Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-03-17

The Chemist Figuier, who has figured SO
conspicuously in the controversy with Claude
Bernard regarding the functions of the liver,
has recently published work on the apPllca'
tons of science 10 the Industrial Arts, in which
he introduces new claimant TO the honors OF
the discovery of this beau iful art. Fox Tai
bot has been so generally regarded as the In
ventor of photography on paper, that pictures
taken by this process were often called Ialoo-
types. But according to Figuier, before the
publication of his papers on the subject,
Frenchman had already invented q photo
graphic process of his own.
NJ Bayard, who has since distinguished nlin-
self in bis art, was the son of local Judge 10
small provincial town, who was very 1ond OF
horticulture and took an especial pride Id
peaches. He was in the habit of sending oas,
kets of the choisest productions Of ms 0rcnsrd
to his friends, and was careful to msrK mem
with particular sign by which they should ne
recognized beyond all possibility OF MISTAKE.
The method he took to accomplish this was
true Photographic process. Having selected a
very fine peach, he covered it with leaves 10
exclude the rays of the sun till it had acquired
the desired SIZE After this, he withdrew the
leaves and exposed it freely to the sun, having,
however, glued upon it the initials of his name,
hSoNi9 Oub III pnpCisa NJ biiC cuu VI ~ lO''
the paper characters were removed. and the
letters were distictly marked in white n the
red ground of the ripened fruit
The son, having frequently observed his faith
er making this experiment, amused himself in
his childish sports, by initiating it on pieces
of pink paper, braiding it in the form of cross.
Where the thick everything bands of paper pro-
tected the under layer from the action of light,
the paper retained its original color, while the
rest of it was bleached by exposure to the rays
of the sun.
Afterwards, while making attempts to fix
the images of the camera obscura, he con-
ceved the idea of employing the rose-cOOred
papers which amused his childhood. Upon
experiment, however, he discovered that this
paper was not sufficiently sensitive to light.
He then resorted to chloride of silver, by
means Of which he succeeded in obtaining pho
tographic images upon paper, with the remark
able popularity that they were direct positives,
without the previous Intervention of any neg
alive, the lights corresponding to the lights OF
the object and the darks to the shadows. His
process consisted in exposing paper, impregna
ted with chloride of silver, to the action of
the light, but only up to certain point which
experience had taught him. When he wished
to use it for obtaining Photographic images, he
SOdkeu IulS paper III solution OF lOulue Oh pO-
tassum, and exposed it to the action of light
in camera obscura. The rays of light bad
the effect of blancbing, or rather giving q slight
yellow tint to the s liver salt in those parts on
which the light shone. After this it was only
necessary to fix the image with the hyposul-
phite of soda
''Such," says NJ Figuier, ''is the process of
photography on paper which Monsieur Bayard
invented, and which he, for the sake of his
reputation, was to blame for desiring to keep
it secret. 1t was thus that those beautiful i'm
pressions were obtained which Mons. Despretz
showed us fifteen years ago, at his lectures on
physics, at the Sorbonne, land which we passed
from hand to hand without being able to guess
by what magic such marvels had been pro-
duced. How could it be guessed that such
splendid effects had their origin simply from
observing the action of the SUMS rays on a
peach, and that the delicious gift of the Per-
sian of old had exercised so great an influence
on the progress of modern physical science.
These very pictures, which so charmed us at
the Sorbonne, | think had the pleasure of
recognizing in the case sent by NJ. Bayard to
the Exhibition. OF course, it is to be under
stood that NJ Bayard no longer obtains bis
pictures by the old method. He now practi-
ces like almost every body else, photography
on glass, but he has carried it to great perfec
ton. "-BaLtinlOre Patriot.