In 1841-42, William and Frederick Langenheim opened a daguerreotype studio in Philadelphia. Known for their technical innovations, the former journalists were not the city’s first but were certainly its most celebrated photographers. On May 26, 1854, the Langenheim brothers made eight sequential photographs of the first total eclipse of the sun visible in North AmericaContinue reading “The Earliest Photographs of a Total Solar Eclipse, 1854”
Tag Archives: 1800s
A Norwegian University Student’s Secret Street Photography From 1890s Oslo
Known mostly as an accomplished mathematician and physicist from Norway, Carl Størmer (Fredrik Carl Mülertz Størmer) also enjoyed a very unusual side hobby at the time. With a bulky camera hidden in his clothes, Størmer walked around Oslo, Norway and secretly capture candid moments of passersby. As his subjects were always caught in their naturalContinue reading “A Norwegian University Student’s Secret Street Photography From 1890s Oslo”
A Street Doctor Displaying His Wares, London, ca. 1877
Photographer John Thomson (1837–1921) used the ‘Woodburytype’ process patented in 1864 for the images in Street Life in London, including this photograph. This was a type of photomechanical reproduction using pigmented gelatin, usually of a rich purple-brown color. The process was complicated but remained popular until about 1900 because of the high quality and permanenceContinue reading “A Street Doctor Displaying His Wares, London, ca. 1877”
40 Amazing Vintage Portraits of Polish Men in the Late 19th Century
During the Spring of Nations (a series of revolutions which swept across Europe), Poles took up arms in the Greater Poland Uprising of 1848 to resist Prussian rule. The uprising was suppressed and the semi-autonomous Grand Duchy of Posen, created from the Prussian partition of Poland, was incorporated into Prussia. In 1863, a new PolishContinue reading “40 Amazing Vintage Portraits of Polish Men in the Late 19th Century”
Amazing Photos by James Craig Annan From the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries
30 Rarely Seen Daguerreotype Portraits of People Smiling
The Daguerreotype, the first widely used photographic process, was invented in 1839. The exposure time in those early days was really long, sometimes lasting up to 15 minutes or so. Way too long to hold a smile. Grinning exercises far too many muscles. People would tire out, change their expression, and ruin the daguerreotype. NoContinue reading “30 Rarely Seen Daguerreotype Portraits of People Smiling”
30 Amazing Photos of People at Home During the Late 1800s
Victorian decorating was the polar opposite of today’s modern styles. It was a time of heavy, ornate furnishings, oversized everything, and a penchant for knickknacks. The resulting style is romantic, complex, warm, and dramatic, dripping with opulence and excess; basically, enough to make any minimalist shudder. Victorian furniture is often revivalist in style, in thatContinue reading “30 Amazing Photos of People at Home During the Late 1800s”
One of the Most Popular Tourist Attractions in Paris in the 19th Century was The Paris Morgue
Today, Parisians and tourists from around the world flock to visit the dozens of magnificent monuments and museums housed by the capital, in search of the legend of the Eiffel Tower, the richness of the collections of the Musée d’Orsay, or the art of living of covered passages. But there are more than a century,Continue reading “One of the Most Popular Tourist Attractions in Paris in the 19th Century was The Paris Morgue”
Medieval Toilets in Castles
The medieval toilet or latrine, then called a privy or garderobe, was a primitive affair, but in a castle, one might find a little more comfort and certainly a great deal more design effort than had been invested elsewhere. Practicality, privacy, and efficient waste disposal were all considered and, even today, one of the mostContinue reading “Medieval Toilets in Castles”
32 Daguerreotypes of Mothers Posing With Their Children From the Mid-19th Century
A daguerreotype is a single reversed image, made as a direct positive onto a silvered copper plate. Its reflective surface is an easy way to tell the difference between a daguerreotype and an early photograph taken using a different technique. The image is made of a combination of silver and mercury, resting on that plate.Continue reading “32 Daguerreotypes of Mothers Posing With Their Children From the Mid-19th Century”
