第1章
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  ORTHEPRODUCTIONOFPICTURESTHROUGHTHEAGENCYOFLIGHT。

  CONTAININGALLTHEINSTRUCTIONSNECESSARYFORTHECOMPLETE

  PRACTICEOFTHEDAGUERREANANDPHOTOGENICART,BOTHONMETALIC,PLATESANDONPAPER。

  TOEDWARDANTHONY,ESQ。,ANESTEEMEDFRIEND。

  Whosegentlemanlydeportment,liberalfeelings,andstrictintegrityhavesecuredhimalargecircleoffriends,thisworkisRespectfullyDedicatedBytheAUTHOR。

  PREFACE。

  TheobjectofthislittleworkistofillavoidmuchcomplainedofbyDaguerreotypists——particularlyyoungbeginers。

  Theauthorhaswaitedalongtimeinhopesthatsomemoreablepenwouldbedevotedtothesubject,butthewantsofthenumerous,andconstantlyincreasing,class,justmentioned,induceshimtowaitnolonger。

  AlltheEnglishworksonthesubject——particularlyonthepracticalapplication,ofPhotogenicdrawing——aredeficientinmanyminutedetails,whichareessentialtoacompleteunderstandingoftheart。

  Manyoftheirmethodsofoperatingareentirelydifferentfrom,andmuchinferiorto,thosepractisedintheUnitedStates:

  theirapparatus,also,cannotcomparewithoursforcompleteness,utilityorsimplicity。

  Ishall,therefore,confinemyselfprincipally——sofarasPhotogenicdrawinguponmetalicplatesisconcerned——tothemethodspractisedbythemostcelebratedandexperiencedoperators,drawinguponFrenchandEnglishauthorityonlyincaseswhereIfinditessentialtothepurposeforwhichIdesignmywork,namely:furnishingacompletesystemofPhotography;

  suchanoneaswillenableanygentleman,orlady,whomaywishtopractisetheart,forprofitoramusement,todosowithoutthetroubleandexpenseofseekinginstructionfromprofessors,whichinmanycaseswithinmyownknowledgehaspreventedpersonsfromembracingtheprofession。

  ToEnglishauthorsIamprincipallyindebtedforthatportionofmyworkrelatingtoPhotogenicdrawingonpaper。

  Tothemweowenearlyallthemostimportantimprovementsinthatbranchoftheart。Besides,ithasbeenbutseldomattemptedintheUnitedStates,andthenwithoutanydecidedsuccess。

  OftheseattemptsIshallspeakfurtherintheHistoricalportionofthisvolume。

  Everythingessential,therefore,toacompleteknowledgeofthewholeart,comprisingallthemostrecentdiscoveriesandimprovementsdowntothedayofpublicationwillbefoundhereinlaiddown。

  INTRODUCTION

  NewYork,January27,1849。

  E。ANTHONY,ESQ。

  DearSir,——Insubmitingtheaccompanying\"HistoryandPracticeofPhotographytoyourperusal,andforyourapprobation,Idosowiththeutmostconfidenceinyourabilityasapracticalman,longengagedinthescienceofwhichittreats,aswellasyourknowledgeofthesciencesgenerally;aswellasyourregardforcandor。

  Toyou,therefore,IleavethedecisionwhetherornoIhaveaccomplishedmypurpose,andproducedaworkwhichmaynotonlybeofpracticalbenefittotheDaguerreanartist,butofgeneralinteresttothereadingpublic,andyourdecisionwillinfluencemeinofferingitfor,orwithholdingitfrom,publication。

  Ifitmeetsyourapprobation,Iwouldmostrespectfullyaskpermissiontodedicateittoyou,subscribingmyself,Withesteem,Evertrulyyours,HENRYH。SNELLING

  NewYork,February1st,1849。

  Mr。H。H。SNELLING。

  DearSir——YournoteofJanuary27th,requestingpermissiontodedicatetomeyour\"HistoryandPracticeofPhotography,\"

  Iesteemahighcompliment,particularlysinceIhavereadthemanuscriptofyourwork。

  Suchatreatisehaslongbeenneeded,andthemannerinwhichyouhavehandledthesubjectwillmakethebookasinterestingtothereadingpublicasitisvaluabletotheDaguerreanartist,ortheamateurdabblerinPhotography。

  IhavereadnearlyallofthemanyworksuponthisartthathaveemanatedfromtheLondonandParispresses,andIthinkthereaderwillfindinyoursthepithofthemall,withmuchpracticalandusefulinformationthatI

  donotremembertohaveseencommunicatedelsewhere。

  ThereismuchinittoarousethereflectiveandinventivefacultiesofourDaguerreotypists。Theyhaveheretoforestumbledalongwithverylittleknowledgeofthetruetheoryoftheirart,andyetthequalityoftheirproductionsisfarinadvanceofthoseoftheFrenchandEnglishartists,mostofwhoseestablishmentsIhavehadthepleasureofvisitingIfeeltherefore,thatwhenasufficientamountoftheoreticknowledgeshallhavebeenaddedtothispracticalskillonthepartofouroperators,andwhentheyshallhavebeenmadefullyacquaintedwithwhathasbeenattainedorattemptedbyothers,astillgreateradvanceintheartwillbemanifested。

  AGOODDaguerreotypistisbynomeansameremachinefollowingacertainsetoffixedrules。Successinthisartrequirespersonalskillandartistictastetoamuchgreaterdegreethantheunthinkingpublicgenerallyimagine;infactmorethanisimaginedbynine-tenthsoftheDaguerreotypiststhemselves。

  Andweseeasanaturalresult,thatwhilethebusinessnumbersitsthousandsofvotaries,butfewrisetoanydegreeofeminence。

  Itisbecausetheylookupontheirbusinessasameremechanicaloperation,andhavingnoaimorpridebeyondtheearningoftheirdailybread,theycalculatewhatwillbeafairpercentageonthecostoftheirplate,case,andchemicals,leavingMIND,whichisasmuchCAPITALasanythingelse(whereitisexercised,)

  entirelyoutofthequestion。

  TheartoftakingphotographsonPAPER,ofwhichyourworktreatsatconsiderablelength,hasasyetattractedbutlittleattentioninthiscountry,thoughdestined,asIfullybelieve,toattainanimportancefarsuperiortothattowhichtheDaguerreotypehasrisen。

  TheAmericanmindneedsawakingupuponthesubject,andI

  thinkyourbookwillgiveapowerfulimpulseinthisdirection。

  InGermanyahighdegreeofperfectionhasbeenreached,andIhopeyourcountrymenwillnotbeslowtofollow。

  YourinterestingaccountoftheexperimentsofMr。Wattleswasentirelynewtome,andisanotheramongthemanyevidencesthatwhentheageisfullyripeforanygreatdiscovery,itisrarethatitdoesnotoccurtomorethanasinglemind。

  Trustingthatyourworkwillmeetwiththeencouragementwhichyourtroubleinpreparingitdeserves,andwithgratitudefortheundeservedcomplimentpaidtomeinitsdedication,Iremain,verysincerely,Yourfriendandwellwisher,E。ANTHONY。

  PHOTOGRAPHY。

  CHAP。I。

  ABRIEFHISTORYOFTHEART。

  AsinallcasesofgreatandvaluableinventionsinscienceandarttheEnglishlayclaimtothehonorofhavingfirstdiscoveredthatofPhotogenicdrawing。Butweshallseeintheprogressofthishistory,thatlikemanyotherassumptionsoftheirauthors,priorityinthisisnomoreduethem,thentheinventionofsteamboats,orthecottongin。

  Thisclaimisfoundeduponthefactthatin1802Mr。WedgwoodrecordedanexperimentintheJournaloftheRoyalInstitutionofthefollowingnature。

  \"Apieceofpaper,orotherconvenientmaterial,wasplaceduponaframeandspongedoverwithasolutionofnitrateofsilver;

  itwasthenplacedbehindapaintingonglassandthelighttraversingthepaintingproducedakindofcopyuponthepreparedpaper,thosepartsinwhichtherayswereleastinterceptedbeingofthedarkesthues。Here,however,terminatedtheexperiment;

  foralthoughbothMr。WedgwoodandSirHumphryDaveyexperimentedcarefully,forthepurposeofendeavoringtofixthedrawingsthusobtained,yettheobjectcouldnotbeaccomplished,andthewholeendedinfailure。\"

  This,bytheirownshowing,wastheearliestattemptoftheEnglishsavans。

  ButthismuchoftheprinciplewasknowntotheAlchemistsatanearlydate——

  althoughpracticallyproducedinanotherway——asthefollowingexperiment,tobefoundinoldbooks,amplyproves。

  \"Dissolvechalkinaquafortistotheconsistenceofmilk,andaddtoitastrongsolutionofsilver;keepthisliquorinaglassbottlewellstopped;

  thencuttingoutfromapieceofpaperthelettersyouwouldhaveappear,pasteitonthedecanter,andlayitinthesun’sraysinsuchamannerthattheraysmaypassthroughthespacescutoutofthepaperandfallonthesurfaceoftheliquorthepartoftheglassthroughwhichtherayspasswillbeturnedblack,whilethatunderthepaperremainswhite;

  butparticularcaremustbeobservedthatthebottlebenotmovedduringtheoperation。\"

  Hadnotthealchemistsbeensointentuponthedesiretodiscoverthefarfamedphilosopher’sstone,astomakethemunmindfuloftheaccidentaldawningsofmorevaluablediscoveries,thislittleexperimentinchemistrymighthaveinducedthemtoprosecuteamorethoroughsearchintotheprinciple,andPhotogenicartwouldnotnow,asitis,beanewone。

  ItisevenassertedthattheJugglersofIndiawereformanyagesinpossessionofasecretbywhichtheywereenabled,inabriefspace,tocopythelikenessofanyindividualbytheactionoflight。

  Thisfact,iffactitbe,mayaccountforthecelebratedmagicmirrorssaidtobepossessedbythesejugglers,andprobablecauseoftheirpoweroverthepeople。

  However,asearlyas1556thefactwasestablishedthatacombinationofchlorideandsilver。called,fromitsappearance,hornsilver,wasblackenedbythesun’srays;andinthelatterpartofthelastcenturyMrs。Fulhamepublishedanexperimentbywhichachangeofcolorwaseffectedinthechlorideofgoldbytheagencyoflight;

  andgaveitasheropinionthatwordsmightbewritteninthisway。

  TheseincidentsareconsideredasthefirststepstowardsthediscoveryofthePhotogenicart。

  Mr。Wedgwood’sexperimentscanscarcelybesaidtobeanyimprovementonthemsincehefailedtobringthemtopracticalusefulness,andhiscountrymenwillhavetobesatisfiedwithawardingthehonorofitscompleteadaptationtopracticalpurposes,toMM。

  NiepceandDaguerreofFrance,andtoProfessorsDraper,andMorseofNew-York。

  Thesegentlemen——MM。NiepceandDaguerre——pursuedthesubjectsimultaneously,withouteither,howeverbeingawareoftheexperimentsofhiscolleagueinscience。Forseveralyears,eachpursuedhisresearchesindividuallyuntilchancemadethemacquainted,whentheyenteredintoco-partnership,andconjointlybroughttheartalmosttoperfection。

  M。NiepcepresentedhisfirstpaperonthesubjecttotheRoyalSocietyin1827,naminghisdiscoveryHeliography。WhatledhimtothestudyoftheprinciplesoftheartIhavenomeans,atpresent,ofknowing,butitwasprobablyowingtothefactsrecordedbytheAlchemists,Mrs。Fulhameandothers,alreadymentioned。

  ButM。Daguerre,whoisacelebrateddioramicpainter,beingdesirousofemployingsomeofthesingularlychangeablesaltsofsilvertoproduceapeculiarclassofeffectsinhispaintings,wasledtopursueaninvestigationwhichresultedinthediscoveryoftheDaguerreotype,orPhotogenicdrawingonplatesofcoppercoatedwithsilver。

  Tothisgentleman——tohisliberality——areweAmericansindebtedforthefreeuseofhisinvention;andthelargeandincreasingclassofDaguerreanartistsofthiscountryshouldholdhiminthemostprofoundrespectforit。

  Hewasnotwillingthatitshouldbeconfinedtoafewindividualswhomightmonopolisethebenefitstobederivedfromitspractice,andshutoutallchanceofimprovement。

  Likeatrue,nobleheartedFrenchgentlemanhedesiredthathisinventionshouldspreadfreelythroughoutthewholeworld。

  WiththeseviewsheopenednegociationswiththeFrenchgovernmentwhichwereconcludedmostfavorablytoboththeinventors,andFrancehasthe\"gloryofendowingthewholeworldofscienceandartwithoneofthemostsurprisingdiscoveriesthathonortheland。\"

  Notwithstandingthis,ithasbeenpatentedinEnglandandtheresultiswhatmighthavebeenexpected:EnglishpicturesarefarbelowthestandardofexcellenceofthosetakenbyAmericanartists。

  Ihaveseensomemediumportraits,forwhichaguineaeachhadbeenpaid,andtakentoo,byacelebratedartist,thatourpoorestDaguerreotypistswouldbeashamedtoshowtoasecondperson,muchlesssuffertoleavetheirrooms。

  CALOTYPE,thenamegiventooneofthemethodsofPhotogenicdrawingonpaper,discovered,andperfectedbyMr。FoxTalbotofEngland,ispreciselyinthesamepredicament,notonlyinthatcountrybutintheUnitedStates,Mr。Talbotbeingpatenteeinboth。

  Heisamanofsomewealth,Ibelieve,buthedemandssohighapriceforasinglerightinthiscountry,thatnonecanbefoundwhohavethetemeritytopurchase。

  TheexecutionofhispicturesisalsoinferiortothosetakenbytheGermanartists,andIwouldremarkenpassant,thattheMessrs。

  MeadexhibitedatthelastfairoftheAmericanInstitute,(of1848,)

  fourCalotypes,whichoneofthefirmbroughtfromGermanylastSpring,thatforbeauty,depthoftoneandexcellenceofexecutionsurpassthefineststeelengraving。

  WhenMr。Talbot’spatentfortheUnitedStatesexpiresandouringeniousYankeeboyshavetheopportunity,IhavenottheslightestdoubtoftheCalotype,intheirhands,entirelysupercedingtheDaguerreotype。

  Letthem,therefore,studytheprinciplesoftheartaslaiddowninthislittlework,experiment,practiceandperfectthemselvesinit,andwhenthattimedoesarrivebepreparedtoproducethatdegreeofexcellenceinCalotypetheyhavealreadyobtainedinDaguerreotype。

  ItistoProfessorSamuelF。B。Morse,thedistinguishedinventoroftheMagneticTelegraph,ofNewYork,thatweareindebtedfortheapplicationofPhotography,toportraittaking。

  HewasinParis,forthepurposeofpresentingtothescientificworldhisElectro-MagneticTelegraph,atthetime,(1838,)M。Daguerreannouncedhissplendiddiscovery,anditsastoundingresultshavinganimportantbearingontheartsofdesignarrestedhisattention。

  Inhislettertomeonthesubject,theProfessorgivesthefollowinginterestingfacts。

  \"Theprocesswasasecret,andnegociationsweretheninprogress,forthedisclosureofittothepublicbetweentheFrenchgovernmentandthedistinguisheddiscoverer。M。Daguerrehadshownhisresultstotheking,andtoafewonlyofthedistinguishedsavans,andbytheadviceofM。Arago,haddeterminedtowaittheactionoftheFrenchChambers,beforeshowingthemtoanyotherpersons。

  Iwasexceedinglydesirousofseeingthem,butknewnothowtoapproachM。Daguerrewhowasastrangertome。

  OnmentioningmydesiretoRobertWalsh,Esq。,ourworthyConsul,hesaidtome;’statethatyouareanAmerican,theinventoroftheTelegraph,requesttoseethem,andinvitehiminturntoseetheTelegraph,andIknowenoughoftheurbanityandliberalfeelingsoftheFrench,toinsureyouaninvitation。’

  Iwassuccessfullinmyapplication,andwithayoungfriend,sincedeceased,thepromisingsonofEdwardDelevan,Esq。,I

  passedamostdelightfulhourwithM。Daguerre,andhisenchantingsun-pictures。Mylettercontaininganaccountofthisvisit,andthesepictures,wasthefirstannouncementinthiscountryofthissplendiddiscovery。\"

  \"Imayhereaddthesingularsequeltothisvisit。OnthesucceedingdayM。DaguerrepaidmeavisittoseetheTelegraphandwitnessitsoperations。

  Heseemedmuchgratifiedandremainedwithmeperhapstwohours;

  twomelancholyhourstohim,astheyafterwardsproved;orwhilehewaswithme,hisbuildings,includinghisdiorama,hisstudio,hislaboratory,withallthebeautifulpicturesIhadseenthedaybefore,wereconsumedbyfire。Fortunatelyformankind,matteronlywasconsumed,thesoulandmindofthegenius,andtheprocesswerestillinexistence。\"

  Onhisreturnhome,ProfessorMorsewaitedwithimpatiencefortherevelationofM。Daguerre’sprocess,andnosoonerwasitpublishedthanheprocuredacopyoftheworkcontainingit,andatoncecommencedtakingDaguerreotypepictures。

  Atfirsthisobjectwassolelytofurnishhisstudiowithstudiesfromnature;buthisexperimentsledhimintoabeliefofthepracticabilityofprocuringportraitsbytheprocess,andhewasundoubtedlythefirstwhoseattemptswereattendedwithsuccess。Thinking,atthattime,thatitwasnecessarytoplacethesittersinaverystronglight,theywerealltakenwiththeireyesclosed。

  Otherswereexperimentingatthesametime,amongthemMr。WolcottandProf。Draper,andMr。Morse,withhisacustomedmodesty,thinksthatitwouldbedifficulttosaytowhomisduethecreditofthefirstDaguerreotypeportrait。

  Atallevents,sofarasmyknowledgeservesme,ProfessorMorsedeservesthelaurelwreath,asfromhimoriginatedthefirstofourinumerableclassofDaguerreotypists;andmanyofhispupilshavecarriedthemanipulationtoverygreatperfection。

  InconnectionwiththismatterIwillgivetheconcludingparagraphofaprivateletterfromtheProfessortome;Hesays。

  \"Ifminewerethefirst,otherexperimenterssoonmadebetterresults,andifthereareanywhodisputethatIwasfirst,Ishallhavenoargumentwiththem;forIwasnotsoanxioustobethefirsttoproducetheresult,astoproduceitinanyway。Iesteemitbutthenaturalcarryingoutofthewonderfuldiscovery,andthatthecreditwasafterallduetoDaguerre。

  Ilaynoclaimtoanyimprovements。\"

  SinceIcommencedthecompilationofthiswork,IhavehadthepleasureofmakingtheacquaintanceofanAmericangentleman——JamesM。WattlesEsq。——

  whoasearlyas1828——anditwillbeseen,bywhatIhavealreadystated,thatthisisaboutthesamedateofM。Niepce’sdiscovery——hadhisattentionattractedtothesubjectofPhotography,orashetermedit\"Solarpicturedrawing,\"whiletakinglandscapeviewsbymeansofthecamera-obscura。

  Whenwereflectuponallthecircumstancesconnectedwithhisexperiments,thegreatdisadvantagesunderwhichbelabored,andhisextremeyouthfullness,wecannotbutfeelanationalpride——yetwonder——thatamereyankeeboy,surroundedbythedeepestforests,hundredofmilesfromthepopulousportionofourcountry,withoutthenecessarymaterials,orresourcesforprocuringthem,shouldbytheforceofhisnaturalgeniusmakeadiscovery,andputitinpracticaluse,toaccomplishwhich,themostlearnedphilosophersofEurope,witheveryrequisiteapparatus,andaprofoundknowledgeofchemistry——spentyearsoftoiltoaccomplish。

  HowmuchmorelatenttalentmaynowbeslumberingfromtheverysamecausewhichkeptMr。Wattlesfrompubliclyrevealinghisdiscoveries,viz;

  wantofencouragement——ridicule!

  Atthetimewhentheideaoftakingpicturespermanentlyonpaperbymeansofthecamera-obscurafirstoccurredtohim,hewasbutsixteenyearsofage,andundertheinstructionsofMr。CharlesLeSeuer,(atalentedartistfromParis)attheNewHarmonyschool,Indiana。

  Drawingandpaintingbeingthenaturalbentofhismind,bewasfrequentlyemployedbytheprofessorstomakelandscapesketchesinthemannermentioned。Thebeautyoftheimageoftheselandscapesproducedonthepaperinthecamera-obscura,causedhimtopauseandadmirethemwithalltheardorofayoungartist,andwishthatbysomemeans,hecouldfixthemthereinalltheirbeauty。

  Fromwishinghebroughthimselftothinkthatitwasnotonlypossiblebutactuallycapableofaccomplishmentandfromthinkingitcould,heresolveditshouldbedone。

  Hewas,however,whollyignorantofeventhefirstprinciplesofchemistry,andnaturalphilosophy,andalltheknowledgehewasenabledtoobtainfromhisteacherswasofverylittleservicetohim。

  Toaddtothis,wheneverhementionedhishopestohisparents,theylaughedathim,andbadehimattendtohisstudiesandletsuchmoonshinethoughtsalone——stillhepersevered,thoughsecretly,andhemetwiththesucceshispeseverancedeserved。

  Forthetruthofhisstatement,Mr。Wattlesreferstosomeofourmostrespectablecitizensresidingatthewest,andIaminhopesthatIshallbeenabledtoreceiveintimeforthispublication,aconfirmationfromoneormoreofthesegentlemen。Bethatasitmay,IfeelconfidentintheintegrityofMr。Wattles,andcangivehisstatementtotheworldwithoutadoubtofitstruth。

  Thefollowingsketchofhisexperimentsandtheirresultswill,undoubtedly,beinterestingtoeveryAmericanreaderandalthoughsomeoftheprofoundphilosophersofEuropemaysmileathismethodofproceeding,itwillinsomemeasureshowtheinnategeniusofAmericanminds,andprovethatwearenotfarbehindourtrans-atlanticbrethrenintheartsandsciences。

  Mr。Wattlessays:\"Inmyfirsteffortstoeffectthedesiredobject,theywerefeebleindeed,andowingtomylimitedknowledgeofchemistry——

  whollyacquiredbyquestioningmyteachers——Imetwithrepeatedfailuresbutfollowingthemupwithadeterminedspirit,Iatlastproduced,whatIthoughtveryfairsamples——buttoproceedtomyexperiments。\"

  \"Ifirstdippedaquartersheetofthinwhitewritingpaperinaweaksolutionofcaustic(asIthencalledit)anddrieditinanemptybox,tokeepitinthedark;whendry,Iplaceditinthecameraandwatcheditwithgreatpatiencefornearlyhalfanhour,withoutproducinganyvisibleresult;evidentlyfromthesolutionbeingtoweak。

  Ithensoakedthesamepieceofpaperinasolutionofcommonpotash,andthenagainincausticwateralittlestrongerthanthefirst,andwhendryplaceditinthecamera。Inaboutforty-fiveminutesI

  plainlypercievedtheeffect,inthegradualdarkeningofvariouspartsoftheview,whichwastheoldstonefortintherearoftheschoolgarden,withthetrees,fence,&c。Ithenbecameconvincedofthepracticabilityofproducingbeautifulsolarpicturesinthisway;but,alas!mypicturevanishedandwithit,all——nonotall——myhopes。WithreneweddeterminationIbeganagainbystudyingthenatureofthepreparation,andcametotheconclusion,thatifIcoulddestroythepartnotacteduponbythelightwithoutinjuringthatwhichwassoactedupon,Icouldsavemypictures。Ithenmadeastrongsolutionofsal。

  sodaIhadinthehouse,andsoakedmypaperinit,andthenwasheditoffinhotwater,whichperfectlyfixedtheviewuponthepaper。

  Thispaperwasverypoorwiththickspots,moreabsorbentthanotherparts,andconsequentlymadedarkshadesinthepicturewheretheyshouldnothavebeen;butitwasenoughtoconvincemethatIhadsucceeded,andthatatsomefuturetime,whenIhadthemeansandamoreextensiveknowledgeofchemistry,Icouldapplymyselftoitagain。

  Ihavedonesosince,atvarioustimes,withperfectsuccess;

  butineveryinstancelaboringunderadversecircumstances。\"

  Ihaveveryrecentlylearned,that,underthepresentpatentlawsoftheUnitedStates,everyforeignpatenteeisrequiredtoputhisinvention,ordiscovery,intopracticalusewithineighteenmonthsaftertakingouthispapers,orotherwiseforfeithispatent。

  WithregardtoMr。Talbot’sCalotypepatent,thistimehasnearly,ifnotquiteexpired,andmycountrymenarenowatperfectlibertytoappropriatetheartiftheyfeeldisposed。

  FromthestatementofMr。Wattles,itwillbeperceivedthatthiscanbedonewithoutdishonor,asinthefirstinstanceMr。Talbothadnopositiverighttohispatent。

  Photography;orsun-paintingisdivided,accordingtothemethodsadoptedforproducingpictures,intoDAGUERREOTYPE,CHROMATYPE,CALOTYPE,ENERGIATYPE,CHRYSOTYPE,ANTHOTYPEandCYANOTYPE,AMPHITYPE。

  CHAP。II。

  THETHEORYONLIGHT。——THEPHOTOGRAPHICPRINCIPLE

  SomephilosopherscontendthattotheexistenceoflightaloneweowethebeautifuleffectsproducedbythePhotogenicart,whileothersgivesufficientreasonsfordoubtingthecorrectnessoftheassumption。

  Thattheresultsareeffectedbyaprincipleassociatedwithlightandnotbytheluminousprincipleitself,isthemostprobableconclusion。

  Theimportanceofaknowledgeofthisfactbecomesmostessentialinpractice,aswillpresentlybeseen。TothisprincipleMr。HuntgivesthenameofENERGIA。

  THENATUREofLightisnotwhollyknown,butitisgenerallybelievedtobematter,asinitsmotionsitobeysthelawsregulatingmatter。

  Socloselyisitconnectedwithheatandelectricitythattherecanbelittledoubtoftheirallbeingbutdifferentmodificationsofthesamesubstance。

  Iwillnot,however,enterintoastatementofthevarioustheoriesofPhilosophersonthishead,butcontentmyselfwiththatofSirIsaacNewton;

  whosupposedraysoflighttoconsistofminuteparticlesofmatter,whichareconstantlyemanatingfromluminousbodiesandcausevision,asodoriferousparticles,proceedingfromcertainbodies,causesmelling。

  Theeffectsoflightuponotherbodies,andhowlightiseffectedbythem,involvesomeofthemostimportantprinciples,whichifproperlyunderstoodbyDaguerreotypistswouldenablethemtoimproveandcorrectmanyofthepracticaloperationsintheirart。

  Theseeffectsweshallexhibitinthisandthefollowingchapters。

  BeforeweenteronthissubjectitwillbenecessarytobecomefamiliarwiththeDEFINITIONSofsomeofthetermsusedinthescienceofoptics。

  Luminousbodiesareoftwokinds;thosewhichshinebytheirownlight,andthosewhichshinebyreflectedlight。

  Transparentbodiesaresuchaspermitraysoflighttopassthroughthem。

  Translucentbodiespermitlighttopassfaintly,butwithoutrepresentingthefigureofobjectsseenthroughthem。

  Opaquebodiespermitnolighttopassthroughthem,butreflectlight。

  Arayisalineoflight。

  Abeamisacollectionofparallelrays。

  Apencilisacollectionofconverging,ordivergingrays。

  Amediumisanyspacethroughwhichlightpasses。

  Incidentraysarethosewhichfalluponthesurfaceofabody。

  Reflectedraysarethosewhicharethrownofffromabody。

  Parallelraysaresuchasproceedequallydistantfromeachotherthroughtheirwholecourse。

  Convergingraysaresuchasapproachandtendtouniteatanyonepoint,asatb。fig。3。

  Divergingraysarethosewhichcontinuetorecedefromeachother,asate。Fig。3。

  AFocusisthatpointatwhichconvergingraysmeet。

  MOTIONOFLIGHT——Raysoflightarethrownofffromluminousbodiesineverydirection,butalwaysinstraightlines,whichcrosseachotherateverypoint;buttheparticlesofwhicheachrayconsistsaresominutethattheraysdonotappeartobeimpededbyeachother。

  Arayoflightpassingthroughanapertureintoadarkroom,proceedsinastraightline;afactofwhichanyonemaybeconvincedbygoingintoadarkenedroomandadmitinglightonlythroughasmallaperture。

  Lightalsomoveswithgreatvelocity,butbecomesfainterasitrecedesfromthesourcefromwhichiteminates;inotherwords,divergingraysoflightdiminishinintensityasthesquareofthedistanceincreases。

  Forinstanceletafig。1,representtheluminousbodyfrom[hipho_1。gif]

  whichlightproceeds,andsupposethreesquareboards,b。c。d。

  severallyone,fourandsixteensquareinchesinsizebeplaced;

  bonefoot,ctwofeet,anddfourfeetfroma,itwillbeperceivedthatthesmallestboardbwillthrowcintoshadow;

  thatis,obstructallraysoflightthatwouldotherwisefallonc,andifbwereremovedcwouldinlikemannerhidethelightfromd——Now,ifbrecieveasmuchlightaswouldfalloncwhosesurfaceisfourtimesaslarge,thelightmustbefourtimesaspowerfulandsixteentimesaspowerfulasthatwhichwouldfallonthesecondandthirdboards,becausethesamequantityoflightisdiffusedoveraspacefourandsixteentimesgreater。

  Thesesameraysmaybecollectedandtheirintensityagainincreased。

  Raysoflightarereflectedfromonesurfacetoanother;Refracted,orbent,astheypassfromthesurfaceofonetransparentmediumtoanother;andInflected,orturnedfromtheircourse,bytheattractionofopaquebodies。Fromthefirstwederivetheprinciplesonwhichmirrorsareconstructed;

  tothesecondweareindebtedforthepowerofthelenses,andtheblessingsofsight,——forthelightactsupontheretinaoftheeyeinthesamemannerasonthelensofacamera。

  Thelatterhasnoimportantbearinguponoursubject。

  Whenarayoflightfallsperpendicularlyuponanopaquebody,itisreflectedbarkinthesamelineinwhichitproceeds;

  inthiscasethereflectedrayreturnsinthesamepaththeincidentraytraversed;butwhenarayfallsobliquely,itisreflectedobliquely,thatis,itisthrownoffinoppositedirection,andasfarfromtheperpendicularaswastheincidentray,asshownatFig。2;arepresentingtheincidentrayandbthereflected。

  Thepoint,oranglecmadeby[hipho_2。gif]

  theincidentray,atthesurfaceofthereflectoref,withalinecd,perpendiculartothatsurface,iscalledtheangleofincidence,whiletheangleformedbythereflectedraybandtheperpendicularlinediscalledtheangleofreflection,andtheseanglesarealwaysequal。

  Itisbythisreflectionoflightthatobjectsaremadevisible;

  butunlesslightfallsdirectlyupontheeyetheyareinvisible,andarenotsensiblyfeltuntilafteracertainseriesofoperationsuponthevariouscoveringsandhumorsoftheeye。

  Smoothandpolishedsurfacesreflectlightmostpowerfully,andsendtotheeyetheimagesoftheobjectsfromwhichthelightproceededbeforereflection。Glass,whichistransparent——

  transmittinglight——wouldbeofnousetousasamirror,wereitnotfirstcoatedononesidewithametalicamalgam,whichinterruptstheraysintheirpassagefromtheglassintotheair,andthrowsthemeitherdirectlyintheincidentline,orinanobliquedirection。Thereasonwhytrees,rocksandanimalsarenotallmirrors,reflectingotherformsinsteadoftheirown,is,thattheirsurfacesareuneven,andraysoflightreflectedfromanunevensurfacearediffusedinalldirections。

  Parallelraysfallingobliquelyuponaplanemirrorarereflectedparallel;

  convergingrays,withthesamedegreeofconvergence;anddivergingraysequallydivergent。

  Standbeforeamirrorandyourimageisformedtherein,andappearstobeasfarbehindtheglassasyouarebeforeit,makingtheangleofreflectionequaltothatofincidence,asbeforestated。Theincidentrayandthereflectedrayform,together,whatiscalledthepassageofreflection,andthiswillthereforemaketheactualdistanceofanimagetoappearasfaragainfromtheeyeasitreallyis。

  Anyobjectwhichreflectslightiscalledaradiant。

  Thepointbehindareflectingsurface,fromwhichtheyappeartodiverge,iscalledthevirtualfocus。

  Raysoflightbeingreflectedatthesameangleatwhichtheyfalluponamirror,twopersonscanstandinsuchapositionthateachcanseetheimageoftheotherwithoutseeinghisown。

  Again;youmayseeyourwholefigureinamirrorhalfyourlength,butifyoustandbeforeoneafewinchesshorterthewholecannotbereflected,astheincidentraywhichpassesfromyourfeetintothemirrorintheformercase,willinthelatterfallunderit。

  Imagesarealwaysreversedinmirrors。

  Convexmirrorsreflectlightfromaroundedsurfaceanddispersetheraysineverydirection,causingparallelraystodiverge,divergingraystodivergemore,andconvergingraystoconvergeless——

  Theyrepresentobjectssmallerthantheyreallyare——becausetheangleformedbythereflectedrayisrenderedmoreacutebyaconvexthanbyaplanesurface,anditisthediminishingofthevisualangle,bycausingraysoflighttobefartherextendedbeforetheymeetinapoint,whichproducestheimageofconvexmirrors。Thegreatertheconvexityofamirror,themorewilltheimagesoftheobjectsbediminished,andthenearerwilltheyappeartothesurface。

  Thesemirrorsfurnishsciencewithmanycuriousandpleasingfacts。

  Concavemirrorsarethereverseofconvex;thelatterbeingroundedoutwards,theformerhollowedinwards——theyrenderraysoflightmoreconverging——

  collectraysinsteadofdispersingthem,andmagnifyobjectswhiletheconvexdiminishesthem。

  Raysoflightmaybecollectedinthefocusofamirrortosuchintensityastomeltmetals。Theordinaryburningglassisanillustrationofthisfact;

  althoughtheraysoflightarerefracted,orpassedthroughtheglassandconcentratedintoafocusbeneath。

  Whenincidentraysareparallel,thereflectedraysconvergetoafocus,butwhentheincidentraysproceedfromafocus,oraredivergent,theyarereflectedparallel。Itisonlywhenanobjectisnearertoaconcavemirrorthanitscentreofconcavity,thatitsimageismagnified;

  forwhentheobjectisfartherfromthemirror,thiscentrewillappearlessthantheobject,andinaninvertedposition。

  Thecentreofconcavityinaconcavemirror,isanimaginarypointplacedinthecentreofacircleformedbycontinuingtheboundaryoftheconcavityofthemirrorfromanyonepointoftheedgetoanotherparalleltoandbeneathit。

  REFRACTIONOFLIGHT:——Inowpasstotheconsiderationofthepassageoflightthroughbodies。

  Arayoflightfailingperpendicularlythroughtheairuponasurfaceofglassorwaterpassesoninastraightlinethroughthebody;

  butifit,inpassingfromonemediumtoanotherofdifferentdensity,fallobliquely,itisbentfromitsdirectcourseandrecedesfromit,eithertowardstherightorleft,andthisbendingiscalledrefraction;

  (seefig。3,b。)Ifarayoflightpassesfromararerintoadensermediumitisrefractedtowardsaperpendicularinthatmedium;butifitpassesfromadenserintorareritisbentfurtherfromaperpendicularinthatmedium。

  Owingtothisbendingoftheraysoflighttheanglesofrefractionandincidenceareneverequal。

  Transparentbodiesdifferintheirpowerofbendinglight——

  asageneralrule,therefractivepowerisproportionedtothedensity——butthechemicalconstitutionofbodiesaswellastheirdensity,isfoundtoeffecttheirrefractingpower。

  Inflamablebodiespossessthispowertoagreatdegree。

  Thesinesoftheangleofincidenceandrefraction(thatis,theperpendiculardrawnfromtheextremityofanarctothediameterofacircle,)arealwaysinthesameratio;viz:fromairintowater,thesineoftheangleofrefractionisnearlyasfourtothree,whateverbethepositionoftheraywithrespecttotherefractingsurface。

  Fromairintosulphur,thesineoftheangleofrefractionisastwotoone——

  thereforetheraysoflightcannotberefractedwheneverthesineoftheangleofrefractionbecomesequaltotheradius*ofacircle,andlightfallingveryobliquelyuponatransparentmediumceasestoberefracted;thisistermedtotalreflection。

  *TheRADIUSofacircleisastraightlinepassingfromthecentretothecircumference。

  Sincethebrightnessofareflectedimagedependsuponthequantityoflight,itisquiteevidentthatthoseimageswhicharisefromtotalreflectionarebyfarthemostvivid,asinordinarycasesofreflectionaportionoflightisabsorbed。

  Ishouldbepleasedtoentermorefullyintothisbranchofthescienceofoptics,buttheboundstowhichIamnecessarilylimitedinaworkofthiskindwillnotadmitofit。

  Inthenextchapter,however,IshallgiveasynopsisofMr。Hunt’streatiseonthe\"InfluenceoftheSolarRaysonCompoundBodies,withespecialreferencetotheirPhotographicapplication\"——

  AworkwhichshouldbeinthehandsofeveryDaguerreotypist,andwhichIhopesoontoseerepublishedinthiscountry。

  IwillconcludethischapterwithabriefstatementoftheprinciplesuponwhichthePhotographicartisfounded。

  SOLARandStellerlightcontainsthreekindsofrays,viz:

  1。Colorific,orraysofcolor。

  2。Calorific,orraysofheat。

  3。Chemicalrays,orthosewhichproducechemicaleffects。

  OnthefirstandthirdthePhotographicprincipledepends。

  Inexplainingthisprincipletheaccompanyingwoodcuts,(figs。3and4)willrenderitmoreintelligible。

  Ifapencilofthesun’sraysfalluponaprism,itisbentinpassingthroughthetransparentmedium;andsomeraysbeingmorerefractedthanothers,weprocureanelongatedimageoftheluminousbeam,exhibitingthreedistinctcolors,red,yellowandblue,whicharetoberegardedasprimitives——andfromtheirinterblending,seven,asrecordedbyNewton,andshownintheaccompanyingwoodcut。

  Theseraysbeingabsorbed,orreflecteddifferentlybyvariousbodies,givetonaturethecharmofcolor。Thustotheeveisgiventhepleasurewederiveinlookinguponthegreenfieldsandforests,theenumerablevarietiesofflowers,theglowingruby,jasper,topaz,amethist,andemerald,thebrilliantdiamond,andalltherichandvariedhuesofnature,bothanimateandinanimate。

  [hipho_3。gif]

  Now,ifweallowthisprismaticspectrum(b。fig。3。)tofalluponanysurface(asatc。)preparedwithasensitivephotographiccompound,weshallfindthatthechemicaleffectproducedbearsnorelationtotheintensityofthelightofanyparticularcoloredray,butthat,onthecontrary,itisdispersedoverthelargestportionofthespectrum,beingmostenergeticintheleastluminousrays,andeveractiveoveranextensivespace,wherenotracesoflightcanbedetected。Fig。4,willgivethestudentabetterideaofthisprinciple。Itisacopyofthekindofimpressionwhichthespectrum,spokenof,wouldmakeonapieceofpapercoveredwithaverysensitivephotographicpreparation。

  Thewhitespacea。correspondswiththemostluminous,oryellowray,(5,fig。3)overlimitsofwhichallchemicalchangeisprevented。

  Asimilaractionisalsoproducedbythelowerendoftheredrayc;

  butintheupperportion,howeverwefindadecidedchange(asatd)。Themostactivechemicalchange,youwillpercieve,isproducedbytheraysabovetheyellowa;viz。4,3,2and1

  (asatb)thegreen(4)beingtheleastactive,andtheblue(3)andviolet(1)raysthemostso,theactionstillcontinuingfarbeyondthepointbwhichistheendoftheluminousimage。

  [hipho_4。gif]

  SupposewewishtocopybytheDaguerreotype,orCalotypeprocess,anyobjectshighlycolored——blue,redandyellow,forinstancepredominating——

  thelastofcoursereflectsthemostlight,thebluetheleast;

  buttheraysfromthebluesurfacewillmakethemostintenseimpression,whilsttheredradiationsareworkingveryslowly,andtheyellowremainsentirelyinactive。Thisaccountsforthedifficultyexperiencedincopyingbrightgreenfoliage,orwarmlycoloredportraits;alargeportionoftheyellowandredraysenteringintothecompositionofboth——

  andtheimperfectionsofaDaguerreotypeportraitofapersonwithafreckledfacedependsuponthesamecause。

  Ayellow,hazyatmosphere,evenwhenthelightisverybright,willeffectuallypreventanygoodphotographicresult——

  andintheheightofsummer,withthemostsensativeprocess,itnotunfrequentlyhappensthatthemostanoyingfailuresarisefromthisagencyofayellowmedium。Abuildingpaintedofayellowcolor,whichmayreflectthesun’sraysdirectlyintotheoperator’sroomwillhavethesameeffect。

  Daguerreotypists,beingignorantofthesefacts,areveryapttochargetheirwantofsuccesstotheplates,orchemicals,oranythingbuttherealcause;anditwouldbewelltobearthesefactsconstantlyinmindandasfaraspossibleavoidthem。

  This,maybeaccomplished,inameasure,byachoiceoflocationorbyhavingtheglassofyourwindowstingedwithblue;orascreenofthinbluepapermaybeinterposedbetweenthelightandsitter。

  Inselectingsubjects,allstrikingcontrastsincolorshouldbeavoided,andsittersforportraitsshouldbecautionednottowearanythingthatmayproducetheeffectspokenof——

  darkdressesalwaysbeingthebest。

  Theactionoflightbothcombinesanddecomposesbodies。

  Forinstance,chlorineandhydrogenwillremaininaglassvesselwithoutalterationifkeptinthedark;butifexposedtotheraysofthesun,theyimmediatelyenterintocombination,andproducehydrochloricacid。

  Ontheotherhand,ifcolorlessnitricacidbeexposedtothesun,itbecomesyellow,thenchangestored,andoxygenisliberatedbythepartialdecompositioneffectedbythesolarrays。

  Oftheorganicsubstancesnonearemorereadilyacteduponbylightthanthevariouscombinationsofsilver。

  Ofthesesomearemore,andotherslesssensitive。IfChlorideofsilver,whichisawhiteprecipitateformedbyaddingchlorideofsodium(commonsalt)

  toasolutionofnitrateofsilver,beexposedtodiffusedlight,itspeedilyassumesaviolettint,andultimatelybecomesnearlyblack。

  Withiodideofsilver,bromideofsilver,ammonio-nitrateofsilver,andothersaltsofthismetal,theresultwillbemuchthesame。

  Somebodies,whichundertheinfluenceoflight,undergochemicalchanges,havethepowerofrestoringthemselvestotheiroriginalconditioninthedark。Thisismoreremarkablydisplayedintheiodideofplatinum,whichreadilyrecievesaphotogenicimagebydarkeningovertheexposedsurfaces,butspeedilylosesitbybleachinginthedark。

  TheioduretofDaguerre’splate,andsomeotheriodides,exhibitthesamepeculiarity——Thisleadsustothestrikingfact,thatbodieswhichhaveundergoneachangeofestateundertheinfluenceofday-lighthavesomelatentpowerbywhichtheycanrenovatethemselves。

  Possiblythehoursofnightareasnecessarytoinanimatenatureastheyaretotheanimate。Duringtheday,anexcitementwhichwedonotheed,unlessinastateofdisease,ismaintainedbytheinfluenceoflightandthehoursofrepose,duringwhichtheequilibriumisrestored,areabsolutelynecessarytothecontinuanceofhealth。

  Insteadofafewchemicalcompoundsofgoldandsilver,whichatfirstwerealonesupposedtobephotographic,wearenowawarethatcopper,platinum,lead,nikel,andindeed,probablyalltheelements,areequallyliablytochangeunderthesun’sinfluence。Thisfactmaybeofbenefittoengravers,forifsteelcanbemadetotakephotographicimpressions,themorelaboriousprocessofetchingmaybedispensedwith。

  Infact,inthelatterpartofthiswork,aprocessisdescribedforetchingandtakingprintedimpressionsfromDaguerreotypeplates。

  Asyetthisprocesshasproducednodecidedbeneficialresults——

  butfutureexperimentsmayaccomplishsomepracticaldiscoveryofintrinsicvaluetotheartofengraving。

  Averysimpleexperimentwillprovehowessentiallightistothecoloringofthevariousspeciescomprisingthevegetableandanimalkingdoms。

  Ifwetransplantanyshrubfromthelightofdayintoadarkcellar,wewillsoonseeitloseitsbrightgreencolor,andbecomeperfectlywhite。

  Anothereffectoflightisthatitappearstoimparttobodiessomepowerbywhichtheymorereadilyenterintochemicalcombinationwithothers。

  Wehavealreadysaidthatchlorineandhydrogen,ifkeptinthedark,willremainunaltered;butifthechlorinealonebepreviouslyexposedtothesun,thechlorinethussolarisedwillunitewiththehydrogeninthedark。

  Sulphateofironwillthrowdowngoldorsilverfromtheirsolutionsslowlyinthedark;butifeithersolutionbefirstexposedtosunshine,andthemixturebethenmade,inthedark,theprecipitationtakesplaceinstantly。

  Hereisagain,evidenceofeitheranabsorptionofsomematerialagentfromthesunbeam,oranalterationinthechemicalconstitutionofthebody。

  ItwasfromunderstandingtheseprinciplesandapplyingthemthatphilosopherswereenabledtoproducetheCalotype,Daguerreotype,&c。Fortheeffectsandactionoflightonthecamera,seeChapterV。

  SomeadvanceshavebeenmadetowardsproducingPhotographicimpressionsincolor——theimpossibilityofwhichsomeofourbestandoldestartistshavemostpertinaciouslymaintained。

  Thecoloredimageofthespectrumhasbeenmostfaithfullycopied,rayforray,onpaperspreadwiththejuiceoftheCochorusJaponica,(aspeciesofplant)andthefluorideofsilver;

  andonsilverplatecoveredwithathinfilmofchloride。

  Thedaymaybestillremotewhenthismuchtobedesireddecideratumshallbeaccomplishedinportraittaking;

  butIamledtohopethatfutureexperimentsmaymasterthesecretwhichnowcausesittobelookedupon,bymany,asanimpossibility。

  Thatgreatadvantageshaveresulted,andthatgreaterstillwillresultfromthediscoveryofthePhotographicart,fewwilldeny。

  Thefaithfulmannerinwhichitcopiesnature,eventothemostminutedetails,rendersitofmuchvaluetothepainter;butafewminutessufficingtotakeaviewthatformerlywouldhaveoccupiedseveraldays。

  Itssuperiorityinportraits,overminiatureoroilpaintinghasbeentacitlyacknowledgedbythethousandswhoemployittosecuretheirown,orafriendslikeness,andbythesteadyincreaseinthenumberofartistswhoareweekly,ayedailyspringingupineverytownandvillageintheland。

  CHAP。III。

  SYNOPSISOFMR。HUNT’STREATISEON\"THEINFLUENCEOFTHE

  SOLARRAYSONCOMPOUNDBODIES,WITHESPECIALREFERENCETO

  THEIRPHOTOGRAPHICAPPLICATION。\"

  OXIDEOFSILVERexposedforafewhourstogoodsunshine,passesintoamoredecidedolivecolor,thancharacterisesitwhenfirstpreparedbyprecipitationfromnitrateofsilver。

  Longerexposurerendersthiscolorverymuchlighter,andthecoveredparts,arefoundmuchdarker,thanthoseonwhichthelighthasacteddirectly。Insomeinstanceswheretheoxideofsilverhasbeenspreadonthepaperadecidedwhiteningprocessinsomeparts,afterafewdaysexposure,isnoticed。

  Oxideofsilverdisolvedinammoniaisavaluablephotographicfluid;

  oneapplicationofastrongsolutionforminganexceedinglysensitivesurface。Thepicturesonthispaperareeasilyfixedbysaltorweakammonia。

  NITRATEOFSILVER。——Thissaltinastateofpurity,doesnotappeartobesensiblyaffectedbylight,butthepresenceofthesmallestportionoforganicmatterrendersitexceedinglyliabletochangeunderluminousinfluence。

  Ifapieceofnitratedpaperisplaceduponhotiron,orheldnearthefire,itwillbefoundthatataheatjustbelowthatatwhichthepaperchars,thesaltisdecomposed。

  Wheretheheatisgreatest,thesilverisrevived,andimmediatelyaroundit,thepaperbecomesadeepblue;

  beyondthisaprettydecidedgreencolorresults,andbeyondthegreen,ayelloworyellowbrownstainismade。

  Thisexhibitsaremarkableanalogybetweenheatandlight,——

  beforespokenofinchap。II——andisofsomepracticalimportanceinthepreparationofthepaper。

  PRISMATICANALYSIS。——Themethodofaccomplishingtheprismaticdecompositionofraysoflightbythespectrumhasalreadybeendescribedonpages22

  and23。Thecoloroftheimpressedspectrum,onpaperwashedwithnitrateofsilver,isatfirst,apalebrown,whichpassesslowlyintoadeepershade;

  thatportioncorrespondingwiththeblueraysbecomingabluebrown;

  andunderthevioletofapeculiarpinkeyshade,averydecidedgreentint,onthepointwhichcorrespondswiththeleastrefrangiblebluerays,maybeobserved,itslimitsofactionbeingnearthecentreoftheyellowray,anditsmaximumaboutthecentreoftheblue,althoughtheactionuptotheedgeofthevioletrayiscontinuedwithverylittlediminutionofeffect;

  beyondthispointtheactionisveryfeeble。

  Whenthespectrumismadetoactonpaperwhichhasbeenpreviouslydarkened,byexposuretosunshineundercupro-sulphateofammonia,thephenomenaaremateriallydifferent。

  Thephotographicspectrumislengthenedoutontheredornegativesidebyafaintbutveryvisibleredportion,whichextendsfullyuptotheendoftheredrays,asseenbythenakedeye。

  Thetintofthegeneralspectrum,too,insteadofbrownisdarkgrey,passing,however,atitsmostrefractedorpositiveendintoaruddybrown。

  InitsPhotographicapplication,thenitrateofsilveristhemostvaluableofthesaltsofthatmetal,asfromitmostoftheotherargentinecompoundscanbeprepared,althoughitisnotofitselfsufficientlysensibletolighttorenderitofmuchuse。

  CHLORIDEOFSILVER。——Thissaltofsilver,whetherinitsprecipitatedstate,orwhenfused,changesitscolortoafinebluishgreybyaveryshortexposuretothesun’srays。

  Ifcombinedwithasmallquantityofnitrate,thechangeismorerapid,itattainsadeepbrown,thenslowlypassesintoafineolive,andeventually,afterafewweeks,themetalicsilverisseentoberevivedonthesurfaceofthesalt。

  Greatdifferencesofcolorareproducedonchloridesofsilverprecipitatedbydifferentmuriates。Nearlyeveryvarietyincombinationwiththenitrate,becomesatlastofthesameolivecolor,thefollowingexamples,therefore,havereferencetoafewminutesexposure,only,togoodsunshine;itmustalsoberecollectedthatthechlorideofsilverinthesecasesiscontaminatedwiththeprecipitant。

  Muriateofammoniaprecipitateschloridetodarkentoafinechocolatebrown,whilstmuriateoflimeproducesabrick-redcolor。

  Muriatesofpotashandsodaaffordaprecipitate,whichdarkensspeedlytoapuredarkbrown,andmuriaticacid,oraqueouschlorine,donotappeartoincreasethedarkeningpowerbeyondthelilactowhichthepurechlorideofsilverchangesbyexposure。

  Thisdifferenceofcolorappearstobeowingtotheadmixtureoftheearthoralkaliusedwiththesilversalt。

  Theprismaticimpressiononpaperspreadwiththechlorideofsilverisoftenverybeautifullytinted,theintensityofcolorvaryingwiththekindofmuriateused。Spreadpaperwithmuriateofammoniaorbarytaandyouobtainarangeofcolorsnearlycorrespondingwiththenaturalhuesoftheprismaticspectrum。

  Underfavorablecircumstancesthemeanredray,leavesaredimpression,whichpassesintoagreenoverthespaceoccupiedbytheyellowrays。

  Abovethisaleadenhueisobserved,andaboutthemeanblueray,wheretheactionisgreatest,itrapidlypassesthroughbrownintoblack,andthroughthemostrefrangibleraysitgraduallydeclinesintoabluishbrown,whichtintiscontinuedthroughouttheinvisiblerays。Attheleastrefrangibleendofthespectrum,theveryremarkablephenomenonhasbeenobserved,oftheextremeredraysexertingaprotectinginfluence,andpreservingthepaperfromthatchange,whichitwouldotherwiseundergo,undertheinfluenceofthedispersedlightwhichalwayssurroundsthespectrum。

  Notonlytheextremeredrayexertsthisverypeculiarproperty,buttheordinaryredraythroughnearlyitswholelength。

  Inphotographicdrawingthissaltisoftheutmostimportance。

  Mr。Talbot’sapplicationofitwillbegivenhereafterinanotherportionofthiswork。

  IODIDEOFSILVER——Perfectlypure,undergoesverylittlechangeundertheinfluenceoflightorheat;butifaveryslightexcessofthenitrateofsilverbeaddeditbecomesinfinitelymoresenitivethanthechlorideThespectrumimpresseduponpaperpreparedwithaweaksolutionofthehydriodateofpotashpresentssomeveryremarkablepeculiarities。

  Themaximumofintensityisfoundattheedgeofthemostrefrangiblevioletrays,oralittlebeyondit,varyingslightlyaccordingtothekindofpaperused,andthequantityoffreenitrateofsilverpresent。

  Theactioncommencesatapointnearlycoincidentwiththemeanredoftheluminousspectrum,whereitgivesadullashorleadcolor,whilethemostrefrangibleraysimpressaruddysnuff-brown,thechangeoftintcomingonrathersuddenlyabouttheendoftheblueorbeginningofthevioletraysoftheluminousspectrum。

  Beyondtheextremevioletrays,theactionrapidlydiminishes,butthedarkeningproducedbytheseinvisiblerays,extendsaverysmallspacebeyondthepointatwhichtheyceasetoactonthechlorideofsilver。

  Initsphotographicapplication,itis,alone,ofverylittleuse;

  butincombinationwithotherreagentsitbecomesexquisitelysensitive。

  Withgallicacidandtheferrocyanateofpotashitformstwoofthemostsensitivephotographicsolutionswithwhichweareacquainted。

  Theseareusedinthecalotypeprocess。

  IODURETOFSILVER。——Ifuponaplateofpolishedsilverweplaceasmallpieceofiodine,andapplytheheatofalampbeneaththeplateforamoment,asystemofringsisspeedilyformed。

  Thefirstring,whichspreadingconstantlyformstheexteriorofthecircle,isofabrightyellowcolor;withinthis,therearises,sucessively,ringsofgreen,redandbluecolors,andthenagainafineyellowcircle,centredbyagreyishspotontheplaceoccupiedbytheiodine。Onexposingthesetothelight,theouteryellowcirclealmostinstantlychangescolor,theothersslowly,intheorderoftheirposition,theinterioryellowcircleresistingforalongtimethesolarinfluence。

  Theseringsmustberegardedasfilmsoftheioduretofsilver,varying,notonlyinthickness,butinthemoreorlessperfectstatesofcombinationinwhichtheiodineandmetalare。

  Theexteriorcircleisanioduretinaveryloosestateofchemicalagregation;theattractiveforcesincreaseasweproceedtowardsthecentre,whereawellformedioduret,orprobablyatrueiodideofsilver,isformed,whichisacteduponbysunlightwithdifficulty。TheexteriorandmostsensitivefilmconstitutesthesurfaceofDaguerreotypeplates。

  Thechangeswhichthesecoloredringsundergoareremarkable;

  byafewminutesexposuretosunlight,aninversionofnearlyallthecolorstakesplace,thetwofirstringsbecomingadeepolivegreen;andadeepblueincliningtoblack。

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