Scientist in his Laboratory
Daguerreotype
1851 (Photographed)
1851 (Photographed)
| Artist/Maker |
John Benjamin Dancer made scientific and optical instruments professionally, and was also an inventor with a strong interest in photography. Experimenting with photographic media, he wrote that 'the accounts given of the beautiful pictures [daguerreotypes] induced me to abandon the photographic paper process'. This hand-painted daguerreotype was made for friends, probably to showcase his achievements. The sitter, posing as a scientist, is shown making a pair of daguerreotypes. He is surrounded by some of Dancer's inventions and other scientific instruments.
The daguerreotype process was introduced to the public in 1839 by Frenchman Louis Daguerre, and was hugely popular as a medium for portraiture until the middle of the 1850s. To create a daguerreotype, a silver plated sheet was given a light sensitive surface coating of iodine vapour. After a long exposure in the camera, the image was developed over heated mercury and fixed in a common salt solution. The image lies on a mirror-like surface and is best seen from an angle to minimise reflections.
The daguerreotype process was introduced to the public in 1839 by Frenchman Louis Daguerre, and was hugely popular as a medium for portraiture until the middle of the 1850s. To create a daguerreotype, a silver plated sheet was given a light sensitive surface coating of iodine vapour. After a long exposure in the camera, the image was developed over heated mercury and fixed in a common salt solution. The image lies on a mirror-like surface and is best seen from an angle to minimise reflections.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Scientist in his Laboratory |
| Materials and techniques | Daguerreotype stereograph |
| Brief description | 'Scientist in his Laboratory, 1851, daguerreotype stereograph by John Benjamin Dancer (born London 1812, died Manchester 1887) |
| Physical description | Daguerreotype of a man sitting in a laboratory making a pair of daguerreotyps. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'CARPENTER / & / WESTLEY / OPTICIANS / 24 REGENT ST / LONDON' (Sticker on back) |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Purchased 1979 |
| Summary | John Benjamin Dancer made scientific and optical instruments professionally, and was also an inventor with a strong interest in photography. Experimenting with photographic media, he wrote that 'the accounts given of the beautiful pictures [daguerreotypes] induced me to abandon the photographic paper process'. This hand-painted daguerreotype was made for friends, probably to showcase his achievements. The sitter, posing as a scientist, is shown making a pair of daguerreotypes. He is surrounded by some of Dancer's inventions and other scientific instruments. The daguerreotype process was introduced to the public in 1839 by Frenchman Louis Daguerre, and was hugely popular as a medium for portraiture until the middle of the 1850s. To create a daguerreotype, a silver plated sheet was given a light sensitive surface coating of iodine vapour. After a long exposure in the camera, the image was developed over heated mercury and fixed in a common salt solution. The image lies on a mirror-like surface and is best seen from an angle to minimise reflections. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | PH.243-1979 |
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| Record created | November 28, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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