The nineteenth century was characterized as a time of major technological advancements in the field of photography. For centuries the camera obscura had been utilized as a drawing aid for tracing a projected image. Beginning in the 1820’s it was used to capture the first semi-permanent image on a chemically treated pewter plate. During the 1830’s Louis Daguerre created the first permanent photographic image on polished sheets of silver-plated copper. This same decade witnessed the invention of the first stereoscope. Sir Charles Wheatstone created a device that contained two mirrors placed at forty-five degree angles to the viewer’s eyes. Each mirror reflected one of two separate but nearly identical photographs. The viewer’s brain intuitively combined these two images into a single image, creating the perception of a single three dimensional image with a depth of field.
Daguerreotypes became the most popular form of photography for portraiture studios in the 1840’s despite the long exposure times of between five to thirty minutes. However, the invention of the wet colloidal process for glass plate negatives and the creation of albumen paper with silver nitrate for printing a photograph soon became the popular choice of commercial photographers by the mid-1850’s. Early in this same decade, David Brewster invented the stereo camera consisting of twin refractive lenses 2.5 inches apart to match the average distance between two human eyes. The camera produced two photographs of the same scene captured at slightly different angles.
In 1861 Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. redesigned the stereoscope creating a trimmer more compact device which could be sold at a reasonable price. These modifications expanded the stereoscope market to thousands of average citizens making the viewing of stereographs a popular pastime and a lucrative business. In 1862 the London Stereographic Company sold over one million stereographs featuring exotic sights from locales all over the world.
Two major innovations in the field of photography occurred in 1870. First was the widespread popularity of the new format for individual photographs known a cabinet cards. Albumen paper prints were affixed to affordable cardboard cards approximately the size of postcard. The second innovation was the creation of gelatin dry plate glass negatives. Unlike wet plate glass negatives which had to be dipped in silver nitrate solution and used by the photographer immediately, the dry plate negatives could be mass produced and placed in storage until they were needed. Both of these innovations were a boon for commercial photographers.
According to the 1877 Norwich, CT Street Directory there were eight commercial photography studios located at various locations along Main and Shetucket streets. All of these studios provided portraiture for both individuals and families utilizing the latest photographic equipment and techniques. Some studios specialized in adding color to the black and white portraits through the subtle shading of the images with various colors of crayon. Other commercial photographers like the Laighton Brothers studio prided themselves in creating portraits relying solely on the skills and aesthetic sensibilities of the photographer in the studio environment. When not in their studios many of the local photographers employed modern stereo cameras to capture their natural surroundings including natural calamities such as the flood of 1876.
To view both the studio photography and the stereographs of local nineteenth century photographers, visit the historical photographs collection on the Otis Library Flickr page.