Evening star., 1948-07-11
Camera Angles
Talbot Started Negative.Type Photos

the recording material IL was now
possible for photographers to take
pictures under lighting conditions
that would previously have been
prohibitive. Because of the increase
in negative speed it also was possible
to take portrait photographs by
Talbot's process, and prints could
be made from the negative. The
printing process was speeded up
even more by waxing the paper
negative to render the denSer por-
tions of the negative more trans
parent.
Corrected Images.
1t is readily seen that there were
several advantages to Talbot's
process as compared to the daguer-
reotype. AS has been noted, single
exposure on daguerreotype plate
resulted in only a single print or
picture, while numerous copies or
prints could be made from Tai
botype negative Secondly, and an
important point, in daguerreotypy
the image was reversed from right
to left which did, strange things
to mems clothing in, the picture. On
the other hand, the Talbot process
corrected this when second re-
versal took place during the print
making. Finally, the daguerreotype
could only be viewed under illumi-
nation at a certain angle which was
certainly not true of the paper
print process.
1t would seem, therefore, that
the daguerreotype should have
rapidly given way in popularity to
the more expedient method. That
this did not happen was due to q
large extent to the overabundance
of caution displayed by Talbot. 1t
will be remembered that Daguerre
had made his invention freely
available to the public in considera-
ton of a life pension from the
French government. But Talbot
bound the rights to his process SO
tightly to himself through a series
of patents which he obtained in
England and elsewhere, that for
this reason alone it was impossible
for his ideas to sweep the world as
had those Of Daguerre. Remember
that photography was then some
thing new and interesting, even
startling, to every one who came In
contact with it-and every one was
in a hurry either to have his pic
ture taken-or, still better, learn the
new art and become photographer.
Since Daguerre's process was avail
able to any one and every one, and
Talbot's was not, it is easy to see
why the negative process had to
wait good many years before
being recognized for what 1t was
really worth.
Grain Trouble.
One other influencing factor was
the clarity of detail that was pres
ent in the daguerreotype. This was
sadly lacking in the first Talbotypes
because of the grain Of the paper
used to make the negatives. Both
processes were used in this country
but the Talbotype Jagged far behind
until several other improvements
had been made and the demand for
mass production of prints swung
the scales of popularity in its favor.
improvements in emulsion speed
and the substitution of glass for
paper as base for the emulsion
were the factors that finally con-
tributed to the downfall OF the
daguerreotype and the rise to popu-
larity of Talbot's method. But, as
these changes were made, credit
went to those who had devised them
and the name of Talbot disappeared
and others took its place as the
designation of the negative process.
Even now the name of Daguerre
is familiar to most photographers
and that of Talbot almost forgotten,
but the films that you use in your
camera today are all descendant"
of that first paper negative that
was evolved in England over a
century ago.