Early Photography

Pre-History

to 1839

Talbot and Daguerre

It was in 1839 that the discovery of photography was announced to the world.

In fact two different discoveries had been made, independently, by Daguerre (in France) and by Talbot (in England), each of them providing a practical method of producing photographs.

Davy and Wedgwood

There had been earlier experiments in Britain by Thomas Wedgwood producing images on leather and Sir Humphry Davy in 1801-02. 

They had been able to create images but they were notable to fix them:  the images vanished with further exposure to light. 

Joseph Nicéphore Niépce

The first person believed to have been successful in fixing his photographic image was Joseph Nicéphore Niépce.  He did so using  a pewter plate coated with bitumen. 

This could hardly be described as a practical process.  It required an exposure of many hours and produced an image in  black and white with no intermediate grey tones.

Joseph Nicéphore Niépce

The First Photograph

Niépce began his photographic experiments in 1816, and became the first person to produce a permanent photograph in 1826.  It was produced using his camera obscura.

Photography was not Niépce's only invention.  He was the first person to add a seat and handlebars to the bicycle.

Niépce visited England, bringing four photographs with him.  The 'first photograph' and three others.  [The other three are all now held in the Royal Photographic Society Collection.]  He hoped to announce his discovery to the Royal Institution in London, but was not allowed to do so because he was unwilling to reveal the details of his discovery.

The 'first photograph' was exhibited at the International Exhibition of Inventions in London in 1885, but all trace of it was lost in the early 20th century, until it was re-discovered in England by Helmut Gernsheim in 1952, and is now held by the Gerry Conservation Institute in Los Angeles.

[Dusan Stulik:  Getty Conservation Institute  -  Talk given to APIS Seminar in Scotland, 2004.]

Recent Experiments

Bitumen Photography

Terry King told APIS Seminar in 2004 that he had recently attempted to produce images using bitumen, but had not been successful, despite having exposure times of several days.  He intends to try again.