Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1910-03-13
Los ANGELES HERALD SUNDAY MAGAZINE


beauty, and 1t possessed one advantage
over all other kinds of pictures. While
the surface of the silver plate may
have become furnished, the picture be-
meath it remains perfect, so If the dis
coloration is removed the picture is re-
stored to its original beauty. The da-
guerreotype at first could not repro
duce copies, but only a few years
passed before negatives were produced
from which duplicates could be made.
But with all it's disadvantages the
picture was very popular for num-
Der of years and large prices were pald
for portraits. But when the work was
we'll done the results were worth II
and il is not likely the work will ever
be revived ana each year the old pic
lures becomes more valuable. The
work at the time of its introduction
created quite fufore. Public Curl
osity had been whetted by accounts of
wonderful pictures and all sorts OF
stories were afioat, one of which was
that the emperor of Russia had offered
500 900 francs for the secret. The sum
paid was 10000 francs, which was to
be an annual payment to the two in
Ventors-6000 to Daguerre and 1000 to
Niepce.
Miniature painting, which had been
the popular method of portraiture up
to this time, was slowly driven from
the field by its less expensive rival Not
that the daguerreotypes were cheap,
but it was less expensive than the 9TH
er and it held sway until 1851, at which
time ii was estimated that there were
about 10000 daguerreotypists in the
United States.
All through the years there had con-
tinued a patient search for power not
only to translate the image into black
and white, but to multiply the copies.
a OH
the ability to take distant objects, the
reproduction of the negative upon pa
per- the great progress in general,
would take a long time to tell in detail.
One has only to look at the thick vol
umes published each year by the pat
ent office containing only patents on
that subject to believe this, while the
hundreds of magazines and books pub
lshed each year prove that it is
continued story.
The ease with which the prepared
plates can be manipulated, the ease
with which hundreds of films can ne
carried about the quality they pos
sess for retaining their sensitiVeness
for months, the fact that exposures
may be made in the jungles of Africa
or at the north pole and the image not
developed until the traveller returns to
his own laboratory, are few of the
magical advantages in the seventy-five
years since Daguerre told his secret.
What the next century will accomplish
with the subtle powers of the sensitive
plate remains to be seen. Bright,
thoughtful students are reaching into
the unknown world of light and chem
istry to test their mysteries and time
will tell what these students will dis
cover
Looking back upon the few years
since the first clumsy attempts were
made to produce a picture, we stand
In awe at the results. 1t has Influenced
every line of work. Artists are indebt-
ed to photography for more natural ef-
fects. 1t has helped, too, to popuiarlze
artistic work From the coarse outline
of the newspaper cut TO the wonderful
reproductions of paintings by photogra-
vure we see its effect. Without photo
graphy or it's equivalent the illustra-
lions of the world today would be linn
tied to the hand work of the artist, en-
g1aver or photographer of seventy-fVe
years ago.
The trade uses photography to pic
ture it's new furniture, gas fixtures or
its china. The wall paper man uses
photography to reduce or to enlarge his
patterns. The matchmaker uses 1t to
reproduce the delicate figures on the
face of the watch.
In war photography has been used
for years. photographing from balloons
being a fine art. Both army and navy
furnish Photographic. outfits The me-
teorologist has found 1t helpful in his
work. 1t was early put to use in
medical study and has proved fnvalu-
a HE in that line of work, even without