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The Royal Scottish Society of Arts LONDON, PARIS, EDINBURGH - 1839 |
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PARIS and LONDON - 1839 Daguerre and Talbot On 7 January 1839, Daguerre announced, from Paris, his discovery of photography. William Henry Fox Talbot responded on 25 January with a display of his work given at the Royal Institution, and on 31 January 1839 with a lecture to the Royal Society. Talbot read his paper on 31 January: "Some Account of Photogenic Drawing" to the Royal Society in London. This paper was published the following month, and encouraged others to experiment. Almost immediately, the Edinburgh's learned societies took an interest in these discoveries. |
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EDINBURGH - 1839 Meetings of RSSA As early as 27 March 1839, and again two weeks later, on 10 April 1839, Andrew Fyfe, Vice President of the Society of Arts for Scotland, gave lectures on photography to his Royal Scottish Society of Arts in Edinburgh. Dr Fyfe's lectures were not merely reports of the Talbot's invention. They were Dr Fyfe's accounts of how he had attempted to improve upon the process announced by Talbot, together with a display of some of his results. |
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The Royal Scottish Society of Arts EDINBURGH - 27 March 1839 |
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EDINBURGH - 27 March 1839 Meetings of RSSA In their report of the year's Meetings, the RSSA reported that on 17 March 1839: "Dr Fyfe made a few remarks on the properties of compounds of silver, more particularly their being darkened by the action of light; so that paper besmeared with them, and exposed to light became dark coloured. Hence the process of photogenic drawing. The compound employed by Mr Talbot is Chlorid, but Dr Fyfe stated that he preferred Phosphate, not only because it is extremely sensible to light, but also because it is applied more evenly and uniformly to the paper. It gives a pale yellow tinge, so that it is thus easily known when the paper is equally spread over with it. The proportions commended are a saturated solution of phosphate of soda, diluted with three or sometimes four of water, and a solution of lunar caustic, diluted with six of water, the phosphate being first applied." Dr Fyfe also referred to preserving the image, and commented that he had not been successful in his use of sea salt as recommended by Mr Talbot. He had also found great difficulty in applying iodide of potassium, recommended by Mr Talbot. Dr Fyfe had experimented by covering his image with red or yellow colour to prevent the image from fading. He claimed to have had some success with a tinge of chrome yellow, and he brought to the meeting two specimens that he had produced two days earlier. [Transactions of the RSSA - Appendix p.32] |
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EDINBURGH - 27 March 1839 Demonstration at RSSA Following the meeting, Dr Fyfe gave a demonstration, using light from the oxy-hydrogen blowlamp to produce an impression of a small dried leaf of a wild geranium in seven minutes. [Transactions of the RSSA - Appendix p.32] |
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EDINBURGH - 27 March 1839 Letter read to RSSA Others were experimenting with photography in March 1839. Following the lecture given by Dr Fyfe to the RSSA in Edinburgh on 27 March, a letter from the Curator, Mr Dunn was read. He stated that, on that day, he had succeeded in producing an impression of a section of a piece of cane, by means of the solar microscope. The impression which was on phosphate paper was exhibited. [Transactions of the RSSA - Appendix p.32] |
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The Royal Scottish Society of Arts EDINBURGH - 10 April 1839 |
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EDINBURGH - 10 April 1839 Meetings of RSSA In their report of the year's Meetings, the RSSA reported that on 10 April 1839, Dr Fyfe described photographic etching. He noted that, since the previous RSSA Meeting at which he gave a talk on 27 March, he had succeeded in preserving his photographic impressions created with Phosphate of Silver by immersing them in a weak solution of Ammonia in water. This affected the colour slightly, but protected the images from any further action of light. Dr Fyfe then went on to give comments on photographic etching and explained how photography could help lithographers. [Transactions of the RSSA - Appendix p.34] |
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An account of this Meeting was also given in the Scotsman on 17 April 1839. The account mentioned that at the meeting, Dr Fyfe had exhibited specimens of: - specimens of a mode of etching using transparent varnish, by which he was enabled to take copies from engravings and oil paintings, and also take etchings from the images given by the camera obscura. - specimens of photographic impressions taken on panel board by the phosphate, and also on copper, by the latter of which he stated that the labours of engravers would in future be much diminished. - lithographic specimens. Dr Fyfe also explained the practical application of the photographic process to lithography, by which lithographers were not put to the trouble of tracing the object t o be taken on the transfer paper Dr Douglas Maclagan also exhibited specimens taken by him; and another gentleman stated that he had taken impressions on cloth, and afterwards washed out the remaining silver solution. [The Scotsman, 17 April 1839, page 3] |
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The Royal Scottish Society of Arts EDINBURGH - 17 April 1839 |
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EDINBURGH - 17 April 1839 Meetings of RSSA Dr Fyfe commented on recent improvements effected by him in Photographic Drawing, whereby the lights and shadows were not reversed. He exhibited some specimens of his work. [Transactions of the RSSA - Appendix p.35] |
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EDINBURGH - 17 April 1839 Communications Dr Fyfe advised the RSSA of communications that he had received from several gentlemen, mentioning that they had repeated his experiments with Phosphate of Silver paper and with Ammonia as a preservative. Dr Fyfe gave further explanation of how the ammonia should be used. He explained that in order to preserve the image, it was necessary to leave the paper in a diluted solution of the ammonia for a short time until the yellow parts had turned white. Other impressions on paper were shown to the Meeting: - one from the lithographer, William Forrester - one on lithographic stone from Mr Nicol. [Transactions of the RSSA - Appendix p.35] |
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EDINBURGH - 17 April 1839 Public Lecture Dr Fyfe gave a public lecture in 'The New Art' at the Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh, on 17 April 1839. Tickets cost 2/- each, obtainable from five addresses in central Edinburgh including Alexander Hill, Print-seller at 50 Prince’s Street [later to be named Princes Street]. Alexander Hill was brother of DO Hill, one half of the early Hill & Adamson partnership.
© For permission to reproduce, please contact Peter Stubbs The Scotsman reported: "The audience was numerous and fashionable and frequently cheered the lecturer as he proceeded." |
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The Royal Scottish Society of Arts References in The Scotsman newspaper |
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There are references to the Royal Scottish Society of Arts meetings on photography in the following editions of The Scotsman newspaper in 1839:
- 6 April 1839 |