Historical Reviews

Invention in Camera: the Technical Achievements of Henry Talbot

The first photographs on paper were made in 1835 against the odds: although the light sensitivity of silver salts had been long known, it required Talbot's particular photochemical genius to make successful negatives in the camera.

John Herschel's Cyanotype: Invention or Discovery?

Whichever it was, can be decided from this detailed account of the history of Herschel's groundbreaking innovation - destined after his death to become the first method of reprography - the blueprint - and practised by photographic artists as the cyanotype to the present day.

The Eighth Metal: the Rise of the Platinotype Process

Why did it take 50 years from the invention of photography before the platinum printing process became viable? This essay describes the struggles of its British inventor,William Willis, to perfect his process, and it seeks to identify his problems, both technical and aesthetic.

Prints of Gold: the Chrysotype Process Re-invented

Since the first days of photography, attempts have been made to print in gold, but technical difficulties and expense have precluded success until recently. With the aid of some modern chemistry I have overcome the difficulties, devising a process that may, in the future, vie with platinotype for the crown of alternative photographic practice.