in newspapers The halftone block allows for transitions of tone (grayscale) Advances in both photography and printing

A photographer could not make a living shooting news until the collodion process was replaced

Gelatin dry plate process: 1880

In 1890, it became commercially feasible to reproduce photographs in newspapers

The halftone block allows for transitions of tone (grayscale)

Advances in both photography and printing

A few examples of early photojournalism

The Crimean War, 1855 . Roger Fenton, photojournalist http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/coll/251_fen.html

Robert E. Lee, 1865 . Mathew Brady, photojournalist http:// memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/cwphome.html

Cuban volunteers, Spanish-American War, 1898 . Gilson Willets, photojournalist http://www.floridamemory.com/OnlineClassroom/PhotoAlbum/n041306.cfm

Russo-Japanese War, 1904–05 , photojournalist unknown http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027j/asia_rising/ar_core_01.html

Russo-Japanese War, 1904–05 , photojournalist unknown http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027j/asia_rising/ar_core_01.html

Early Photography Presentation by Mindy McAdams University of Florida