Photography, 1839
(Daguerre and Fox Talbot) “Photogenic Drawing” followed by “Photogenic Drawings” in The Journal of the Franklin Institute, Vol. XXIII, April, 1839, No.4, pp. 263-265 (about 1500 words). Bound in half-calf and marbled boards.There are two shadows left on the spine bottom from call numbers; there are also some library marks and a stamp on the front cover, otherwise this is a very nice copy. $750
The first paper gives an account (taken from the London Mechanical Magazine), occupying pp 263-4, of the Daguerre process; the second, pp 264-5, gives an account of the Fox Talbot method as it first appeared in the British Association/Athenaeum.
These I believe are among the earliest of U.S. journal references for two of the earliest photographic processes—the Fox Talbot method was much different from the Daguerre though much less known and certainly underappreciated as it was arguably the superior.
Also in this volume: John C. Trautwin, “Some remarks on the Internal Improvement of the South”, pp 10-22, with a nice (hand-colored) folding map. AND a lovely plate of Eastwick & Harrison's “Improved Locomotive Engine” AND a two-part paper on Espy's Theory of Centripetal Storms, AND Col. Reid's “Law of Storms Examined”, and much else.
- “This early period of photography cannot be passed over without mention of the name of Henry Fox Talbot of England He was a man of many sided scientific character and an independent investigator in the photographic field prior to Daguerre's discovery and therefore not inspired by it to investigation. In 1839 January 31st he read a paper before the Royal Society entitled “Some Account of the Art of Photogenic Drawing etc” embodying a practical process on paper based on the abandoned process of Wedgewood and Davy which he improved and also completed by fixing the pictures although imperfectly...”--, JFI, Dec 1899, vol 148, p 4 11.
Photography, 1839
“Invention of Photogenic Drawings”, p.208, from Mechanic's Magazine;
“Light Drawb Pictures”, pp 208-9, Mechanic's Magazine;
“The Daguerrotype Explained”, pp 209-210 (“A.D.B.”, Alexander Dallas Bache).
All in the September, 1839 issue of Journal of the Franklin Institute, printed in Philadelphia by the Institute, 1839. The entire volume offered, volume 28 (new series vol 24) , (442pp). Bound in half-calf and marbled boards. The spine is scuffed and chipped at head and toe, and the front board is detached. Also, this is an ex-library copy, with stamps on the title page. All that said, the text is fresh and crisp. A GOOD copy, only. $600
Bound with:
Daguerre. “Practical description of the Process called the Daguerreotype, which consists of the spontaneous repductions of the images of natural objects, in the Camera Obscura...” In the November issue of the same volume, pp 303-311, with four drawings in text.
All of these are very early journal publications on the new art of photography.
- “A scientific friend having kindly sent to me, from Paris, a paper containing the authorized explanation of the process of M. Daguerre, which has attracted so much attention, I have made an abstract of it, which is at your service. The condition under which M. Daguerre received a pension from the French Government was, that he should make all the steps of his process public. His communication was first made confidentially to a Committee of the Institute, and M. Arago, acting as their organ, states that some of the steps of the process are not explicable by known laws...”--from “The Daguerrotype Explained”
Photography, 1840
(Early Photography) “The Daguerreotype”, long paragraph on p 142 on the “great obstacle to the use of M. Daguerre's photogenic process, is the great difficulty of preserving the pictures when completed...” in Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, printed by the Institute, 1840. Offered in the volume of 430pp.
There's also a second very short notice on the daguerreotype on p 285 regarding a “curious use” for the instrument: making a landscape photo with a crowd of people in it all of whom need to stand still for five minutes.
Condition: calf-backed marbled boards. The calf is pretty scruffy and rubbed, and the front joint is half cracked; also the hinges are both starting; lastly this is an ex-library copy with stamps on the title page. All that said, the text is crisp and clean. Overall, just a GOOD copy. $150
Also included is this description of an early optical machine in the genre of motion pictures:
- Description of an Optical Machine exhibited by Rd. Roberts of Manchester, to the Members of the British Association...1835 pp 221-223, 4 figures in text.
“Trepiscope: an optical machine made by the late Richard Roberts of Manchester and first shown at the meeting of the British Association at Dublin in 1835... The machine being turned by hand or by power will cause the card on the disc to revolve from 6,000 to 40,000 times a minute on viewing the revolving disc through the eye hole the printing on the card can be read with ease and distinctness. The time given for one view of the card does not exceed the 150,000 th of a second when the disc is revolving at the highest speed ..Catalogue of the Special Loan Collection of Scientific Apparatus at the South Kensington Museum..., 1876, #979 p 140.
Also including: M. Arago, “History of the steam engine, with a reply to the criticisms to which the first publication of the article gave rise”, pp 145-148; William Whewell, “New theory of the tides”, pp209-210.
Photography, 1841
“Photogenic Drawing” In: Journal of the Franklin Institute, edited by Thomas P. Jones. Philadelphia, printed by the Franklin Institute, 1841. Volume 31 (Third Series, Vol 1), pp 59-60 (about 450 words) in the volume of 429pp. Half-calf, with marbled boards. . Ex-library copy, with ghost imprint of two small rectangles of Dewey call numbers on the spine, plus bookplate, and a blindstamp owner stamp on the title page. Spine is somewhat scuffed and rubbed, and and in general a bit tatty. Good condition, only. $200
“Professor Schafthaeutl of Munich described his mode of obtaining photogenic drawings resembling those of Mr [Henry Fox] Talbot where the lights are represented by shadows and also two new methods of procuring drawings similar to those of the Daguerreotype in which the lights and shades are represented as in nature The first is on paper prepared as follows...”
This is the only mention of photography or Daguerre in this first half of 1841 in the JFI.
WOLCOTT, Alexander J. Specifications of a patent for an improved apparatus for taking Daguerreotype Likeness. Granted to Alexander J. Wolcott, city of New York, May 8, 1840. In: Journal of the Franklin Institute, edited by Thomas P. Jones. Philadelphia, printed by the Franklin Institute, 1841. Volume 32 (overall), Third Series,vol II. The article occupies pp 66-7 in the issue of 430pp. Bound in half calf and marbled boards. Ex-library copy, with ghost imprint of two small rectangles of Dewey call numbers on the spine, plus bookplate, and a blind stamp owner stamp on the title page. Spine is somewhat scuffed and rubbed, and and in general a bit tatty. Good condition, only. $600
Mr. Wolcott, a great but perhaps obscure name in the very early history of photography, had a very busy 1840—and it is a good thing, as the poor man would die young at 40 just four years later. In March of that year he and a partner would open the first U.S. Daguerrian Parlor in NYC, and evidently the world's first commercial daguerreotype gallery. (John Hannavy, Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography.)
A few months later, on May 8th, 1840, Wolcott would be granted the first patent in the United States in photography (US Patent No. 1582) —this is the subject of the article from the Franklin Institute that is being sold (above). The patent was for a variation of the Daguerre process, using a mirror instead of a lens. The great factor introduced by the new process was reducing the amount of sitting/posing time by about 75%, to somewhere in the 5-9 minute range.
“I, Alexander S. Wolcott...have invented a new and improved method of taking likenesses from life” Wolcott begins in the article, and then proceeds in a very compact way to describe the camera and the entire process. It is one of those articles that announces so much using so few words (600 or so, I reckon).
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