Telegram-herald., 1889-07-17

te1ary after fzsalsn sAzt =, la sew
sral poines. rather reInarkable. The eel
e1Fssioa i not colfinsd - zRy o1e eoun-
Try. eaE Is scattered al over tie sloi~,
iE Is 1ot Aa1itsl - any nArTo~ bounds of
specific date. boE Las spread oseT ~ least
the hrss half II the year. hundreds II
thousands ef persons are the eelsbrAnEs.
aad yes, outside the desosees Of pArtle-
glar bfaneh " scientific aft. the public
knows very little Of what Is going on IL
this world wide demonstration.
This Is the semi centenary year % the
discovery II tbs aTs VI making pictures
the elfth u Louis Jacques Maade Ds.-
guerre. the discoverer Of that art. These
considerations have aroused the enthssi-
asn not only of the enormous regular
army Of knights Of the camera, the pro-
fessional photographers, but Of the yes
more vast multitude OF amateurs, whose
Joy and pride In their beloved art finds
delighted expression this year IN an infin-
ituds II papers. which they read 10 each
other, and experiences which they Inu-
ttially narrate in all languages, and APP
propriate resolutions without number.
To give solidity and permaneneet To their
memories OF the glorious occasion. the
Photographers Association Of America
have prepared splendid Jubilee medals"
in gold and silver, bearing head Of Da-
guerre Ia relieve, which will DO distrib-
uted among them at their annual con
vent.on in Boston, in August.
The art crystallized into a practically
by Da5uerre had been the dream Of
many men before him. and there were
not wanting legends Of It's measurable
accomplishment in strange WAYS by
others. IL Is recorded that one La Roche,
hundreds Of years ago, did put into a
bowl some solution the secret Of which
was known TO him alone, the which when
steadily gazed upon by any one would
CONCEAL. retaining in its depths i visible,
clear and perfect picture of the gazer.
Ii la Roche ever did anything of the
sort he Was in all probability piously
burned as one in league with the foul
iiend, but the chances are that he never
did. Another Of the historical myths in
this connection IL that NJ. Charles,
Frenchman. dill in 1870 possess SOME
process by v'hIch sunlight produced por-
traits in a dark Impression upon pre-
pared surface Tie yOgees of India
have from time imnerI0rial claimed the
power to prOduce pic lures by occult
means out Of the ''assral current" or
ether, and 10 fix them permanently upon
material surfaces by sheer force of will;
but one has to have quite robust faith
% believe it. In fS02 Thomas Wedge
wood published in tho journal OF the
Royal institute of England IAN account
of a method OF copying paintings upon
glass and of making profile by the agen-
cy of light upon nitrate of silver, with
observations by II. Davy." That was
the first recorded attempt to produce
images by the decomposing powers Of
light.
In 1914 Joseph Nicephore Niepce, Of
| Chalons-sur-S -Saone, France, entered upon
a series of interesting and important ex-
periments on the chemical action of light,
particularly with reference to its prop
erty Of altering the solubility of many
resinous substance His object was the
fixing of the Images of the camera OBJ
scura- Ten years later M. Daguerre,
then a scene painter with N. Degotti, at
the Grand Opera in Paris, entered upon
similar course of experiment. He used
paper impregnated with solution Of the
nitrate or chloride of silver, but failed to
attain an encouraging degree of success
In that direction. Then he turned his
attention TO working upon polished me-
|. tallic plates, upon which he did better,
but made slow progress, owing to the
seeming impossibility OF fixing with any
pernaneucy the images he obtained.
Nicpce meanwhile had discovered pro-
cess by which using asphaltc as a sensi-
tive material on a basis Of copper he got
| pictures. He found it in 1915, called ii
''heliography" and worked at it up to
the time Of his death. in 1893, without
ever being able to develop it into a thing
Of any practical value. II was uncer-
tain and altogether too slow, requiring
from six 10 eight hours of exposure. even
with good sunlight. He hoped to make
it II use in producing etchings. and in
1897 put before the Royal society, o.
London, several pictures on metal plates,
In the state Of advanced etchings, the
etching Of which bad been effected by
acid subsequent 70 that part Of the pro
cess In which light had laid bare certain
portions Of the resin covered plate.
Daguerre, as early as 1895, became &c
quainted with Niepce and made over.
lures for joint experimental work, but
was repeIled coldly. and it was not until
| 1897 that cordial relations were cstab-
| lished between them. and not until 1925
that they formed a coalition for joint ex-
pertinent and mutual interest in their re
spective discoveries. When Niepco died
in fs3s. his son, N. Isidors Eiepce. took
/ his place iu a continued arrangement
/ with u. Daguerre for coniOined interest
/ in the results of their continued cxpeTi-
ments. IL does not appear that tho
+ Younger Nispce discovered anything
though it is possible that his researches
among materials may have been Of vain
/ able aid to Da~rierre. Notwithstanding
all their years Of patient experimenting
and Study. they failed to attain what Il
seemed the ironical humor Of nature T.
at length reveal ~ Daguerre By an ap-
Parent accident. A silvsred plate. sensi-
Jized with iodine. when properly exposed,
T showed on its surface no sign Of an
image. WHY il did not was not anpa-
Z rent; but & was a failure. one of tnf
many. and a such was carVlrssiy pa,
aside m a cupboard where Il remained
! ever night.
When brought ont the next noTnIus
,.a-s -. 2.