Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1920-05-06
THE DAGUERREOTYPE
AND IT'S INVENTOR

Before an. interested and enthu-
siastic gathering Of art-lovers. Tues
day afternoon at the home of Mrs
I. Dorsey Gassaw2y, where was held
m arr exhibit of rare miniatures,
lagucrreotypes. and samplers, under
he auspices of the Woman's Club.
David Bachrach, pioneer in the art OF
photography, which his studio has
made famous throughout the State,
save an address.
Mr. Bachrach, who has passed his
our-score milestone. told OF the
origin of photography and what the
ri means He spoke in part, as fol-
ows:
Daguerre And Niece
Louis Jacques Maude Daguerre.
vas horn in 1888 He was a painter
md physicist and met Neimphore
Niece, who. since 1914 had been seek
ng a means of obtaining permanent
pictures Icy the action of sunlight.
rhe meeting took place after Niece
rad heard that Daguerre was sim
larly occupied. At that time Niece's
method consisted of the action of
light on a plate coated with asphalt
md oil of lavendef in a camera lu-
ida The light parts of the image
we're made insoluble by this action
che plate was then washed out with
petroleum and oil of lavender. those
larts not acted on being washed
lear and the metal was then acted
)n by acids which etched out the
lear parts This was very slow
method, produced no practical re-
suits. and was really the forerunner
If the modern photo engraving. after
photography was developed. These
wo men labored together until 1888,
when the death of Niece left Da-
.uerre alone in his experiments
A New Discovery
About 1888 he finally discovered
hat the production of aodide OF Sill
er on a silyered plate made it very
ensitive to light and he also dis
overed the means OF developing il
With mercury. This was the dague.
eotype that / am to explain today.
Ie made it public at a meeting Of the
academy Of Science. in 1899. and he
vas made an officer of the legion OF
lonor The Government gave him an
nnuity OF 5000 francs per annum,
nd the heirs OF Niece an annuity of
900 francs The discovery of the
uick acting lenses of the Petzyal
ype. enabled portraits to be made
nd they we're first made by Prof.
Draper of New York, and a little
ater by Prof. Morse, also painter
nd the inventor OF the telegraph"
Mr. Bachrach next. gave a careful
escription of the process.
Photography On Paper
Continuing. he said: ~
About this same time William
Henry Fox Taboo discovered photog
Apply on paper. capable of constant
reproduction, as at present, with
odide of silver in an entirely diff
erent form He called the process
he Calitype. The iodide of silver in
his form was produced by the re-
iction Of a salt Of the iodine on
solution of nitrate of silver There
IRE various CLAIMS made as to the
priority. but ! will not discuss that
phase of ii, as many inventions have
cen made 10y men working in the
same line without any knowledge. Of
ZACH other One Of these is the not
able one Of the Carbon transmitter
If the telephone made both by Edison
md Berljner. was declared the prior
INVENTOR by our patent Office.
Photography ReTOlutiOnized
Scott Archer then reyolutionized
photography by the discovery OF the
eollOdion process. This made the use
of glass negatives in the art. AMI
gave il an immense impetus, on ac-
count of the much more rapid ex-
posures. and the ease Of printing the
same The Ambrotype was at first
largely used as the result.
"This discovery was made possible
by the invention Of gun cotton. Pc
lonze. a Frenchman. discovered that
nitric acid would make Of cotton and
4 ceIlulose an explosive compound in
/ 1899. but in 1s45 Schonbein, Swiss
CONTINUED on Page Three)