Foreign Travelers and English Naturalists

Frederick Scott Archer (1851) Invented the wet Collodium Process

Wet Collodium Process:

1. To a solution of Collodium (cellulose nitrate dissolved in Ether (discovered 1730) and containing a soluble Iodide

2. Pour Suffiecient Collodium onto a glass plate to form a thin layer

3. In the darkroom Immerse the wet plate in silver Nitrate solution to sensitize the plate (AgNo3 amd AgIt)

4. Expose while wet in NB. Dry Collodium becomes waterproof

5. Decelop in Pyrogallic Acid solution  (derived from oak galls)

6. Fix the developed image with a strong Solution of Thiosulphate or Pottasium cynaide

Frederick Scott Archer developed the Collodium process which became widely noticed in the years after he died. Whilst all this was happening, William Henry Fox Talbot, had heard of Archer's process and began to accuse that Archer's process was similar to his Calotype Process. Talbot became agressive and began to issue public warning to photographs who use the Collodium Process. The photographers that were caught using it would be sued unless they obtained a license from him. In a court hearing Talbot was declared the inventor of the Calotype Process, however he was unsuccesful in getting people to believe that the Collodium process was almost the same. In the end Archer was said to be the inventor of the Collodium process as he published a forumula that many photographers would be able to follow. The process became popular after it was invented and Talbot never bothered trying to renew the Calotype Process he knows it wouldn't get him any money.

Advantages of the Collodium Process:

1. It Produces a negative image on a Transparent support glass

2. It was an imporvement of the Calotype Process which relied on paper negatives and the Daguerroetypes process.

3. The Collodium Process combined qualities of the calotype process (which allows the photographer to make prints  from a single negative) and the Daguerreotype (which sharpens and creates clarity that could not be done with paper negatives)
4. Collodium printing was done on Albumen Paper
5. The glass which supported the images weren't as expensive as silver plate copper
6.  It only required seconds for Exposure

The collodion process had other advantages, especially in comparison with the daguerreotype. It was a relatively inexpensive process. The polishing equipment and fuming equipment needed for the daguerreotype could be dispensed with entirely. The support for the images was glass, which was far less expensive than silver-plated copper, and was more durable than paper negatives. It was also fast for the time, requiring only seconds for exposure.

Disadvantage of the Collodium Process:

1. The entire process had to be done before the wet plates dried
2. This was a major disadvantage for photographers as they only had 10 minutes to complete the entire process
3. It required a portable darkroom, which in those days wasn't possible
4. It dripped silver Nitrate soloution which caused stains
5. Part of the process would sometimes cause the images to lose effectiveness, thus failing to produce an image at all

6. It was sensitive to blue light. Warm and colors appear dark and and cool colors appear really light

Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carrol) Alice Liddel 1859

Alice Liddel was said to have inspired the famous childrens classic "Alice in Wanderland" by Lewis Carrol, whose main character in the book (Alice) was said to be name solely after her.

Alice Liddel- By Charles Dodgson

The hole that Alice jumped into after seeing the rabbit has been interpreted to be the Aperture of the Camera. It's almost as if Alice herself is going inside the camera, into a fantasy world where some things don't make sense. Alice jumped into Wanderland not knowing what was going to be on the other side. And Camera's tend to freeze and capture moments, however all the photographs are different as not all of them end up the same, there are things in the Photographs that the Photographer might not expect to see. It was the same with Alice when she first stepped into Wanderland, she wasn't expecting to be in this whole new world that she's never seen before.

Carte-de-Visite / Early Victorian: Carte-De-Visite was creates by a Photographer called Andre Adolphe Eugene Disderi (1854) and first used by Louis Dodero. It was made from albumen print the size of small cards, almost like business card size. These type of Photographs quickly became popular amongst friends and family and was spread throughout Europe and then America. it became quite common for these sort of Photographs to be in Victorian Parlors

Carte-De-Visite : Victoria          The Picture above is a Carte-De-Visite of Queen Victoria wearing a Black Mourning dress to respect the death of her late Husband Albert. These Mourning dresses were usually worn by the family of the deceased for. This was shown In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, however, not every memeber was wearing it and instead wore Lavish party Clothes. This was very inconsiderate and disrespectful as it doesn't show the people grieving for someone that's highly respected

Quote from Hamlet:
Gertrude. Why seems it so particular with thee?
Hamlet. "Seems," madam? Nay, it is; I know not "seems."
'Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother,
Nor customary suits of solemn black,
Nor windy suspiration of forced breath,

No, nor the fruitful river in the eye,

Nor the dejected 'havior of the visage,
Together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief,
That can denote me truly: these indeed seem,

For they are actions that a man might play:

                                                     But I have that within which passeth show;

                                                     These but the trappings and the suits of woe. (75-90)

Nadar's Sarah Bernhandt 1865: Photography began tomove on from Portrair Painting and began Exploring different Alternatives. It was starting to approach the romantic period where Photographers were interested in capturing the emotions of the people in there photographs. For example Sarah Bernhandt was Photographed by Gaspard Felix Tournachon (also known as Nadar) . This photograph was slightly more bold and daring as it wasn't done in the early 1800's. It's more seductive and there's a look of longing on the girls face as if it's meant to be for a lover or someone very important to her.  From the Photograph you can see that the woman isn't looking directly at the camera, which makes it easier for the Photograph to take the photograph as it's almost as if she's giving permission for people to look at her. If someone were to look directly at the camera the photographer might be unsure wether or not the person is comfortable as not everyone likes having a camera in there face.

Nadar's: Sarah Bernhandt (1865)

Early operation under Anaesthetic

An an exercise we all got put into groups of 3 or 4 and got given a specific photograph which we had to analyse  It was an interesting exercise as it each helped us to develop are observation skills, therefore making it a little bit easier to analyse a photograph. I find that by looking at the photograph longer helps us to spot things which we couldn't before, and this was true as the first time we looked at the photograph we didn't really know what to say, but as we began to take notice of all the things in the photograph, like the person lying on the bed and the people around him, we began to slowly realise that it looked like a bunch of scientists doing an experiment or doctors about to operate on someone. The answer was close enough as we eventually got told it was an operation taking place at an operation theatre. An operation theatre was a place where an operation would be performed in front of medical students. The photograph was not something people would take all the time, so in my opinion it was taken for the purpose of documenting the operation. 

Things our group noticed:

1. Person on the operating table in white-Could suggest an Autopsy of a body as the person was not awake and the body was being covered

2. Medical supplies on the table- Suggests an operation as back in the day not many medicines had been created. Doctors tended to clean the wounds themselves (this is suggested by the dark coloured water in the bowls which look like blood)

3. The people- People look like scientists as they have a serious expression on there face almost as if they were trying to figure out there next  move.