Evening star., 1912-07-07

about it; but he experimental There was the secret
The vapor of the mercury had developed the latent mage
Daguerre didn't know it. but he had secured his picture
probably in everyone of his hundred experiments; but
he lacked the secret of the developer Chemical action
was necessary to bring the picture forth to view
There we have the beginning of photography; born
OF, not for, moving pictures
THIS first picture died an early death When it was
brought to the light it folded its tent like the Arab
and silently faded away Daguerre held the most
beautiful the most sensational thing in the world in his
hand for few minutes, and then it became ugly
backened plate He tried all sorts of things to "x his
next pictures Common salt in water proved to be the
most likely that he hit but the of photography
Daguerre discovered it never amounted to much until
Hersche the astronomer suggested "hypo, and since
that suggestion photographers have found any
thing better.
1t is interesting to the stages of the science
following Daguerres accidental discovery when looking
for easy way to provide scenery for his moving pic
ture emporium The French nation hugged the scene
painter to its bosom. The wonderful discovery
chroniced far and wide and the French Chamber of
Deputies met and voted the inventor life pension of
six thousand francs and his collaboration Isdore Niepce
of Daguerre first partner four thousand francs
condition that the discovery be published and not pat
ented. Daguerre canniy slipped across to England and
patented the process there. In large towns in
England much thousand pounds was paid for
the exclusive right to the process 50 Daguerre profit
ed beyond the dreams of his now forgotten diorama
Arago his friend, brought the discovery before the
Academy of Sciences in Paris in 1889 and the action of
the French Government followed Immediately. Arago
addressed the Chamber of Deputies, saying:
depend on manual dexterity The promptitude of the
method is perhaps that which has most astonshed the
public. In reality, ten twelve minutes in the dull
weather of winter amply sufficient for taking
of monument, section of town a landscape. In
summertime this may be reduced onehalf. Under the
skies of the south not than two three minutes
Arago to say that to this time must be added
the time spent in packing and unpackng the camera,
and in the manpulatons necessary to develop and fix
the picture.
@Those persons are deceived, then" he warned the
Deputies, @who suppose that during journey they
may avail themselves of brief intervals while the carriage
slowly mounts hill, to take views of the country
PHOTOGRAPHY today with the aid of the SO called
focal plane shutter, takes pictures in little
vethousandth of second, and passengers hard
put to it in the matter of time when they seek to catch
views of the country while the position pushing his
tired steeds up hill However it has been long hard
road that makes the moving picture of today possible
By the way the discovery of Daguerre put the good
old diorama far the background of public interest
that it died natural death, and proted by the
birth of its brilliant child.
The first step toward the millennium in photography
the substitution of bromide for iodine in picking"
the silver plate. This reduced the time of exposure to
something like ten seconds. Then portraiture.
But, at that, only picture could be made at
time, and no duplicates printed from it.
All the time the diorama scene painter working
in secret there Englshman Fox Talbot, quietly
nursing along the germ of discovery. He had
knowledge of chemistry than had Daguerre. And he
working on another tack He coating paper
with salts of silver and exposing it in camera to make
negatives; and, like Daguerre, he got nothing but
trouble out Of his pains until he too became victim
of divine ACCIDENT One day he happened to drop
of his no-account paper negatives" some nut
CALLS and when he picked it again there perfect
picture! That is the origin of the Photographic mega
tive, and the introduction of galc acid the science
of photography. From which, "pyro."
1t was bitter pill for Talbot when Daguerres process
announced and to this day the English people name
Talbot as the real pioneer of photography.
Then the introduction of collodion, requiring
ten seconds exposure; then of colodion emu
he latin of TODD A