Sir John Herschel – his life and discoveries

Sir John Herschel gave us, who work in alternative photographic processes, so much. Without him would we have the anthotype, chrysotype and cyanotype? I also find it fascinating that a century and a half later his discoveries and new words are still relevant. ‘Snapshot’ and ‘negative’ are two that are still in use.

Writer and photography / Malin Fabbri

Many historians and researchers have written accounts of Sir John Herschel’s life. I will not make another attempt at this, but provide you with a summary of other articles and a place to find out more and point you in the right direction to material well worth reading if you are interested in Sir John Herschel’s life and his discoveries. 
So, whether you are a curious artist or a researcher of the history of alternative photographic processes, I hope you find something worth digging into. If you have more valuable sources, please leave a comment or contact us and we’ll include this too.

Before we start I just want to highlight that we are currently running our Calendar & Journal event. This year the theme is “A tribute to Sir John Herschel” and here is how to take part (before the 30st of April). The images will be on display in our Sir John Herschel tribute gallery.

A Summary of Sir John Herschel’s life

Sir John Frederick William Herschel (1792–1871) was a distinguished English astronomer, mathematician, chemist, and pioneer of photography. The only son of famed astronomer William Herschel, he excelled academically, graduating as Senior Wrangler from St John’s College, Cambridge, in 1813 and becoming a fellow of the Royal Society the same year. A co-founder of the Analytical Society with Charles Babbage and George Peacock, he advanced British mathematics and promoted continental analytical methods.

Though briefly pursuing law and academia, Herschel soon dedicated himself to completing his father’s astronomical work. He played a leading role in the foundation of the Astronomical Society (later Royal Astronomical Society) and was elected president three times. Collaborating with his father, he built a 20-foot telescope in 1820 and published major star catalogues and Treatise on Astronomy in 1833, cementing his reputation in stellar astronomy.

In the 1830s, Herschel emerged as Britain’s first modern physical scientist, writing influential works on light, sound, and the philosophy of science – most notably Preliminary Discourse on the Study of Natural Philosophy (1830), which inspired many, including Charles Darwin. In 1833, he and his young family traveled to South Africa, where he undertook a comprehensive survey of the southern skies. His landmark publication, Results of Astronomical Observations at the Cape of Good Hope (1847), earned him a second Copley Medal and a baronetcy.

Herschel made major contributions to early photography, including coining the terms positive, negative, snapshot, and photographer, and discovering sodium thiosulphate as a photographic fixer. His Outlines of Astronomy (1849) became a definitive text in the field.

Appointed Master of the Royal Mint in 1850, Herschel’s health deteriorated under the pressure. He resigned in 1855 and returned to his family home, Collingwood. Though increasingly frail, he continued to publish and correspond. He died in 1871 and was buried in Westminster Abbey beside Isaac Newton.

About Sir John Herschel’s discoveries

Articles and publications

‘On the Action of the Rays of the Solar Spectrum on Vegetable Colours, and on some new Photographic Processes’ by Sir John F.W. Herschel himself
‘On the Chemical Action of the Rays of the Solar Spectrum on Preparations of Silver and other Substances, both metallic and non-metallic, and on some Photographic Processes’, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, 1840, 131, 1-59.
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/abs/10.1098/rstl.1840.0002

A collection of Herschel’s letters can be found in the Royal Society’s Herschel collection, UK and here as well. 

Herschel’s papers at the Harry Ransom Center, USA. Also read article on research at the center.

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, 1842, 132, 181-215.
Herschel properly introduces his discovery of the anthotype in a paper to the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society
https://www.jstor.org/stable/108152?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

John Herschel’s Cyanotype: Invention or Discovery? by Dr. Mike Ware
Whichever it was, can be decided from this detailed account of the history of Herschel’s groundbreaking innovation – destined after his death to become the first method of reprography – the blueprint – and practised by photographic artists as the cyanotype to the present day.
https://www.mikeware.co.uk/mikeware/John_Herschel.html

Did Sir John Herschel or Mrs Mary Somerville discover anthotypes? by Malin Fabbri
We have seen quite a lot of disinformation that Mrs Mary Somerville discovered the anthotype. This is not the case. There is documented research by Herschel from 1839 and the letter from Sommerville with her findings is dated 1845:
https://www.alternativephotography.com/mary-somerville-john-herschel-discover-anthotypes/

There is a reasonably good overview on Wikipedia, but as always, this information can be unmoderated and misinformed, so treat it as a starting point and not “the truth”.

If you want to do some serious research consider signing up for Luminous lint. 

Books

Sir William Herschel: His Life and Works by Edward Singleton Holden.
Converted from its physical edition to the digital format and for sale on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. A version can be found on the Gutenberg project and read for free.

Memoir of Caroline Herschel (London, 1876). Sir John Herschel’s mother Caroline’s Journals and Recollections. Said to include his early life, though read with a pinch of salt, in The Herschels
and Modern Astronomy the author is referring to the book with “the accuracy of which is above suspicion”. Read it free here.

The Herschels and Modern Astronomy by Agnes M. Clerke. Published 1895.
The book includes both Herschel’s early life and his work with astronomy. The book can be read for free here.

Out of the Shadows: Herschel, Talbot, and the Invention of Photography by Larry Schaaf. Yale University Press 1992. ISBN 978-0300057058. This book explores the invention of photography through the friendship and rivalry of Talbot and Daguerre, examining why—not just how—photography emerged in 1839. It describes discoveries and Herschel’s key contributions. It also offers a rich visual and intellectual history of photography’s birth.
Search for it second-hand wherever you find those. Some copies may be found on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. 

Cyanotype: the history, science and art of photographic printing in Prussian blue by Mike Ware. Book published 1999. ISBN 1 900747 07 3.
Out of print, but sometimes used books are listed on Amazon if you have A LOT of money to spare. BUT, the good news is, you can read it for free in Cyanomicon. Mike Ware has published the entire content of his book in his updated 2020 e-version ‘Cyanomicon’. This may be downloaded from his website:
https://www.mikeware.co.uk/downloads/Cyanomicon.pdf

The Chrysotype process and history: Mike Ware has also published a parallel work in 2021 concerning Herschel’s Chrysotype process this too can be downloadable free:
https://www.mikeware.co.uk/downloads/Chrysonomicon_I_History.pdf

Burning with Desire: The Conception of Photography by Geoffrey Batchen. Explores the origins of photography, analyzing the desire to capture images before its invention.
Find it on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk or other places where you find books.

Sun Gardens: Victorian Photograms by Anna Atkins by Larry J. Schaaf. Of course, as the title suggests it is about Anna Atkins, but also interesting facts about Sir John Herschel. Published 2018. ISBN: 978-3791357980.
Out of print, but second-hand copies can sometimes be found on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk, though at crazy prices!

Where to find Sir John Herschel’s anthotypes, cyanotypes and other images

One of Herschel’s earliest (perhaps the earliest still around?) anthotypes can be seen at the Harry Ransom Centre. Herschel refers to an experiment with the anthotype process on October 11, 1839 in a paper published at the Royal Society of London. Herschel properly introduces the anthotype process, with detailed accounts of experiments and observations, in a paper from 1842.

Enjoy doing a little reading on this scientist!

Malin Fabbri is the editor and founder of AlternativePhotography.com, author of several books on alternative photographic processes, and experiments with a variety of techniques such as anthotypes, cyanotypes, photopolymer gravure, chlorophyll prints, lumens, cyanograms, photosynthesis, pinholes and solargraphs.