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Wedgewood and Davy published a paper titled“An Account of Method of Copying Paintings upon Glass and Making Profiles by the Agency upong Nitrate of Silver”
Davy and Wedgewood were the first to develop images. However, the developed pictures were light sensitive. Thus, they would turn black when they were exposed to the light. The photographs would be stored in dark places. They were only exposed to a candle light when they were meant to be seen. Additionally, the usage of Silver Nitrate that Wedgewood and Davy developed is still used in darkroom photography today. This paper was the first describing the chemical action of light to copy images. -
Louisiana Purchase
Thomas Jefferson purchased 828,000 square miles of land from France for $15 million. This purchase allowed the US to drastically increase its size, nearly doubling it. This was an important part because it lead pilgrims to venture out towards the west coast and find new land to live and farm in. This was significant for the USA. Additionally, this also meant that they would find more Native Americans and create disputes with them. This would lead to the decrease in Native Americans in the US. -
Niépce Earliest Surviving Photograph
Niépce created the first permanent image. The image was made on a rectangular sheet of pewter plate which was coated with bitumen of Judea. This method involved direct positive light; thus, the image would not have separate negatives. Hence, the photograph could not be reproduced. This photography method also required eight hours of exposure. Therefore, this first image seems to be full of light in all angles. However, this is not a viable solution because it would make a poor image quality. -
Trail of Tears
Thousands of Cherokee and other Native Americans were forced out of their homes and forced to march into Oklahoma territory under the US army. During this time, 1835 to 1838, thousands of native Americans died along the way from sickness or hunger as they were mistreated during this time. This illustrated the discrimination and cruelty the Americans posed on the Native Americans. It illustrates the suppression and injustice that Americans have imposed on Native Americans. -
Texas Rebellion
Texas declared their independence from the Mexican government leading to many important battles, such as Alamo. Texas wanted to be annexed. However the US government refused to get involved at this time because they were afraid of upsetting the Mexican government and also they were concerned about the slavery policy. Thus, this rebellion did not achieve as much; however, it did bring attention to this growing situation. -
Daguerreotype
Darguerre built off of Niépce’s process to create the Daguerreotype. The Daguerreotype was on a silver plate that was polished with a mirror finish. The usage of a mirrored surface is what made it different that most other photographs that were on paper or on film. Additionally, Darguerre also found that table salt dissolved in hot water would prevent the light-sensitive material from continuing to react. However, this process still had a long exposure time. -
Stereographic Camera
The stereographic camera was used during the Civil War to make photographs look more realistic. This camera had twin-lens (stereoview) that helped give a three-dimensional effect when viewing. This new camera device was very popular because of how realistic the pictures would look like. Additionally, this photographic invention was unlike any other. This technological invention was able to bring the war home with the realistic photograph. -
Fox Talbot - Calotype
Fox Talbot made his invention around the same time as Darguerre, however, announced his invention one year later. However, his first picture “Latticed Window” was taken in 1835, before the Daguerreotype. This process also included the use of chemicals such as potassium iodide and silver nitrate to develop the picture. Additionally, Fox Talbot is known for his negative/positive photographic process. This process enabled him to create multiple prints from a negative. -
Atkins Self published photograms in the first instalment of Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions
This cyanotype process requires laying the object onto sensitive paper; thus, each photograph is a one-to-one representation of the object. Atkins Self used this technique to document biology, such as algae. This method proved to be very persuasive because the actual size could be demonstrated. However she is only of the few biologists who used photography to illustrate biology principles that these scientists discovered. -
Mexican-American War
The Mexican-American War was regarding a dispute between the boundaries of Texas and the control over California. This war occurred from 1846 to 1848. The war ended with America winning both Texas and California. However, this new land raised disputes about slavery in the new territory. Furthermore, this was the first war ever photographed. However, the photographer is unknown. -
First War photograph
The first war photographed was the Mexican-American war that lasted from 1846-1848. However the photographer of this war is unknown. This person took many photographs of the war. This photo is one of the few photos that were taken in this war. However, the photo quality of these photos are poor. -
Gold Rush
As pilgrims began migrating throughout the US, some pilgrims came across California and found gold there. In hearing that news many pilgrims packed their bags and moved to California in search of gold. However, no one seemed to strike any luck. Rather they found nothing. However this movement led to the population of California as more and more people began arriving at California in search of gold. This helped populate and industrialize California. This occurred during 1848 to 1855. -
Jack Zealy (J.T) Photographs
Jack Zealy took many pictures of African American slaves to prove that whites are a superior race to that of blacks. He used photography as a means of proving Social Darwinism and promoting racism. The man in this photo were forced against his willing to have his picture taken and was then subjected the using the photograph to justify slavery. There was no consent involved in this picture, or was the man allowed to hide his identity. This is one of the negative usage of photography. -
Wet Collodion Process
This process produced a glass negative and detailed print. This process ensured a high print quality and were easy to reproduce. This method was thriving from 1850s to 1880. This process involved coating the plate glass in collodion to sensitize it to the light. Then the plate would be placed into the camera. The photographer would take the picture. After that the plate was exposed to several chemicals to create a plate glass negative where the image could be printed on paper. -
Crimean War
The Crimean War was an European conflict that would be easily accessible, making it the first war to be completely photographed. The best photographer at that time was Roger Fenton who sailed all the way to Crimea. This war occurred because Crimea was part of the former Soviet Union and with the recent pressure from Russia, many other countries wanted to protect their interests in Crimea. This resulted in a war between many empires. This war occurred from 1853-56. -
The Two Ways of Life
Oscar Rejlander created one of the most well-known tableaux vivant of that era. This photo was a montage of a combination print that was created from over thirty negatives. This process to combine all these images into one took Rejlander about six weeks to combine. This photo was first exhibited at the Manchester Art Treasures Exhibition of 1857 in Manchester, England. Furthermore it was later exhibited at e Scottish Society’s Exhibition in Edinburgh and even Queen Victoria purchased a copy. -
Nadar Aerial Photographs
Matthew Brady Nadar was one of the earlier pioneering photographers, He was the first one to being aerial photographs. This was difficult because he was making a wet-collodion prints; thus, he had to carry a complete darkroom in the hot air balloon. However, one of Nadar’s earliest photographs survived. The earliest known photograph was in 1860 was taken by James Wallace Black in 1860. Nadar’s earliest surviving photograph one above Paris in 1866. -
Invention of Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, creating a new way to communicate over long distances. It takes a simple phone call that can deliver one’s message in an instance rather than mail which takes several days to simply receive a message. His invention of the telephone has forever revolutionized the world. Without the telephone, we would not be where we would be today. Additionally, the telephone served as a new job opportunity for women to also get involved in the workforce. -
Civil War
The Civil War was against the North and the South of the USA. The Northern USA were against slavery; however, the Southern states were for slavery. This war was brought about to solve the issue of slavery. This war also became a great business for war photographers who documented the aftermath of the battles that raged between both sides. This war occurred from April 1861 to May 1865. After this war ended with the North remaining, discrimination still existed, simply slavery was illegal. -
"Cameristas"
The cameras designed during the Civil War time period had four lens tintype camera. These specialized cameras and their lens allows photographers to print multiple pictures at the same time, since all photos would be smaller than regular. This invention allowed these photographers to sell their photos only for one dollar; thus, this allowed more individuals to purchase photographs and still allow photographers to make a 95 cent profit. -
"A Harvest of Death"
One of Alexander Gardner’s famous war photographs is “A Harvest of Death” of the Civil War at Gettysburg. This photograph was able to illustrate the reality of the war to those who were at home. It showed the harsh reality of war. This photograph had bodies littered all over a field showing how the civil war was tearing apart the nation. This along with all the other photographs of the Civil War Gardner captured allowed individuals at home to see the reality of war. -
“The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals.”
Charles Darwin used these photographs taken by Oscar Rejlander to argue that physical signs of emotions are the same between humans and animals; thus, proving his theory of evolution. In his photograph he has illustrated several emotions: Joy, High Spirits, Love, Tender Feelings and Devotion. Each portrait depicting one of these emotions. Thus, portrait photography was used for scientific purposes to backup a theory that is widely accepted today, evolution. -
Compromise of 1877
After the Civil War, the North took it upon themselves to help the South and reconstruct it. Additionally the compromised entitled that would take out the Union troops from the south which would end the Age of Reconstruction. Thus, peace between both sides could be reached. This compromise is what helped the North and South of US come back as one and work together to become one nation once again. -
Invention of the Light Bulb
Thomas Edison invented the first light bulb allowing individuals to use electricity to light up their homes rather than candles. The light bulb has made a huge difference worldwide allowing individuals to have plenty of light in their homes even after the sun has set. This has made lives all over the world easier. After so many failures, Thomas Edison made the first incandescent working light bulb. -
The Photo‐Secession movement
The photo-secession movement, from 1907 to 1917, was created by Alfred Stieglitz and it emphasized American expression. The goal was to hold exhibitions. This caused a movement away from pictorialism and towards straight objective photography. This caused photographers to emphasis on form rather than atmosphere. Thus, Stieglitz pictures were straightforward and a form of urban realism. In 1909, Stieglitz organizes an international show; however, it was criticized for not doing anything new. -
A finale” Exhibition
In New York, Albright Art Gallery presented a large exhibition. This exhibition had about six hundred photographers that were retrospective of Pictorialism that consisted of old and new work. This was a contrast to the Photo-Secession movement. This exhibit marked the first time that photographs were museum worthy. Previously photographs were only present in newspaper or other forms of media, but it was the first time they were showcased for their artistic ability in a museum.
