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Anthotype experiments by Mary Somerville

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Dep. c. 354*
Held at the Weston Library

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Twelve small paper strips with coloured emulsion painted on, created by Mary Somerville, discovered inside Dep. c. 354, MSSW-13, a notebook of experiments on plant-based photographic emulsions. The coloured emulsions are made from ground fruit and vegetable, making these strips among the earliest Anthotypes.

The paper strips feature notes that correspond to ingredients listed in the back of the notebook.

Anthotypes are plant-based photographs made from fruit and vegetable emulsion, invented by Somerville and John Herschel in the early 1840s.

The emulsion is unfixed and so remains light sensitive.

Dates

  • Creation: [c.1826-c.1872]

Extent

11 items

Language of Materials

  • English

Conditions Governing Access

This material is light-sensitive. To ensure its availability to future readers, access to this material is restricted, and requires specialist support. Readers are asked to work from reproductions and published descriptions as far as possible. To apply to see the original, please send a message to specialcollections.enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk, outlining the subject of your research, the importance of this item to that research, and the resources you have already consulted.

Shelfmark

Dep. c. 354*