Photography. our history exposed. Clinton County History Center. Wilmington, ohio

Transcription

1 Photography our history exposed Clinton County History Center Wilmington, ohio 2014

2 Imagine, if you can, that you ve never seen a photograph. The only places or faces you ve ever seen are those you ve seen in person. The only other images you ve seen are drawings or paintings. You have only your memory of people or events from the past. You ve only ever seen yourself in the mirror. You ve never seen a movie or television program. The only productions you ve ever seen were live shows or plays that you actually attended. This was our world before Then, in 1839 the amazing invention that would come to be known as Photography was introduced in Paris. As the technology spread, the way we saw our world changed forever. The earliest photographs were Daguerreotypes, images made on copper plates coated with silver. The Daguerreotype image had such amazing detail that it has never been surpassed in quality. At first, like many things new and different, photographs were not universally accepted as good things. The likenesses captured by the camera were true to life, but in the opinion of many, they were too true. When an image is made by a painter, the artist takes the liberty of omitting minor blemishes, improving proportions, and making other changes to show the subject in the best light. The camera made no such improvements. Many people thought them crude, even ugly. However, it didn t take long before people couldn t seem to get enough of them. Jokes and cartoons depicted a photographer on every corner of every town and itinerant photographers with darkrooms built on wagons

3 traveling to every village and homestead. In this way, photography made the making and keeping of pictures of people available to all. Though initially expensive, within a few years they became affordable for almost everyone, unlike the painted portrait that had been available to only the wealthy. Photography was also democratic because it was considered a fit occupation for women. Many women practiced the craft and had studios of their own. We don t know when the first photograph was made in Clinton County, but by 1842 you could take the train to Cincinnati and visit Hawkins & Faris to see Daguerreotype Miniatures on display and have your picture made in their studio. In 1874 John Carroll was making photographs in Wilmington. In 1885 he was joined by young photographer, Charles Butterworth, who had studied photography in New Vienna. Butterworth went on to gain national prominence as a photographer. Most early photographs were of people and were taken in a studio. It wasn t long before intrepid photographers found ways to get all of the necessary chemicals and equipment out into the world and began to take photographs of the outdoors and distant places. They made images of places and events around the world. In 1861, Oliver Wendell Holmes created an inexpensive stereoscope, a handheld device used to view three-dimensional photographs. Views, as the double

4 image cards were known, were created of far away and exotic places, people of other cultures, important civic and social events, reenacted scenes from history and even erotica. Most views were made by professional photographers and sold in stores and catalogs, but some were made by amateur photographers of people and scenes closer to home. Stereoscopes were found in nearly every home and views were collected and viewed by nearly everyone. It was inevitable that more and more people would become interested in making their own photographs, but the complexity and cost of equipment and processing made it impractical for most people until, in 1889, George Eastman introduced the Kodak, the camera anyone could use. The simple box camera came loaded with 100 exposures of Eastman s new roll film. As the Eastman advertisement stated, You press the button, we do the rest. After exposing the film, the camera was sent to Eastman Co. where they processed and printed the film, reloaded the camera with new film and sent the camera and photographs back.

5 The Exhibit Timeline of Early Photography Like many new technologies, no one person can be credited with the whole. Many people were trying to create permanent images using photo-sensitive materials. Some of the more important or well-known discoveries include: 1826 Nicephore Niepce, France, made the first permanent image from nature utilizing a material similar to asphalt exposed to light via a Camera Obscura. 1830s William Fox Talbot, England, developed methods of creating images on paper in both positive and negative forms Hercules Florence, Brazil, created a paper based photographic process and named it Photographie Louis Daguerre announced his invention of the Daguerreotype process to the world John Herschel, England, made the first glass negative William Fox Talbot, England, patented the Calotype, a process of creating paper negatives from which multiple positives can be printed.

6 1851 Frederick Scott Archer, England, published the wet plate collodion process for creating a glass negative. This became the most common photographic process through the 1860s James Ambrose Cutting, America, patented the Ambrotype, a variation of the collodion process where a black background is placed behind the glass negative to reveal the image in positive Hamilton Smith, America, patented a collodian process on metal instead of glass, the Ferrotype or Tintype, making images less expensive and less fragile. Examples of Early Photographic Processes Daguerreotype Most common One of a kind, positive image on polished silver Ambrotype Most common One of a kind, positive image on glass Ferrotype (Tintype) Most common One of a kind, positive image on enameled metal

7 The Darkroom Photographs of the late 19 th and 20 th centuries were made with glass and then film negatives and printed on paper. Because of the light sensitive nature of the materials, all processing was done in a Dark Room. Though the materials and processes evolved over time, the basic processing remained the same: After photographs were made, the resulting film or Glass Plate negatives were taken into a totally dark room lit only by special Red or Orange Safe Lights that would not affect the light sensitive materials. Chemicals and water were carefully measured with Beakers and mixed into a developing fluid. The Negatives were loaded into the developing Tank with Rack and the developing fluid was poured in. After a specific Time, the developing fluid was drained from the tank and replaced with chemical fluids to stop the chemical development and fix the emulsion on the negative. The negatives were then lifted from the tank with Tongs and placed in a plate Rack to dry. Once the negatives are prepared, the negative and photosensitive paper are placed in a Plate Holder, exposed to light and then processed back in the dark room. The photosensitive paper is processed in three Processing Trays containing developer, stop and fixer. The finished photograph is then dried.

8 The Studio Camera Many early photographs were made with a camera like the Century No. 2, ca , on display. It is a studio or view camera that is focused by moving the lens board in front closer or further from the film or glass plate negative housed in the back. Beside the camera is an early camera case that could carry the additional glass plate negatives, each in a light-tight plate case, additional lenses, lens covers and miscellaneous equipment. The Stereoscope & Views With the advent of the photograph came a keen interest in seeing images of distant and exotic places. The stereoscope and views allowed people to see everything from current events to far off places and people. Note the view of President McKinnley at his desk and the views of the Niagara Falls and Arizona. Also note the one sepia toned view on the bottom of the display. It was taken by a local photographer of Rocky Fork Creek in Highland County.

9 The Kodak George Eastman of Rochester, NY and his Eastman Kodak Company developed many advances in photography and is credited with bringing photography to the masses. He made it possible to make photographs without knowing about or dealing with the chemicals and processing. In addition to being a master in the science of photography, Eastman was a master of marketing. He came up with the name Kodak because it was a word that had no other meanings, and was easy to pronounce and remember. An early slogan of the company was You Press the Button, We Do the Rest! Through advances in camera and film technology, Eastman became the leader in consumer photography. No. 3-A Folding Pocket Kodak Model C, 118 film, Eastman Kodak, Rochester, NY, Brownie No. 2A, 116 film, Eastman Kodak, Rochester, NY, Introduced 1911, This example after 1916 An unlabeled Box Camera intact and another taken apart to display the internal workings. Brownie No. 2 Model E, 116 film, Eastman Kodak, Rochester, NY, Introduced 1917 No. 1 AUTOGRAPHIC KODAK Special, 120 film, Eastman Kodak, Rochester, NY, Target Brownie Six-16, 616 film, Eastman Kodak, Rochester, NY,

10 From the Collection Here are additional photographs from the History Center collection that represent a broad range of processes and subjects: - Men working at a table - Clinton County Courthouse ca Studio portrait of a dog - C. A. Holladay s menagerie - Tom Thumb wedding - Men horsing around - Ferrotype (tintype) portraits The Modern Film Camera A representative view of the wide range of cameras and technologies of the 20 th century. Grisette, Viewfinder 35mm, Dr. Eulitz, Harzburg, Germany, ca Argus C-four, Viewfinder 35mm, Argus Camera Corp., Ann Arbor, MI, Mamiyaflex, Twin Lens Reflex, Mamiya Japan, ca. 1950s Revere 8, 8mm Movie Camera, Revere Camera Co. Chicago, IL, ca. 1950s Highlander, Land Camera Model 80, Instant film, Polaroid USA,

11 Kodak Instamatic 44, 126 film, Kodak Rochester, NY, Brownie Holiday Flash, 127 film, Kodak Rochester, NY, Kodak Disc 4000, HR Disc film, Eastman Kodak, Rochester, NY, Land Camera 220, Instant film, Polaroid Minnetonka, MN, Sun 600, Instant film, Polaroid - made in USA, Introduced 1983 Polaroid Spectra, Instant film, Polaroid - made in U. K., Introduced 1986 Additional Resources The History of Photography: From 1839 to the Present by Beaumont Newhall A World History of Photography by Naomi Rosenblum Photography: A Cultural History by Mary Warner Marien The History of Photography podcast by Jeff Curto of the College of Dupage - photohistory.jeffcurto.com/ George Eastman House web site, also Eastman House videos on Youtube

12 Most of the early photographic equipment on display belonged to professional photographer Clarke Nagley ( ). The items were acquired by Nathan & Margery Hale and donated to the Historical Society in Also, we would like to thank Barbara Daulton, Leslie Holmes and Tim Le Faive for the generous loan of modern film cameras for the exhibit. The Clinton County Historical Society is a membership society open to all with an interest in the history of our community. Our mission is to encourage community involvement in the preservation, education and promotion of Clinton County history and genealogy for the benefit of all people for present and future generations. Memberships are available at several levels and provide a range of member benefits. For more information contact us or visit our web site. Clinton County Historical Society 149 E. Locust St. P. O. Box 529 Wilmington, OH