HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY

What is a camera obscura?

A box (or room) with a small hole or lens that projects an inverted image of the outside world onto a surface inside.

What was a camera obscura used for?

Used for tracing and improving realism and accuracy in drawing

Why did photography emerge in the early 1800s?

Because realism and accuracy became highly valued in art and science. Artists and scientists wanted objective, precise images rather than interpretive drawings.

Name the three key inventors at the birth of photography.

• Joseph Nicéphore Niépce

• Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre

• William Henry Fox Talbot

Who was Joseph Niépce?

A French inventor who created the earliest surviving photograph using heliography.

What is heliography?

A process where sunlight hardens bitumen (asphalt/tar) on a metal plate to create an image. Exposure times were 8–24 hours.

Pros and cons of heliography

Pros:

• First permanent photographic image
  Cons:

• Extremely long exposure times

• Unclear image

• Not practical for everyday use

Who was Louis Daguerre?

A French artist and inventor who developed the daguerreotype, producing highly detailed photographic images.

What materials were used in a daguerreotype?

• Polished copper plate

• Coated with silver

• Sensitized with iodine vapor

• Fixed using hypo (sodium thiosulfate) to prevent fading

Year the daguerreotype was introduced

1839

Key characteristics of daguerreotypes

• Extremely sharp detail

• Direct positive image (no negative)

• One-of-a-kind (not reproducible)

• Long exposure times

• Fragile surface (kept behind glass)

Limitations of daguerreotypes

• Expensive

• No reproductions

• Long exposures

• Easily damaged by touch

Who helped Daguerre present photography to the public?

François Arago, who presented the process to the French Academy of Sciences.

How did photography arrive in the United States?

Brought by Samuel Morse (of Morse code).

Who was William Henry Fox Talbot?

A wealthy English inventor who developed the calotype, introducing the negative-positive process.

What were Talbot’s “photogenic drawings”?

Early paper photographs made by placing objects directly on sensitized paper. Exposure time was about 30 minutes, and images faded easily.

What is a calotype?

A photographic process using paper negatives, allowing multiple prints from one negative.

Year the calotype was introduced

1839

Pros and cons of the calotype

Pros:

• Reproducible

• More artistic, softer look
  Cons:

• Less sharp than daguerreotypes

• Long exposure

• Prone to fading

• Two-step process

Key innovation of the calotype

The negative-positive system, which became the foundation of modern photography.

Who was Sir John Herschel?

A scientist and astronomer who invented the cyanotype and introduced photographic fixing methods.

What is a cyanotype?

A photographic process using iron salts that produces a blue image when exposed to sunlight.

Cyanotype pros and cons

Pros:

• Cheap

• Short exposure

• Permanent (doesn’t fade)
  Cons:

• Limited to blue tones

• Less sharp detail

Who was Anna Atkins?

The first person to create a photographic book, documenting British algae using cyanotypes.

Who was Hippolyte Bayard?

An early photographic inventor who was largely ignored and overshadowed by Daguerre and Talbot.

What did Gustave Le Gray contribute?

• Waxed paper negatives to reduce fuzziness

• Developed combination printing

What is collodion?

A wet photographic process using glass or metal plates coated with light-sensitive chemicals that must be exposed and developed while wet.

Types of collodion processes

• Glass plates

• Ambrotypes (glass, positive image)

• Tintypes (iron plates)

Pros and cons of tintypes

Pros:

• Cheap

• Durable

• Fast exposure
  Cons:

• Single image only

• Limited detail

Early uses of portrait photography

• Family records

• Death memorials

• Anthropological studies

• Pseudo-science

• War documentation

Why were early daguerreotypes difficult for portraits?

Because exposures lasted up to 15 minutes, and cameras were large and immobile.

Who was Matthew Brady?

A major American photographer with studios in NY and DC, known for Civil War photography.

Why did Matthew Brady go bankrupt?

He personally financed Civil War documentation and was never fully reimbursed.

Who was J.P. Ball?

A free-born African American photographer who established studios across the U.S., known for elaborate portrait setups.

What is physiognomy?

A pseudo-science claiming facial features reveal personality or morality.

How was photography misused in pseudo-science?

Used to justify eugenics, racism, and discrimination (later heavily used by Nazis).

Who was Dr. Hugh Welch Diamond?

A psychiatrist who photographed women in asylums, believing mental illness could be read from faces.

Who photographed the Crimean War?

Roger Fenton was hired to counter criticism of British military incompetence.

What manipulation did Roger Fenton perform?

He rearranged cannonballs in his famous war photograph to create a more dramatic image.

Who photographed the American Civil War?

• Matthew Brady (studio owner)

• Timothy O’Sullivan (field photographer)

• Alexander Gardner

What is “Harvest of Death”?

A famous Civil War photograph by Timothy O’Sullivan showing the aftermath of battle.

Daguerreotype vs Calotype (1 sentence)

Daguerreotypes are sharp, single, metal images, while calotypes are softer, reproducible paper prints.

France vs England photographic traditions

• France: Daguerreotypes

• England: Calotypes