Roger Watson (4)

This was a fascinating look at not just the history of photography, per se, but also at the 2 men who were at the centre of its development. Louis Daguerre and Henry Fox Talbot lived in different countries (France and England, respectively) and never even knew of one another's existence or work in the field. They were very different personalities, as well, and their processes, experimentations and results in the field were also complementary. But how they brought their creations to the public became a rivalry for the ages. Once their methods came to public knowledge, improvements and progress were rapid and it quickly became evident that this was a game-changer in the way the computer was for our world. "Many other art forms had been in existence in primitive form before humans even left the cave, but this invention was such a giant step forward in representing the world around us that it was truly only believed when seen."

When the genre was merely 20 years old, Abraham Lincoln became the first to use his own photo as an election tool in his presidential campaign by having tintype campaign buttons made and distributed. This was in 1860. A few years later, photography had given way to a new genre: photojournalism, when graphic photos were being made and published, showing the horrific scenes of war, particularly at Gettysburg.

This book has several great illustrations as well as copies of some early photographs including what is probably the world's first selfie: a daguerrotype self-portrait, circa 1839.

The camera had, by the end of the 19th century, become "as indispensable as the bicycle". It was sometimes referred to as a time machine, with its ability to capture images and memories permanently and transport people back in time long after a loved one was gone, for example. Queen Victoria and her family were early fans and adopters of this new hobby.

"Within twenty years of its invention photography was playing a major part in people's lives...By the end of the century, it had become a much-practised and much-loved universal hobby, made possible by the introduction of Kodak's cheap and easy-to-use cameras and celluloid film. The introduction of roll film led directly to another of the great wonders of the modern age - cinema - when the first public screening of a film was given by two other French masters of illusion, the Lumiere brothers, in December 1895. "

It is quite remarkable to realize that the 1800s were not that long ago, and to reflect on just how much technological progress and invention has transpired in that time. The question of whether photography is (was) an art or a science was discussed at length in the book yet there is no definitive answer to this, other than to say, a combination of both.… (mais)

This is the story of the birth and early development of photography in the 19th century and focuses on the life and work of Henry Fox Talbot in England and Louis Daguerre in France. The book tries hard to build some tension between their efforts and to depict their work as a race, but this does not really work. Talbot and Daguerre developed different technologies and methods (Daguerre was initially the most successful, but Fox Talbot had the better and most enduring solution) and had very different attitudes to their work: Daguerre was focused on the commercial exploitation of his methods and wanted to make money; Fox Talbot focused on the science and the need for proper recognition and ownership. The development of photography was strongly influenced by their different approaches, not just to the technology, but to what science and technology were for and how they should be used.

The book is structured chronologically with roughly alternating chapters focusing on each inventor. The characters and their personal lives and times are described well and we get a real sense of who these people were. There is not that much focus on the science and technology itself, so we come away with little sense of how they did what they did and why those technologies developed in very different directions, with the daguerreotype disappearing from use before the end of the 19th century while Fox Talbot's negative/positive process went on to become the foundation for photography for 150 years, until the advent of the fully digital camera.… (mais)