Emergence of Photography

The first form of photography emerged as a result of the work of Jacques Mande Daguerre. The technique, patented in 1839 as daguerreotype, used light for permanent projection of an image on a solid material- the word itself, photography, is derived form the Greek words for to write and light. The technique was adapted by Czech physicians around 1840. At first it was used for educatory reasons, but as the word of its existence was spreading and the technique became more and more efficient (the exposition time was shrinking rapidly), some skilled artists started to offer portrait photos and establish themselves as masters of a new craft. It is important to stress that there was only a limited number of people who could master the skill of „light- painting“.

The first Prague atelier was founded in 1841 on what is now the Wenceslas Square. The novelty attracted painters and was at first seen as a form of fast painting by many. And though the practice was more and more popular, there were only seven registered photographers in Prague in 1856. It is not a coincidence that six of them were former painters.

The first non- portrait photo is said to be a daguerreotype of the Saint Wenceslas Mass, a prelude to the turbulent year of 1848. There were major technological advances made during and after the 1840s, mainly the technique of projecting the negative on film. Various other materials were also popular, glass desks for example and there were various combinations of photography/ graphics and painted color, resulting in something between a painting and a photo.

The major increase in the number of photographers as craftsmen came with the 1860s. While at first one had to get a special permit to set up an atelier, since 1864 anyone could do so. Demand for portrait photos was on the rise, following a trend of small portrait cards, coming from France at the time. These cards had much of the same function as family photos or postcards some years later. Photos also started to carry a cultural, documentary function, not only capturing current state of a person, but also bringing a glimpse of what the environment is like in distant places a city dweller would never travel to. The 1870s witnessed a shift in attention towards photos of landscapes.

The topic is very wide, but photography had particular meaning in the Czech capital. The somewhat cruel changes, related to demand for industrialization and modernization towards the end of the nineteenth century resulted in many old buildings being demolished. We should bear in mind that the sense that the old should be preserved as historical heritage was not universally shared at the time. The professional and amateur photographers were witnesses of some faces of Prague disappearing and they captured many of the events for future generations.

2008 – The Year of Presidential Elections What to see in the National Theatre in Prague