More photography comments. Problems with use of hyposulfite fixer. Superiority of English over Daguerreotype in being able to make copies.
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The Sir John Herschel Collection
The preparation of the print Calendar of the Correspondence of Sir John Herschel (Michael J. Crowe ed., David R. Dyck and James J. Kevin assoc. eds, Cambridge, England: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1998, viii + 828 pp) which was funded by the National Science Foundation, took ten years. It was accomplished by a team of seventeen professors, visiting scholars, graduate students, advanced undergraduates, and staff working at the University of Notre Dame.
The first online version of Calendar was created in 2009 by Dr Marvin Bolt and Steven Lucy, working at the Webster Institute of the Adler Planetarium, and it is that data that has now been reformatted for incorporation into Ɛpsilon.
Further information about Herschel, his correspondence, and the editorial method is available online here: http://historydb.adlerplanetarium.org/herschel/?p=intro
No texts of Herschel’s letters are currently available through Ɛpsilon.
More photography comments. Problems with use of hyposulfite fixer. Superiority of English over Daguerreotype in being able to make copies.
Confused by an 'unfixed' photo from JH in which the image shows different effects from different colors of the spectrum. Also other comments on photography.
Sends JH a positive copy and a transparency. Remarks on JH's use of muriate of lead and asks JH to explain chemistry of it.
Advises JH not to publish any new processes in photography as there are patent problems. Comments on the Daguerreotype, and on the difficulty of preserving images in some circumstances.
Sends some samples of photography made with a solar microscope, and comments briefly on the Daguerreotype.
Thanks for specimen of light sensitive paper. Provides hint on the chemical process that Louis Daguerre may have used in his photographic work. Sends specimens of JH's own work.
Describes method of varying the size of photographic images. Praises Talbot's light sensitive paper and suggests improvements regarding it. Complains about persons too ready to seek a patent.
[Responding to WT's 1839-1-25], JH reports that he cannot come to London to see WT's 'curious process of fixing the image formed by a Camera obscura.' Invites WT to come to Slough.
[Responding to WT's 1839-1-29], urges WT to find some way of giving at least slightly different papers to R.S.L. and Athenaeum. Comments on process of fixing image, referring to a trial of his own.
JH welcomes WT's mentioning JH's method of fixing with hyposulfite. JH has put some of JH's images on display at R.S.L. Mentions JH's recent experiments relating to photography. Comments regarding a paper submitted to R.S.L. by WT and on some experiments of WT.
JH will as WT requests stop mentioning JH's hyposulfite fixing process and await publication of WT's process. Reports in detail on some of JH's experiments relating to photography and to spectrum analysis. [In a P.S. dated 1839-2-13,] JH states: 'I have discovered your secret of fixing [or its] equivalent.'
Invites WT to mention JH's hyposulfite process to J. B. Biot. Recounts JH's recent experiments.
Comments on several approaches to fixing images on paper, especially using pure water as a fixing agent. Has developed a new sensitive paper but is keeping it secret until perfected. Is leaving for Continent on 1 May.
JH reports his discovery of a highly sensitive paper. Tint continues to deepen with time, as bromine does not. Not prepared to reveal process at present. Is off to Paris.
Just visited L. J. M. Daguerre. Praises his images as 'miraculous' and also Daguerre's times of exposure. Daguerre puts his images on 'thin sheets of plated copper.'
Admires L. J. M. Daguerre's process, but hopes to see paper become dominant medium for photographs. Describes new paper JH developed. [Letter continues 6 July.] Experiment with fixed lines in chemical spectra; shows sensitivity of ultraviolet light.
Recounts experiments with chemicals, spectra, and photographic paper.
Has succeeded in producing a 'photograph on glass.' Describes process and also JH's experiment photographing spectra.
Discusses L. J. M. Daguerre's patent application, JH's experiments in making light sensitive paper, and JH's determination to give up photographic researches so as to return to preparation of JH's Cape Results.