The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1849-03-30
MISCELLANEOUS,
From the Boston Daily Advertiser
photography.

Photography.
Great discoveries IN this art, (o making the rays of
light mark themselves upon solid surface and es-
peciay OF the process which bears his name have been
attributed to M. Daguerre. A recent humber If tbe
Revue de deux Mondes gives an Interesting history of
II 10 man whose name, we believe, has never been
connected with it, at least in this country We copy the
| following from the Revue:
/ The invention of photography belongs TO two men
whose abors and respective parts IN this great discovery
are very clearly established Joseph Ncephoe Niepce.
in the first place. found the means of fixing, by the chem
zeal action of light the image of external Objects Louis
Alandi Daguene perfected the Photographic proceedings
OF Niepce and discovered in It's whole the method now in
use
Joseph Nepce simple proprietor of Chaons
living with his family IN country house the borders
of the Saone Aided by one of his brothers, Claude
Nepce, who was well acquainted with the mechanic
arts, he consecraed his leisure TO scientific researches
The brothers Niepce occupied themselves together in
1906 IN the construction OF moving machine in which
the air suddenly heated. take the place of steam
THIS machine attracted the attention of Carno who made
it the subject OF report to the Institute The cultivation
of the woad, to which they devoted themselves, gave
them afterwards the occasion to prepare with that plant
coorng matter identical with the East India indigo,
matter OF great importance at the period when foreign
deprived French commerce of colonial productions
Finally an invention, most valuable for the fine arts,
changed the direction of the labors of Niepce. Litho-
graphy had just been imported into France and this
rous art occupied at that time, the attention of all scen
lc men and artists; everywherequarres were examined
to find the photographic stone Niepce made various at
empts at reproduction some stone of delicate grain
which was destined to be pounded up on the Lyons road
These attempts having failed, he thought of substituting
la polished metal for the stone He attempted to take
proofs sheet of pewter with crayons and photographic
vanish In the course of these experiments, he con-
ceved the idea OF obtaining on metallic plates, the repre-
Gus rays
BY what series of mysterious transitions was Niepce
conducted starting from simple Photographic aemptsto
reach the complicated problem, the most naccess
bic perhaps of the philosophy of his tme' The Ques-
ton would be very difficult to clear up. Nepce was
very far from what is called learned man. He belonged
TO that interchangeable class of seekers, who, without
great deal of technical knowledge with very small
quantity OF scientific baggage, go along the travelled
roads mountains and through valleys, seeking the
impossible calling on the unforeseen Nepce, to tell the
truth was half learned. The of half learned men is
too much dsdained is perhaps well not to speak Ill of
them. Half-learned men do little INJURY science, and
from time to time they make unexpected discoveries.
Precisely because they unskilfu in approaching be-
forehand the infinite elements OF scientific fact, they
throw themselves al the first stroke all difficulties
they touch boldly the highest and the deepest questions
as thoughess and curious child touches in play the
springs of an immense machine; and sometimes they
reach this way, results STANCE and inventions
prodgious that of the most profound learning them
! 1t was not learned man who discovered the
pass it citizen of the kingdom of Naples. 1t was
not learned man who discovered the telescope; but
dleburg Ii was not learned man who discovered the
application of steam - was mechanic. 1t was not
learned who discovered vaccination; the discovery
was made by herdsmen of Languedoc twas not learn
ed who invented lithography Sit was singer at the
Munich theatre 1t was not learned man who invented
air balloons lit was woman, Madam Montgolfer, who
day happened to hang her petcoat to basket
1t was not learned who discovered galvansm lit
PAUSED before his hoasai ~ employed in pre-
o s race 81 to s M
perhaps, because Nepce was only half learned
that photography exists If Niepce for example, had
been profoundly scientific, he would not have been g
be Chemical al action Of the sR he put ' himself n b
face OF the gravest difficulties Of human science; he
would have recoected that in England the ilustTious
sand fruiiess efforts had declared the problem nsolv
BILE The day when this bold thought entered his head
he would have LAID aside at once with the reyetlss OF
heaved sigh of regret and passed by on the other side
Happily for for science, for the arts Nepce only
hall scientific He was not too much alarmed at the diff
fcu6es which awaited him. He could not, moreover.
foesee that question apparently so simple was to cost
him twenty years of research and that death would
prise him before he had received the reward and eg
mate satisfaction for his works.
The Photographic essays of Nepce 60 back to the year
1915 early in 1914 he made his first discoveries The
pnc pies Of his Photographic proceedings were of won
derful simplicity. He knew. what all painters know.
that a certain reslnous substance of q black color,
ahae to the ain Of the g SaIh Ss
most of the compounds OF silver, which are naturally
without color, beached by the action of luminous rays
This is the he made of this property He occupied
himself at first with an object, very Insignificant in ap,,
pearance but which had the advantage OF preparing and
proving his future proceedngs he applied himself to the
reproduction of engravings He vanished an engraving
on the back render transparent, and he put
afterwards on plate of pewter tin covered with
layer of asphae The black parts of the engraving
rested the luminous rays the contrary the transparent
parts those which present line of the graver, allow
them TO pass through freely The luminous rays passing
hroug the transparent parts OF the paper go to Written
the layer of asphale spread the metallic plate and
thus was obtained faithful image OF the drawing IN
which the lights and shades preserved their natural stu
alton By afterwards punging the metallic plate INTO the
of lavender the portions OF asphalte not impressed
by the light were dissolved. and the image thus pro-
tected from the Interior action OF the light
Meantime the photogenic copying of engravings was
only prelude TO more interesting operations The end
to be obtained the reproduction of the drawings of
the camera obscura. Everybody knows the camera
obscura 1t is sort OF box closed on all sides into
which the light introduces itself through small orfce.
The luminous rays emanating from objects placed with
out ntersec each other at the entrance, and produce
decreased representation of these objects To give
field TO the image and TO augment the diStinctnes of il,
convergent lens placed al the luminous oriGce of it.
1t becomes then artificial eye on which all exterior
views painted. These ephemeral images to be
fixed the obscura Is mirror; of this mirror
picture is TO be made.
Nepce resolved this problem in 1924. To plate of
plated svered copper he applied layer of asphae.
The plate thus covered placed in the obscura
and the image transmitted by the lens of the instrument
is made to fall upon its surface AT the end of
what long tme the light had acted the sensible sub
stance The plate then being plunged into mixture OF
essence of lavender and petra the parts of the blumi-
nous plaster that the light had struck remained un-
touched-the others dissolved rapidly. A drawing was
thus obtained in which the light corresponded 10 the
light and the shades to the shades. Inc ights were
formed by The whsh plaster OF bIlumen, tne shaes ny
the polished and uncovered parts OF me meut ,he
haf-tns by the portions of yarnlsh on wnich me as
l. III These metallic drawings