Complete Self-Instructing Library of Practical Photography | Schriever J. B.
10-volume collection that really covers a wide variety of photography topics.
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The Gum Bichromate Book | David Scopick
A very practical book with good advice on the technique of Gum Bichromate. From paper preparation to archiving. Some more in-depth considerations on sensitometry and trichromia using the process complete a book that can be a guide for the beginner and also a roadmap for anyone who wants to explore the process further.
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La Lumière | Bernard Maitte
Excellent book on evolution of concepts about light throughout history. All back and forth movements about its corpuscular or wave nature are approached within the cultural context of each moment and the philosophical theological preferences of each scientist. At the end it shows how much science really can not have as purpose an investigation into…
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Traité d’Optique Photographique | Désiré von Monckhoven
Published in 1866 this treatise is a great introduction to the optics of the first decades of photography. There is a theoretical part about light behavior and the basics about lenses, but there is also a lot of practical information organizing families and progresses made in photographic lenses manufacturing. It can be found online at…
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Traité elementaire de l’objectif photographique | Étienne Wallon
A very complete treatise on photographic lenses. It starts with refraction and follows with formulas for spherical lenses, types of aberration, ways of correcting them and in the most practical part it cites the main families of lenses, their manufacturers, and goes down to the surface radii for some examples chosen. Great reference. Digitized by…
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Photographic Lenses of the 1800’s in France | Corrado d’Agostini
Excellent book plenty of information about the optical industry in France in the 19th century. It has large and clear photos very helpful in the identification old lenses. Lots of information about manufacturers and leading industry’s opticians. Corrado D’Agostini is professor of clinical psychology at the University of Florence and also collects and studies photographic…
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Daguerréotype | many authors
Daguerréotype | many authors Contemporary print of the main texts that marked the announcement of the Daguerreotype in 1839. It contains speeches delivered in the Chamber of Deputies by the Minister of Interior by François Arago by Gay Lussac, the procedure as described by Daguerre, also contains the description of Heliography by Nicéphore Niépce, some…
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Art and Illusion | Ernst Hans Gombrich
This is a fundamental book. It studies the question of verisimilitude between image and object and the means by which it is constructed. It studies the weight of conventions and the role of learning and mental operations that contribute too much to our assessment of the visual stimuli we receive. Vision is posited as cultural…
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Daguerréotypie | J. Thierry
Book of 1847 combines a short history of the invention of photography with detailed instructions on how to proceed in obtaining the daguerreotype. Can be downloaded from this link.
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The Evolution of Photography | John Werge
The book focuses on chemical side of photography, there is not talk about lenses or cameras. The author, himself a photographer and colourist, was a teenager when daguerrotypes were spreading into UK and he mixes historical events with his personal experiences in a very nice manner. There is a useful chronological record with main facts…
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Tom Wedgwood | Richard Buckley Litchfield
Biography of Thomas Wedgwood with a chapter about his works to photography and also an appendices named “A Mythical Account of T. Wedgwood Photographic Work” in which the author dismisses theories about an early discovery of photography made by Wedgwood. It contains the report wrote by Humphrey Davy in 1802 summarizing the real outcome of…
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La vie d’Artiste au XIXe siècle | Anne Martin-Fugier
Excellent book. Lots of information that transports you into the art market environment in the nineteenth century. Talks about who embraced the artistic career, which were the prospects, which were the learning venues, how art was shown, how the salons worked, what about the relationship with collectors, with models, between masters and novices, how women…
