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Flash Attachment

Artist/Maker
Dawe Instruments (manufacturers)

Dawes portaflash

Object details

Category
The Royal Photographic Society
Object type
Flash attachment
Brief description
Dawes portaflash
Gallery label
For the first photographers, the sun was their only source of light. But from 1864, magnesium wire and ribbon, the first examples of artificial light, became available. They could be fed into lamps fitted with reflectors and burned to provide an alternative form of steady illumination. Magnesium powder could also be ignited to provide a flash. Flash photography drastically reduced exposure times, meaning rapidly moving objects and actions could be captured instantly. However, magnesium was dangerous, producing smoke, fumes, ash and sometimes explosions. Flash bulbs, introduced in the 1920s, encased the chemical reaction and provided a safer option until the arrival of electronic flash technologies in the 1960s.
Credit line
The Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&A, acquired with the generous assistance of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund.
Collection
Department of Photography
Accession number
RPS.732-2018

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Record createdFebruary 9, 2018
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1431826/flash-attachment-dawe-instruments/
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