Essay: Pictures through Time (partito tre)
Alas, no pictures. I'm sorry, everyone. I got the prints out, put them in the scanner, then hit the magic button. Niente. The thing is running, but no images are making it to the computer. Grrr. I tried rebooting, reloading the software, deleting and reloading the hardware profile. Still, niente. I finally noticed little kitty cat bite marks in the cord running from the scanner to the PC. BUTTHEAD!
Trust me, there isn't anything innocent about this cat. When something goes wrong, he's at the heart of it all. Anyway, back to the pictures. Since I can't give you actual images, I'll talk about the different types.
First was the daguerreotype, created by M. Daguerre. With the backing of the French government, he discovered how images could be captured using a very complex process. One exposure could take up to 20 minutes to create, and that was before the print was developed. Hmmm, print is probably not the best word for this type of picture. These pictures were created on a cardboard material that, once developed, were extremely fragile. There also was no way for more than one image to be created. Once the shot was done, that was the only image you could get out of it. This was the only process for a long time, then shortly after Daguerre's death, the paper negative was discovered. This new process allowed for multiple prints to be created using one negative.
One common usage of the paper negative, for a while, was the carte de visite. I have a ton of carte de visite. These are pictures that were taken to give out to guests when they came to visit. The prints were trimmed then glued to cardboard cards. They are similar to business cards of today, but much more personal. If I remember correctly, the carte de visite was made using a large negative and a special camera with multiple lenses. Each lens focused on a different plane and created multiple images on one negative (can't remember how many). Pretty effective. One shot and at least 3 prints.
A lot of pictures were taken in the studio. However, around the Civil War photographers set out to photograph the American West. This started a round of nature photography that hasn't gone away. One picture I have is extremely fragile. It is a shot of a woman standing next to a wooden fence with a deer nuzzling her outstretched hand. What makes the print unique is that there is still a lot of silver on the print. When it is held at an angle to the light the print takes on a bright sheen. It was recommended that I find some archival laminate and laminate the picture to protect it. Oh, and definitely keep it out of long light exposure.
This would have been quite a photo feast, if it hadn't been for the evil Butthead:
How could such a sweet looking cat be such trouble? Just look at the eyes, look deeply into the eyes. It's like staring into the abyss. Can you see the calculating, cunning mind behind those eyes? He is chaos barely maintained in a fur coat.
Trust me, there isn't anything innocent about this cat. When something goes wrong, he's at the heart of it all. Anyway, back to the pictures. Since I can't give you actual images, I'll talk about the different types.
First was the daguerreotype, created by M. Daguerre. With the backing of the French government, he discovered how images could be captured using a very complex process. One exposure could take up to 20 minutes to create, and that was before the print was developed. Hmmm, print is probably not the best word for this type of picture. These pictures were created on a cardboard material that, once developed, were extremely fragile. There also was no way for more than one image to be created. Once the shot was done, that was the only image you could get out of it. This was the only process for a long time, then shortly after Daguerre's death, the paper negative was discovered. This new process allowed for multiple prints to be created using one negative.
One common usage of the paper negative, for a while, was the carte de visite. I have a ton of carte de visite. These are pictures that were taken to give out to guests when they came to visit. The prints were trimmed then glued to cardboard cards. They are similar to business cards of today, but much more personal. If I remember correctly, the carte de visite was made using a large negative and a special camera with multiple lenses. Each lens focused on a different plane and created multiple images on one negative (can't remember how many). Pretty effective. One shot and at least 3 prints.
A lot of pictures were taken in the studio. However, around the Civil War photographers set out to photograph the American West. This started a round of nature photography that hasn't gone away. One picture I have is extremely fragile. It is a shot of a woman standing next to a wooden fence with a deer nuzzling her outstretched hand. What makes the print unique is that there is still a lot of silver on the print. When it is held at an angle to the light the print takes on a bright sheen. It was recommended that I find some archival laminate and laminate the picture to protect it. Oh, and definitely keep it out of long light exposure.
This would have been quite a photo feast, if it hadn't been for the evil Butthead:
How could such a sweet looking cat be such trouble? Just look at the eyes, look deeply into the eyes. It's like staring into the abyss. Can you see the calculating, cunning mind behind those eyes? He is chaos barely maintained in a fur coat.
posted by bagelbuoy at 21:02
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