E-text prepared by Albert László, Tom Cosmas, P. G. Máté, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (http://www.archive.org) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 38866-h.htm or 38866-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/38866/pg38866-images.html) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/38866/38866-h.zip) Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See http://www.archive.org/details/evolutionofphoto00werguoft Transcriber's note: Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=). Whole and fractional parts of numbers are displayed as 4-5/8 for four and five-eights or as a decimal number. Several of the advertisements display another type of 'fraction' to represent shillings and pence: 1/1-1/2 for one shilling and one and one-half pence; and 1/- is 1 shilling and no pence. [Illustration: FIRST PERIOD. PAPER, ASPHALTUM, &C. THOMAS WEDGWOOD. _From a Plaster Cast._ JOSEPH NICÉPHORE NIÉPCE. _From a Painting by L. Berger._ Rev. J. B. READE. _From a Photograph by Maull & Fox._ HENRY FOX TALBOT. _From a Calotype._ SIR JOHN HERSCHEL. _From a Daguerreotype._] THE EVOLUTION OF PHOTOGRAPHY. With a Chronological Record of Discoveries, Inventions, Etc., Contributions to Photographic Literature, and Personal Reminiscences Extending over Forty Years. by JOHN WERGE. Illustrated. London: Piper & Carter, 5, Furnival Street, Holborn, E.C.; and John Werge, 11A, Berners Street, Oxford Street, W. 1890. [All Rights Reserved.] Printed by Piper & Carter, 5, Furnival Street, Holborn, London, E.C. PREFACE. No previous history of photography, that I am aware of, has ever assumed the form of a reminiscence, nor have I met with a photographic work, of any description, that is so strictly built upon a chronological foundation as the one now placed in the hands of the reader. I therefore think, and trust, that it will prove to be an acceptable and readable addition to photographic literature. It was never intended that this volume should be a text-book, so I have not entered into elaborate descriptions of the manipulations of this or that process, but have endeavoured to make it a comprehensive and agreeable summary of all that has been done in the past, and yet convey a perfect knowledge of all the processes as they have appeared and effected radical changes in the practice of photography.