History Of Photography

[Music] [Applause] [Applause] The world of photography, past and present, beckons us to Eastman House in Rochester, New York. Here, through unique and unusual exhibitions that span more than 100 years, visitors can explore the growth and development of this revolutionary art and science. For photography is today an important and many times indispensable tool in every branch of human endeavor. Trophies of the the walls of the house built by George Eastman and now an educational memorial bearing his name. Man's efforts to reproduce the world around him are ages old. This 17th century volume contains the earliest known illustration of the camera obscurer. It had a small opening through which the image of an outside scene was cast on a screen inside. Man's next search was for a substance sensitive to light to retain the fleeting image. In this device, it was traced on thin paper. The dgerayotype technique of making photographs on metals developed in the early 1800s brought the camera age into being. In Dair's process, a copper plate was made sensitive to light exposed in a camera and then developed with mercury fumes. This is the world's first photograph taken in 1826 showing a courtyard. It was made by Dair's collaborator Neeps. Next came Talbot's negative positive process of making photographs on paper. William Henry Fox Talbot perfected the negative plate from which any number of positive prints could be made. As photography took root in the public's imagination, studios sprang up to do a flourishing business in picture portraits. Expert as the photographers might be, the portraits were a tedious task. The negative plates in the camera sometimes required up to 8 minutes of exposure during which the subject was required to remain completely rigid. A brace helped keep the head motionless. In the days before electricity, the sun and reflectors provided the photographer with the only effective method of lighting his subject. Ready? Now, he removes the camera's lens cap to expose the plate. When the cap was replaced, the young lady could sigh with relief and wait for the prints that looked just like this. The new art of photography was utilized in many clever inventions. The megalethoscope which appeared in 1862 was one of the most unusual. This photograph of St. Peters in Rome is illuminated by mirrors mounted on the open doors. Day becomes night when they are closed, permitting only pin holes of light to enter from the back. Stereoscopic or three-dimensional photography dates back to 1838. Two photographs taken from viewpoints equal to the distance between the eyes produce an amazing illusion of depth when seen together. From the first viewer to the later models of granddad's day, stereoscopic pictures have fascinated young and old. One no parlor was complete without them. And today, three-dimensional photography has won a new popularity. Back in the pioneer days of landscape photography, the cameraman had to carry his own portable room with him wherever he went. A new technique, the collodian process, had made both a dgeraype and tala type methods obsolete. It required, however, that negatives be exposed and developed while wet. The operation was often a twoman undertaking, for it took hours to set up the tent and the complicated apparatus for the dark room. By the time everything was set, the sun might have disappeared. When all was ready, the photographer went into the tent, which had an opening permitting only infrared light to enter. Then he would coat a glass plate with collodon, a mixture of gun cotton, ether, and alcohol to make it sensitive to sunlight. The plate was placed in the camera immediately for it remained light sensitive only while wet. Although awkward and difficult, the collodian process gave brilliant results when developed and was extremely popular from 1851 to 1881. With the invention of the revolutionary dry plate process, bulky equipment gave way to small secret cameras. They were disguised as common objects so that candid pictures could be taken. Cameras were even made to resemble revolvers. Pulling the trigger released the shutter. The cylinder held 10 tiny negative plates. General Oscar N. Soulberg, director of Eastman House, demonstrates another of the secret cameras. This one cleverly concealed in the head of a walking stick. An intricate and ingenious series of cogs and wheels enabled the owner to take several pictures without reloading his cane camera. One of the tiniest spy cameras was secreted in a necktie. Still another was this camera hidden in a 19th century vest pocket watch. It too was made possible by the dry plate process. Photographers could buy ready-made plates, expose them anytime, and develop them at their leisure. Photography now belonged to the millions. At the Dryen Gallery, the history of American photography becomes as well the history of the American nation. A pageant in pictures of progress unmatched since the beginning of time. A new photograph is mounted in the priceless collection by the curator of Eastman House, Dr. Bulmont Newuhall. With his photographic buggy, Matthew Brady made many of the museum's fine Civil War pictures. Wagon dark rooms enabled cameramen to travel with the armies of the North and South. Union volunteers reporting for duty. Confederate artillery poised for battle. Confederate cannons, fortifications, and tents in Atlanta. And one of the best known photographs of the period, President Lincoln visiting General Mlelen at Antidum. History has come alive through the lens of the camera. Here at Eastman House is the story of still photography, a magic medium preserving in exact detail us and for generations yet to come, the camera chronicle of a people and their times. Heat. Heat. [Music]