Historical Photography

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Historical Photography

The development of photography began centuries ago, but did not accelerate until the latter half of the nineteenth century. It began with the camera obscura, invented over two thousand years ago, which was composed of a dark chamber with a hole in one side through which images were projected onto a wall. Artists experimented with the phenomenon over the years, leading to the development of the lens. However, it was not until the nineteenth century that inventors developed the ability to fix the image permanently to a surface, resulting in several new processes and formats. Fixed images were either negative or positive, with bright spaces appearing dark and dark spaces appearing light in negatives and the reverse being true of positives.

Daguerreotypes This is a framed daguerreotype is of a Farrand family member, executed by W. R. Phipps ca. 1860 from the William J. Farrand fonds. The daguerreotype photograph was first introduced by Louis Daguerre, a French artist and inventor, in 1839. Daugerre’s demonstrations garnered much enthusiasm, being one of the first times an image was able to be captured and fixed. The process began when a silver-plated sheet of metal was lightly coated in iodine vapour, making the plate sensitive to light. The image was captured by leaving the plate in the camera, usually placed near a window, from five to forty minutes. The photograph was then developed and fixed to a plate using a chemical solution. The result was a very clear and sharply detailed image that appeared positive. However, the fact that the image had to be left to develop in the camera for a lengthy time was a major deterrent, along with several other difficulties. Despite these challenges, the daguerreotype was a popular medium for portraiture until the mid-1850’s, as it was a cheaper and faster option than a painted portrait. This led to the creation of a photographic industry to meet the demand of consumers, with studios opening across Europe and the United States.