In this learning activity we are going to pick a photograph — through research at the library, internet, books etc. — from the timeline in the lesson titled History of Photography.
1) View from the Window at Le Gras
This photograph has always fascinated me. Always. I did not have a personal interest in photo when I discovered it in elementary school, but I have always been fascinated by «the impossible» things. Well, it was not impossible, obviously, but a photograph captured almost a century before my grand grandfather and mother was born did seem impossible, because when they were young that never had a camera. I had seen their wedding photograph, and some few pics at their children, but there was not a lot of photographs. And the 1820´s … Wow! I could not understand how it was possible.
It is not a original photograph to choose, but because I have always loved it I wanted to pick this one. The photograph was created by Joseph Nicephore Niece in 1826 or 1827. He captured the image with a camera obscura method, wich earlier had been used by artist to draw for paintings etc. similar to a modern trace effect.
Due to the long exposure (8 hours) you can see shadows on both sides of the image, because the sun did travel while the exposure was going on.
2) Boulevard du Temple
Boulevard du Temple is one of the first photographs, taken by Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre 8.00 in the morning in Paris, the year of 1838 or 1839 — the exact year is not completely clear.
At first sight the photograph seems like it is showing just the area around Boulevard du Temple in Paris, but if you look closer you can se two persons in it to the lower left. The shoe cleaner and the customer became, because of this, the very first people to ever be photographed! There was in fact other people in this area at this time as well, it was an busy hour, but due to the 10-15 minutes the exposure took they did not get captured.
The photo was created by the following method: It is a daguerrotype photograph (named after the photographer, who originally was a classic painter). The image was recorded on a piece of copper coated with silver, and then further developed by mercury fumes.
3) Dry Plate Photography
The Dry Plate photographic method was created by Richard Leach Maddox in 1871. The method involved a process of mixing silver nitrate with gelatin emulsion wich was painted on glass. The gelatine would preserve the silver nitrate on the glass, but the image did need several days to develop.
This picture is showing a man and a horse during the American Civil War. It had been taken photographs during earlier conflicts, but the cicil was was the first major conflict where photography was taken in big numbers. Mostly for commercial causes: The photographers sold their photos to people who never had been close to a war scene, and this helped destroyed the romantic victorian aura that had surrounded war and conflicts earlier in the history.
The photographs of horses running did also give artists more realistic looks for their painting involving horses. Usually horses had been painted with their front legs out in the front of their body, and the back legs the same way behind them. But horses does never run like that, and it was after photographs showing horses in action artists could paint or draw horses as they truly did run.
19th Century Photograph
The practical assignment — the old photograph from the 19th century can be found in PDF format at the following link:
Reflected Journal 