The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-07-16

intangible rcWaFuS, oue NN'' ~
mems hearts at least People spoke very
we'll Of both Daguorre and Niepcc while
they lived. and long after they were
dead statues were raised 10 their mem
'orv Tho one commemorative OF Da-
,-uerre was "A bust put up at COFmeiilc7
/ (where he was born in l3s9) by coniri-
buttons from the photographers OF tho
civilized world in 1888 Niepce's was q
full length statue. erected by French
men at his birthplace, Chalons-sur-Saonc,
in 1885.
Daguerro died in 1851. \ man named
August Brassart, who made the plates
for his experiments, is said TO be still
alive and resident in Naugatuck, Conn.
Tho people Of Paris went almost wild
over the new process when it was made
known, as it was on Aug. 10, 1899
Everybody wanted to take sun pictures
| Tho fever lasted about year. Then OK
ceodingly few continued tho attempt.
/ The great army Of amateurs dropped 10
as one man. 1t was too difficult and un-
certain for any but the most patient and
persistent. Onein Paris wrotot0a friend
in this country: "Do not attempt It UNI
less. after making 100 failures. YOU are
ready 10 20 on and make 500 more And
he was right. in the condition of the art
no that time. And not only WAS infinite
patience demanded, but considerable
means. The silver coated copper plates
were costly; the polishing of them re-
Quired skilled labor. which asnotchcap,
the chemicals required were expensive.
And the results were SO disprOpOruonatc.
Gradually. however, improvements were
made
Sir John Herschcl, az soon rs the pro-
cess was made known, pointed out that
hyposuiphito Of soda would DO better
than strong solution Of chloride of so-
dunn for washing away the iolide oi
silver that had not been acted upon by
the light. W. Firzeau discovered a
means. ly the use of chloride of gold,
for making permanent the pictures that
previously were too apt 10 tunish ami
deterioratc. VI. Goddard. of London, in
1910. found an Improvement in putting
bromide of silver, In addition 10 the
iodido of silver, upon the plate. Tn 1871
NJ. Claudct used chlorine ,apor O. in-
crease the sensitigenes3 of the platte
thereby materially shortening tho time
necessary for exposure. bringing &c from
five minutes down toone minute
And in an this progress American
scientists were keeping well to the front
Professor Morse, the inventor oi the tcic-
graph. SGT mp In his room in the old uni
ycrsity building on Washington Square
New York. ia 1889 the hstdaeuone9type
apparatus in the United States. and with
Professor John W. Draper made tho FIRST
portrait of q human face produced by
the process, which mp to that time had
only been successful bon picuriuy statues
end other things that bad t0 lt.tp sll
amy desired length OF tmc Professor
Draper wife was their iirst victim THE
appciiation of "yictim" is justly applied
for tho sitters face was covered with
white powder and She had to ait in strong
sunlight motionless for half m hour.
To modify the painful effect of iha glare
of light Professor Draper filtered ont
most of the heat rags from Che sunshine
poured upon the sitter by causing DO to|
pass through glass tank containing % F
clear blue iiQuii-hut thc process could .
hardly have been picasuratle 90 tho size .
tim even then 10 was not lone h0a .
ever. before they got tlc timeo OF exposure .
cut down % Gso minutes. then 90 leur
three, and finally one. 40 tmt point DO F
was n practical thing for popular use in /
making portraits
So much better was the WotI, dom. Dis /
the American dasuorrcoyp.n cham taat
produced in Europe tlat over th-re is
superiority was affirmed 20 ba duo 90
the greater briiiiaucy Of tho American
atmosphere and that WAS insisted upon
until some Of the American artists went
over there and beat the Europeans ON
their own ground But fora laas time
tho process continued 90 Doe "a sUIp.ud0is
and amazing mystery 90 the general pub
Tie. Among the crowds always staru.
lt tine exposed sample pictures $40 the
laguerseotypers door, one would ct
plain: you look in tho machine ul
the picture comes Il Yoa hook ioae
enough. Another wouI sas. $50 B.
not so much thc looaine llt Ode ur
burns it ia WHOM sou BOOB. And 3D.
mrd. ut is NOT so much tNe booking.
lut the plate itself Is looking glass
md ii you sic in front OF DC long
nOugh your shadow sticks Ol the