Digital BW, The Print

Andy, Bill,

Thanks for the replies.  I've done a little research, the BBC piece
says this:

"The image of an engraving depicting a man leading a horse was made in
1825 by Nicephore Niepce, who invented a technique known as
heliogravure."  And later: "The French Government declared the work -
the date of which is confirmed in a letter from Niepce - to be a
national treasure"

In "The History Of Photography", Beaumont Newhall says that Thomas
Wedgewood was the first to make a photo image on paper sensitized with
silver salts, before 1800, but couldn't fix it.  Then came Niepce,
about whom he says: "Although the only example of his camera work that
remains today appears to have been made in 1827, his letters leave no
doubt that he had succeeded in fixing the camera's image a decade
earlier".  On the following page is a display of the "View From
the Window at Le Gras",1827, with a description that it is a
"direct positive on a metal plate".

Tucked away in my Newhall book is a "Popular Photography" clipping
dated June 2002 with a picture of the same "photograph of an etching",
made in 1825, referred to in the BBC piece.  Newhall does not mention
this image, so perhaps it is something that was discovered after he
wrote the book in 1982.  

Back to Newhall, he goes on to say that Niepce was first interested in
making printing plates, and "since he had little artistic skill he
conceived the idea of making them by means of light".  So it seems my
guess that "Perhaps he was trying to find a way to reproduce original 
works, and at that time didn't think of it as a way to create original
works..." was not too far off the mark.

As for Talbot, Newhall goes on to say that Niepce visited London in
1827 and showed Daguerre some of his heliographs.  They began a
correspondence and in 1829 signed a partnership.  Niepce died in 1831
and Daguerre carried on alone, perfecting his process by 1839, still
on metal plates.  

Daguerre published his process in 1839 which caught the attention of
Talbot who had independently invented a similar system. "As early as
February 28, 1835 Talbot described how a positive image could be made
from the negative". Newhall also described how Talbot fixed his paper
negative using salt.  But these were impermanent and faded after some
time.  He laid aside his work in 1835 for other things, and was
spurred back into action in 1839 after seeing Daguerre's announcement.

At the same time, Sir John Herschel had been experimenting on his own
and had found a better way to fix as early as 1819, and recorded his
method after seeing Daguerre's and Talbot's announcements.

Adding in some other things from newhall,it seems that:

1) The photosensitivity of silver was first recorded by Johann Schulze
in 1727, in Germany.

2) Thomas Wedgewood, England, before 1800, was the first to attempt to
record images on paper with silver salts, but his "sun prints" were
not permanent and turned black.

3) Niepce was the first to successfully make a fixed photo image and
make a lasting print, an ink on paper imprint from an etched photo
sensitive plate.

4) Daguerre was the first to make a fixed positive on the metal plate,
and the plate remained the final display item.  This would be the
first photograph where the light sensitive material remains the final
display item.

5) Talbot was the first to make a paper positive from a paper
negative, but they didn't last very long.

6) Herschel was the first to discover how to truly fix using
"hyposulphite of soda", known today as sodium thiosulphate.

And all of this went on about the same time.  So it's easy to see why
there could be some disagreement on who was "first".  Clearly Talbot
was the first with something like what we know today, a positive from
a negative.  

Yet I still find it significant that the first truly lasting image was
an ink on paper print made from something that was originally created
with a light sensitive process.  Does that sound familiar to anyone?


Regards,
Clayton


Info on black and white digital printing at    
http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm