Apparently, Monday was World Photography Day. In its honor, a bit belatedly, here is a photo of Brunel’s revolutionary ship, SS Great Britain, taken in 1844. Not only is it believed to be the first photograph of the Great Britain, but it is also believed to be the first photograph of any ship. The image was captured by the pioneering English photographer, William Henry Fox Talbot, using the “calotype” process that he developed.
The Great Britain was the longest passenger ship in the world from 1845 to 1854. She was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806–1859), for the Great Western Steamship Company‘s transatlantic service between Bristol and New York. While other ships had been built of iron or equipped with a screw propeller, Great Britain was the first to combine these features in a large ocean-going ship.
I do love monochrome photography. Glass plate negatives in a 10×8 camera were in regular use when I started in the graphics industry. I am a dinosaur 🙂
The photo makes her look like a derelect on a beach some where.
Google Calotype
Several articles say it’s paper coated with silver iodide and Britannica says paper coated with silver chloride.
Don’t know which is correct?
A huge stab in the dark but would the silver iodide have produced sepia picks?
Pics not picks!