Abstract
I THINK I may fairly assume that every one in this theatre has had their photograph taken, and consequently must have some idea of the nature of the process employed. I have, therefore, only to add, with regard to what is not visible in the process of taking the picture, that the photographic plate is a piece of glass or such like body, coated on one side by an adhesive paste which is acted on by light, and acted on in a very remarkable manner. No visible change is produced, and the picture might remain latent for years, but place this acted on plate in a solution, of, say pyrogallol, and the picture appears. The subsequent treatment of the plate with sodium hyposulphite is for another purpose, simply to prevent the continuance of the action when the plate is brought into the light. Now, what I purpose demonstrating to you to-night is that there are other ways of producing pictures on photographic plates than by acting on them by light, and that by these other means a latent picture is formed, which is rendered visible in precisely the same way as the light pictures are.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
RUSSELL, W. Pictures Produced on Photographic Plates in the Dark1. Nature 60, 208–210 (1899). https://doi.org/10.1038/060208a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/060208a0