History of Photography

Disclaimer: Mrs. Nilan is not giving a lesson on religious beliefs!

B.C. is an abbreviation that means “Before Christ” A.D. is an abbreviation for “Anno Domini,” which is Latin for “in the year of our Lord” B.C. and A.D. are commonly used to count years in time. Jesus Christ’s birth is used as a starting point to count years that existed before (B.C.) and after (A.D.) he was born. For example, the year 532 B.C. refers to the time 532 years before A.D. 1, when Christ was assumed to have been born. Dionysius Exiguus, a monk, invented the B.C./A.D. method during the Middle Ages, early in the sixth century. Commissioned by the pope, he did this to determine the correct date for Easter. His counting method determined Christ’s birth to be the year A.D. 1.

B.C.E. is an abbreviation that means “Before Common Era” C.E. is an abbreviation that means “Common Era” Some chronologists, geologists and anthropologists object to time being anchored to any kind of Christian or religious benchmark. Instead of using the term A.D. they prefer to use the phrase “Common Era,” abbreviated “C.E.” Likewise, in place of B.C., which refers to the time “Before Christ,” they favor labeling that era “B.C.E.,” meaning “Before the Common Era.” Thus, C.E. is generally equivalent to A.D. and B.C.E. is generally equivalent to B.C.

Idea of a Pinhole Camera or Camera Obscura The earliest mention of this type of device was by the Chinese philosopher Mo-Ti in the 5th century BC. YOU ARE HERE IN 2017

It’s not actually a camera as it does not make a permanent image. Camera Obscura A room or a small building with no windows. There is one small hole in one wall and it is fitted with a lens. This projected an image from outside onto the opposite wall inside the room! However the image was upside down. It’s not actually a camera as it does not make a permanent image.

WHY? Light travels in a straight line and when some of the rays reflected from a bright subject pass through a small hole in thin material they do not scatter but cross and reform as an upside down image on a flat surface held parallel to the hole.

Portable versions developed in the 1660’s Traveling / Portable Camera Obscura Portable versions developed in the 1660’s

A Pinhole Camera is basically a camera obscura A Pinhole Camera is basically a camera obscura. The difference is that it does not always need to have a lens (can just be a “pinhole”). The other difference is that it is a form of a camera as there is a “film” involved to make a permanent image.

Johann Heinrich Schulze 1725

In around the year 1725, this German anatomy professor discovered that by leaving a glass bottle filled with chalk, silver chloride, and nitric acid by a window, the sunlight would turn the chemicals on the sunlight exposed side darker (due to the silver chloride) However, he could not figure out how to make the “images” (created by the silver chloride mixture and sunlight) remain permanent.

Carl Wilhelm Scheele 1777

Carl Scheele repeated Johanne Schulze’s experiment in around 1777 Carl Scheele repeated Johanne Schulze’s experiment in around 1777. He also noted the chemical reaction of light on silver compounds as well as other substances. Unlike Johanne Schulze, Scheele discovered that ammonia would dissolve the silver chloride and leave an image intact.

First Printed Photographs 1816-1840

Worlds Oldest Photo Sold to the French National Library in 2002 The image of an engraving depicting a man leading a horse was made in 1825 by Joseph Nicephore Niepce, who invented a technique known as heliography.

But It Doesn’t Look Like a Photo?!?! Philippe Garner, who was in charge of the sale for the auctioneers Sotheby's, in Paris said: "If you look at this, it might not first be recognized as what we call today a photograph. "And in fact, it is printed ink on paper. "The crucial stage in creating this plate, however, is the etching by the action of light on light-sensitive chemicals of a metal plate which is then used as the printing plate."

1826 by Joseph Nicephore Niepce "View from the Window at Le Gras" A Heliograph (Sun Drawing) created with an 8 hour exposure.

Louis Jaques Mande Daguerre 1835-1837

Louis Jacques-Mande Daguerre in 1837 "L’Atelier de l’artiste"

Louis Jacques-Mande Daguerre in 1838

This is one of the oldest known photograph of a human being in existence. It depends on how one defines photograph, but this was taken by Louis Jacques-Mande Daguerre in 1838. This is a photo of the Boulevard du Temple in Paris. This is a busy street and there was a lot of traffic, but since the exposure was so long, about 15-20 minutes, none of the moving figures can be seen. The only people visible are a guy getting his boots polished and the bootblack.

Louis Daguerre exposed silver coated copper plates to iodine, which obtained silver iodide. He then exposed the plates to light for several minutes. He then coated the plate with mercury vapor which was heated to 75°C to adhere the mercury with the silver. He then “fixed” the image in salt water. These Daguerreotypes were the earliest type of photograph that was commercially available to the public. Very popular during the late 1840’s to the early 1850’s. Rarely made after the 1860’s.

1840's Coldwater Hotel Coldwater, Michigan Daguerreotype photo of a hotel located near the Coldwater River and Sauk Trail.

1840

Robert Cornelius 1839 First Self Portrait

William Henry Fox Talbot 1835-1841

William Talbot created a photographic process called a Calotype. He first made an exposure on paper that was treated with silver compounds which produced a negative image. This paper with a negative image was than placed over another sheet of paper that was treated with silver compounds. This “paper sandwich” was then exposed to bright light which produced a positive image on that second sheet of paper.

Flowers, Leaves, and Stem Oak Tree in Winter 1838 1842

Solar Photo-Micrograph, Transverse Section Stem 1839

Frederick Scott Archer 1851

In around 1851 Frederick Archer introduced the Collodian wet-plate photographic process. A clean glass plate had to be evenly coated with a substance called collodian. While still damp, the plate had to be dipped into a silver nitrate solution, then inserted into the camera, and then exposed. It was then developed immediately and then allowed to dry.

Video: Collodian Wet Plate Process

Kenilworth: Caesar's Tower from the Inner Court Early 1850's

Rochester Cathedral, Castle, and Bridge 1850-1859