THOMAS ANNAN

Thomas Annan was born in 1829 in Dairsie, Fife. In 1845 at the age of 16 he was approved by the local Fife Herald newspaper, to be an apprentice as a lithographic writer and engraver. During this period he distinguished himself successfully by finishing his education in the fourth year, instead of the seven year planned apprenticeship.

From there Annan moved to Glasgow where he got to work in a lithographic workshop under the ownership of Joseph Swan. In between the 1850s and 1860s photography took a step in the commercial value and as a result the lithographic trade declined, in conjunction to this Annan took up a partnership business in 1855 as a ‘collodion calotypist’. Two years later he managed to have his own company, and in 1860 he bought a large format camera to be able in taking photographs, which emitted his crave for light, feelings of emotions and majesty in landscape. He was well renowned as a keen expert in reproducing works of art; this enabled him to receive a high profile work task by the Glasgow Art Union in 1862.

As in 1866 an act was accepted by the government, to put down all the deteriorated slums in the City Parish, however when the actual demolishing was about to take place in 1868, a need to keep a documentation via photography of the characteristics in the old town, the chosen photographer for this task was Thomas Annan.  

Thomas Annan was quoted saying:

  "I have seen human degradation in some of its worst phases, both in England and abroad, but I can advisedly say, that I did not believe, until I visited the wynds of Glasgow, that so large an amount of filth, crime, misery, and disease existed in one spot in any civilised country. The wynds consist of long lanes, so narrow that a cart could with difficulty pass along them; out of these open the 'closes', which are courts about fifteen or twenty feet square, round which the houses, mostly three or four storeys high, are built; the centre of the court is the dunghill, which probably is the most lucrative part of the estate to the laird in most instances, and which it would consequently be esteemed an invasion of the rights of property to remove. In the lower lodging houses, ten, twelve, or sometimes twenty persons, of both sexes and all ages, sleep promiscuously on the floor in different degrees of nakedness. These places are generally, as regards dirt, damp, and decay, such as no person of common humanity would stable his horse in." (University of Glasgow, 2006. Thomas Annan.)

Plate 7: Close, No. 75 High Street. Washing was hung to dry in back courts
which also contained gutters for sewage

Plate 27: Close, No. 61 Saltmarket. Many of the wynds were exceedingly narrow

University of Glasgow, 2006.Thomas Annan. [online]

Available at: <http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/exhibns/month/Mar2006.html>
[Accessed 25 December 2013].

JOHN McCOSH

John McCosh is considered to be one of the first known war photographer, he was born on the 5^th of March 1805 in Burma, India. McCosh was the son of a Scottish surveyor; in 1831 he joined the

John McCosh

Indian Medical Service after completing his studies on medicine in Edinburgh. In 1833 he was the only survivor after his ship sanked in Amsterdam, he started to practice photography while he was stationed in the Himalayas in 1844.

His most renowned photographic work is the calotype negatives, which he in 1848 during the Second Sikh War, these are now confirmed to be the first war photographs ever taken. In 1852 McCosh reused made again use of photography during the Burmese War, but this time with a larger camera.

Not only was McCosh one of the first war photographers, but he was also an artists wise photographer, as in 1855 he had presented a set of hand-colored photographs in the exhibition of the Photographic Society of Bombay. In 1856 McCosh published a revised edition of his booklet “Advise to Officers in India” he insisted that all surgeon assistants must learn the photographic processes in all mediums on paper, glass plate and metallic plates. In 1856 McCosh retired from the army, and perused to travel and poetry.

Here are extracts from advice that he gave in a note addressed to Officers in 1856:

"I have practiced it for many years, and know of no extra professional pursuit that will more repay him for all the expense and trouble (and both are very considrable) than this fascinating study - especially the new process by collodion for the stereoscope."

"The camera should be made of good substantial mahogany, clamped with brass, made to stand extremes of heat."

 

First Photograph in Punjab

Luminous Lint, 2013. John McCosh. [online]

Available at:

< http://www.luminous-lint.com/app/photographer/John__McCosh/>

[Accessed 25 December 2013].

THE SPIRIT PHOTOGRAPH

The Spirit photograph was the invention of William H. Mumler, this chap was born in 1832, worked in New York and Boston in 1861 he was a jewelry engraver and worked in photography as a part time. On one occasion he had a self-portrait developed and noticed that ghost figure of a lady was captured behind him in the image. Mumler immediately realized that it was probably the result of an earlier image taken with using the same plate, but after several people told him that the ghost image looked alike to his dead relative, the image brought upon the attention of many spiritualists who stated the image to be the first photograph to be taken of a ghost.

Mumler immediately grabbed the opportunity and started a business out of this spirit photograph; since it was just past the time of the Civil War he had a large clientele which all of them lost a relative in the War and wished to produce a photograph that brought back the memories of their lost one. This business rendered to Mumler a huge fortune.

The formula was simple; Double the Exposure = Double the Money.

P.T. Barnum by  Abraham Bogardus 

However Mumler was also in the center of negative criticism from other photographers, they were concerned that his spirit photograph was nothing but a gimmick. This would have had a bad impact on the general view in the profession of photography.

After Mumler moved to New York in 1869, he was accused of fraud by the police and a trial was held. The prosecution hired photographer Abraham Bogardus to produce an image similar to the spirit photo by means of a double exposure just as the technique of Mumler. Bogardus produced an image of the famous showman P.T. Barnum with a ghost image Abraham Lincoln behind his back. Mumler was finally acquitted with no charges.

Mrs Lincoln by William H. Mumler

Mumler decided to move back to Boston right after the trial in 1871, where here he made the most interesting and popular spirit photograph. This happened as the widow of Abraham Lincoln went to his studio to have her spirit photograph taken. The image went viral and it was the last known image taken of Mrs. Lincoln. In 1875 Mumler had his autobiography published and by 1879 had stopped taking the spirit photographs, he died in 1884.

The Hoax Museum Blog, 2011. Mumler’s Spirit Photos. [online]

Available at: <http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/photo_database/image/mumlers_spirit_photos > [Accessed 25 December 2012].

THE STEREOGRAPH

The stereograph or stereogram is basically 2 almost identical images of the same scene which when looked upon from a stereoscope; they appear to be in a 3 dimensional scale. Also known as the stereogram it was the invention before the discovery of the Polaroid in the nineteenth-century.

Oliver Wendell Holmes had invented a stereogram that was affordable to the American people. He has been quoted to state that no painting can ever produce, such details and depth that are projected from the stereoscope. The main reason behind the invention of the stereograph is of commercial value, sellers could reuse the images without acknowledging or paying the original photographer of the images. The lower class society could afford to acquire this camera and cards of distant exotic places, making the travel and holiday experience felt trough photography. All these circumstances combined made the stereograph to last for over sixty years.

In our modern days the stereograph still has an important value as a primary source in the study of the nineteenth-century history, depicting social life and historical value. Thanks to the durability of the cards material, several collections are still preserved in a noticeable good condition. Events such as the Civil War and Spanish-American War are well documented and still preserved at the American Antiquarian Society together with thousands of other cards depicting parades, celebrations, sports and documentary material.

AMERICAN ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY, n.a. Stereographs. [online]

Available at: < http://www.americanantiquarian.org/stereographs.htm>

[Accessed 25 December 2013].

JOHN RUSKIN

John Ruskin was born on the 8^th February on 1819 in London; Ruskin was a multi talented person being an artist, art critic, social critic, philosopher, a teacher, writer and an amateur geologist. His vision was that links must be made between the various subjects and disciplines, such as between religion and science. Ruskin managed to see the bigger picture and has been referred to as: “one of those rare men who think with their hearts.” (Ruskin Museum n.a,)

Ruskin was the son of John James and Margaret, which were in their 30’s by the time he was born. They were both very strict on him, giving him punishments whenever he disobeyed them. His mother Margaret was responsible for his education, which took place at their home, since she was an Evangelical Christian it was a priority for her to raise her son with Christian values.

In mid life Ruskin his travels had shown him ferocities of the world, which were poverty, ignorance, war, famine and unemployment, making him realize that it was not enough for him to interpret the world in a creative manner. His main intention therefore was to put the people together with their needs before the march of progress, he had a vision of which every human being had the need to transform into a better person, this would have been possible by help from the governments work in supporting education.

Ruskin formed ‘The Guild of St George’ with the intention to support small enterprises especially in local crafts; such things were totally obscure to the capitalist system of that time. Today we realize that Ruskin was a man before his time, since he had written about important issues in his books and letters about global warming, pollution, old age and unemployment.

Professor John Ruskin

Ruskin Museum n.a, 2003.Who was Ruskin. [online]

Available at: < http://www.ruskinmuseum.com/ruskin.htm>

[Accessed 25 December 2013].