Ch. 2: The Second Invention of Photography (1839-1854)

The approaches to photography made available by
1839
• The daguerreotype - a sharp and detailed image, but one-of-a-kind
(could not be reproduced), on a polished plate. Called a direct positive.
• The calotype - an image on paper, which was not as sharp but could be
reproduced. Became the basis for modern photographic reproduction.
• The photogenic drawing - also on paper. Sometimes referred to as a
contact print. Often made using leaves and other sources from nature.
• Bayard’s direct positives on paper. Paper was exposed to light until it
darkened. Then soaked in potassium iodide and exposed in the
camera. The light bleached the paper and resulted in unique direct
positives.

Talbot, Tree in Winter, salt print from paper negative (calotype)
“Nature’s painting”, “the art of fixing a shadow”, “secret writing - first
concealed, at last I appear.”

Talbot, photomicrograph taken with a solar microscope,
1841, calotype

Talbot, cover of The Pencil of Nature, 1844.

Vermeer, the Little Street, 1658, oil on canvas

“We have sufficient authority in the Dutch school of art, for taking
as subjects of representation scenes of daily and familiar
occurrence. A painter’s eye will often be arrested where ordinary
people see nothing remarkable.”

Talbot, the Breakfast Table, 1941

Van Dijck, Still Life With Cheeses, 1836

Von Ettinghausen, Section of Clematis, 1840

John Adams Whipple, the Moon, daguerreotype

Daguerreotypes of an eclipse of the moon

John Llewelyn, Tereza with Maidenhair ferns, 1853,
salted paper print

Photography in Anthropolgy and Medicine
Photography was seen as a way to make historical
archives by people practicing anthropology and
medicine. It was a way to replace - or at least
supplement - the written word.

Hugh Welch Diamond, Seated Woman With Bird, 1855

E. Thiesson, Native Woman of Sofala
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Langenheim, African Youth, 1848
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J. T. Zealy, Jack, 1850s
• Daguerreoytypes thought to be comissioned by Louis Agassiz, a well known
scientist.
• Photographs of slaves were made in a specific manner - front, back, side views -
so personality traits were not readily evident.
• Agassiz wanted visual evidence for his theory that the races were created
separately at different times and in different parts of the world. This was an idea
that proponents of slavery felt would scientifically justify racial inequality.
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George Barnard, Burning Mills, Oswego, NY,1853,
daguerreotype
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Southworth & Hawes, First Operation Using Ether for
Anesthesia, 1847, daguerreotype
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Rembrandt, The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulip, 1632, oil
on canvas
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Unknown photographer, General Wool and Staff, Saltillo
Mexico, 1847, daguerreotype
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Éugene Thibault, the Revolution of 1848, before and after,
daguerreotypes, 1848.
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Hector Horeau, from Panorama d’ Égypte et de Nubie, aquatint
from daguerreotype, 1841.
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Joly De Lotbiniére, view of the Propylaea of the Acropolis, Athens,
engraving after a daguerreotype, 1839.
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The daguerreotype produced good detail and clarity,
especially after lenses were improved. But the process
had its drawbacks for expeditionary and landscape
photography.
• It was difficult to make and process images in the field.
• The finished image was difficult to view because of reflections.
• It could not be duplicated.
• Many photographers felt the calotype was a much easier way to
photograph scenery and it could be reproduced.
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Gustave Le Gray, Forest of Fontainebleu, 1851, salt print from a
wax paper negative.
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Le Gray, Mediterranean Sea, 1856-59, albumen silver print from
two glass negatives.
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Edouard Baldu, Church, Arles, partly hand painted paper print,
1851.

Charles Négre, Market in Paris, salted paper print, 1851.

Charles Négre, Chimney Sweeps Walking, salted paper print,
1851.
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Maxime DuCamp, Colosus of Ramses II, salted print from a paper
negative, 1851.

Maxime DuCamp, Colosus of Memnon, salted print from a paper
negative, 1850.

Maxime DuCamp, Colosus of Memnon, salted print from a paper
negative, 1850.
• The calotypes made by DuCamp were printed in 1852 by the Photographic
Printing Works - the first successful photographic printing plant which employed
a large number of people to process prints.
• The prints were of excellent quality and consistency.

19th Century Portraiture
• When both the daguerreotype and calotype were first in practice, neither
method was very successful for portraits.
• In 1939, lenses were not good quality and the insufficient sensitivity to light
of the chemically treated plates and paper made sitting for a portrait
difficult.

Exposure times were several minutes. The subjects had
to remain perfectly still.

On September 20, 1839, Daguerre’s instruction manual for his
process arrived in the U.S.

American photographer, Nurse With Young Child, daguerroetype
with applied color, 1850.

American photographer, Portrait of a Young Sailor, daguerroetype
with applied color, 1848

Thomas Easterly, Chief of the Iowas, daguerroetype, 1849.

American photographer, E. A. Poe, daguerroetype, 1849.

American photographer, Portrait of Young Man, 1848.

J. A. Moulin,
Étude: Séduction, paper print, 1852.

Anonymous,
daguerreotype, 1847.

Unknown photographer,
Parents Holding Post Mortem child, 1850.

Southworth & Hawes, Harriet Beecher Stowe, daguerreotype,
1850.

Southworth & Hawes, daguerreotype.

Southworth & Hawes, Medallion daguerreotype,ND .

Southworth & Hawes, Brand on the Hand of C. J. W. Walker,
daguerreotype,
1845.

Southworth & Hawes, Daniel Webster, daguerreotype,
1850.

Southworth & Hawes, daguerreotype, 1850s.

Southworth & Hawes, daguerreotype, 1850s. “It is required of, and should
be the aim of the artist-photographer to produce in the likeness the best possible character and
finest expression of which that particular face or figure could ever have been capable. But in the
result there is to be no departure from the representation of beauty, expression and character.”

Robert Adamson, Portrait of David Hill, calotype, 1848.

David Hill, Portrait of Robert Adamson, calotype, 1848.

Hill & Adamson, Portrait of James Linton, calotype, 1849.

Hill & Adamson, Miss McCandlish, calotype, 1840s.

Hill & Adamson, The Sketching Lesson, calotype, 1840s.

Hill & Adamson, Master Hope Finley, calotype, 1840s.

Hill & Adamson, The Sleeping Flower Gatherers, calotype, 1840s.

Hill & Adamson, Waiting for the Boats, Newhaven, calotype, late 1840s.

Hill & Adamson, Fishwives, Newhaven, calotype, late 1840s.

The Collodion Process, invented in 1851 by Frederick Scott Archer
• Like the calotype, it was a process primarily for making a negative.
• Collodion is a mixture of gun cotton - made by soaking cotton cellulose
in nitric acid, and dissolved in a solution of alcohol and ether.
• Collodion would bind the silver salts to the glass plate.
• The advantage of the glass plate over the paper negative: a grainless
negative - more sharpness, clarity.

Collodion is known as a wet plate process
• Each step had to be done while the plate was damp, since the ether in the
collodion would evaporate rapidly. The coating of the plate had to be done
quickly under darkroom conditions.
• The collodion was poured on to a clean glass plate in a darkroom (or tent). The
plate was then tilted back and forth to ensure an even coating. Uneven coating
resulted in marks on the plate.
• Next, the plate was dipped in a sensitizing bath of silver nitrate and immediately
placed in the camera and exposed.
• After exposure, the places was developed in pyrogallic acid and fixed with hypo
(sodium hyposulphite).

Wet plate darkroom tent, photographer and assistant.

Ambrotype, positive / negative view, 1858

Francis Frith, Fallen Colossus, albumen print from collodion negative 1858

Francis Frith, Sphinx & Great Pyramid, albumen print from collodion
negative, 1858.

Anonymous, hand colored albumen print from collodion negative, 1860.

Lewis Carroll, Margaret Clarke, albumen print from collodion negative 1864

Ch. 2: The Second Invention of Photography (1839-1854)

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Ch. 2: The Second Invention of Photography (1839-1854)