History and Practice of the Art of Photography | Page 7

be the first to produce
the result, as to produce it in any way. I esteem it but the natural
carrying out of the wonderful discovery, and that the credit was after all
due to Daguerre. I lay no claim to any improvements."
Since I commenced the compilation of this work, I have had the
pleasure of making the acquaintance of an American gentleman--James
M. Wattles Esq.-- who as early as 1828--and it will be seen, by what I
have already stated, that this is about the same date of M. Niepce's
discovery--had his attention attracted to the subject of Photography, or
as he termed it "Solar picture drawing," while taking landscape views
by means of the camera-obscura. When we reflect upon all the
circumstances connected with his experiments, the great disadvantages
under which be labored, and his extreme youthfullness, we cannot but
feel a national pride--yet wonder--that a mere yankee boy, surrounded
by the deepest forests, hundred of miles from the populous portion of
our country, without the necessary materials, or resources for procuring
them, should by the force of his natural genius make a discovery, and
put it in practical use, to accomplish which, the most learned
philosophers of Europe, with every requisite apparatus, and a profound
knowledge of chemistry--spent years of toil to accomplish. How much
more latent talent may now be slumbering from the very same cause
which kept Mr. Wattles from publicly revealing his discoveries, viz;

want of encouragement--ridicule!
At the time when the idea of taking pictures permanently on paper by
means of the camera-obscura first occurred to him, he was but sixteen
years of age, and under the instructions of Mr. Charles Le Seuer, (a
talented artist from Paris) at the New Harmony school, Indiana.
Drawing and painting being the natural bent of his mind, be was
frequently employed by the professors to make landscape sketches in
the manner mentioned. The beauty of the image of these landscapes
produced on the paper in the camera-obscura, caused him to pause and
admire them with all the ardor of a young artist, and wish that by some
means, he could fix them there in all their beauty. From wishing he
brought himself to think that it was not only possible but actually
capable of accomplishment and from thinking it could, he resolved it
should be done.
He was, however, wholly ignorant of even the first principles of
chemistry, and natural philosophy, and all the knowledge he was
enabled to obtain from his teachers was of very little service to him. To
add to this, whenever he mentioned his hopes to his parents, they
laughed at him, and bade him attend to his studies and let such
moonshine thoughts alone--still he persevered, though secretly, and he
met with the succes his peseverance deserved.
For the truth of his statement, Mr. Wattles refers to some of our most
respectable citizens residing at the west, and I am in hopes that I shall
be enabled to receive in time for this publication, a confirmation from
one or more of these gentlemen. Be that as it may, I feel confident in
the integrity of Mr. Wattles, and can give his statement to the world
without a doubt of its truth.
The following sketch of his experiments and their results will,
undoubtedly, be interesting to every American reader and although
some of the profound philosophers of Europe may smile at his method
of proceeding, it will in some measure show the innate genius of
American minds, and prove that we are not far behind our trans-atlantic
brethren in the arts and sciences.
Mr. Wattles says: "In my first efforts to effect the desired object, they
were feeble indeed, and owing to my limited knowledge of chemistry--
wholly acquired by questioning my teachers--I met with repeated
failures but following them up with a determined spirit, I at last

produced, what I thought very fair samples--but to proceed to my
experiments."
"I first dipped a quarter sheet of thin white writing paper in a weak
solution of caustic (as I then called it) and dried it in an empty box, to
keep it in the dark; when dry, I placed it in the camera and watched it
with great patience for nearly half an hour, without producing any
visible result; evidently from the solution being to weak. I then soaked
the same piece of paper in a solution of common potash, and then again
in caustic water a little stronger than the first, and when dry placed it in
the camera. In about forty-five minutes I plainly percieved the effect, in
the gradual darkening of various parts of the view, which was the old
stone fort in the rear of the school garden, with the trees, fence, &c. I
then became convinced of the