JF Ptak Science Books 

“Photogenic Drawing” followed by “Photogenic Drawings”¹ The first paper gives an account (taken from the London Mechanical Magazine), occupying pp 263-4, of the Daguerre process; the second, pp 264-5, gives an account of the Fox Talbot method as it first appeared in the British Association/Athenaeum.

These I believe are among the earliest of U.S. journal references for  two of the earliest photographic processes—the Fox Talbot method was much different from the Daguerre though much less known and certainly underappreciated as it was arguably the superior.

• “This early period of photography cannot be passed over without mention of the name of Henry Fox Talbot of England He was a man of many sided scientific character and an independent investigator in the photographic field prior to Daguerre’s discovery and therefore not inspired by it to investigation. In 1839 January 31st he read a paper before the Royal Society entitled “Some Account of the Art of Photogenic Drawing etc” embodying a practical process on paper based on the abandoned process of Wedgewood and Davy which he improved and also completed by fixing the pictures although imperfectly…”–, JFI, Dec 1899, vol 148, p 4 11.

Then, in the September issue of 1839 come the following three contributions: “Invention of Photogenic Drawings”, p.208, from Mechanic’s Magazine; “Light Drawn Pictures”, pp 208-9, Mechanic’s Magazine;“The Daguerrotype Explained”, pp 209-210 (“A.D.B.”, Alexander Dallas Bache).

And then, a month later in the November issue, comes a Daguerre: “Practical description of the Process called the Daguerreotype, which consists of the spontaneous reproductions of the images of natural objects, in the Camera Obscura…”