Newcastle University

Historic images found at Newcastle University
Some of the earliest photographic images in the world have been found by librarians at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.

The discovery of the ten daguerreotypes, which date from 1840 and include the oldest known photographic images of Niagara Falls, taken only a few months after daguerreotyping was invented, is causing great excitement in the UK and US.

"The story began when a box marked daguerreotypes was unearthed," explains David Perrow, deputy librarian at Newcastle University. " The images were labelled HL Pattinson, April 1840, identified as Hugh Pattinson an eminent industrialist and metallurgist. "

"Eight of the images are of Niagara Falls and were taken by Pattinson whilst sightseeing after a business trip to the USA. They are the first photographs ever taken in Canada, as well as being the first photographs of Niagara. The two other images are of Rome and were taken by Lerebours, a famous daguerreotypist, before being acquired by Pattinson. All the images were badly in need of restoration and their age and significance demanded specialist expertise."

An appeal on the Internet led to an offer of help from George Eastman House, the International Museum of Photography in Rochester, New York, world experts on daguerreotypes. "These images are one of the most important finds in the field of photographic history in years," says Anthony Bannon, director of George Eastman House. The restored images were exhibited in New York this summer and have now been returned to Newcastle for further conservation work. They will be exhibited in the University's Robinson Library in Spring 1998.

Librarians at Newcastle believe they have solved the mystery of why the daguerreotypes remained undiscovered for so long. The family of Pattinson's great granddaughter, Gertrude Bell, best known for her travels and political work in the Middle East in the early 20th century, donated an archive of 7,000 photographs , diaries and manuscripts to Newcastle University after her death in 1926. "It seems her grandfather's daguerreotypes were donated at the same time, put to one side whilst the huge photographic archive was catalogued, and not re-discovered until some 70 years later," concludes David Perrow.

Note to editors: Daguerreotyping is an early form of photography invented by Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre in 1839. Images were produced on silver-plated copper plates which were developed using mercury fumes. Within around 20 years daguerreotyping was superseded by WH Fox Talbot's negative-positive process, the true forerunner of modern photography.

For further information, contact Claire Schofield, Press Officer on (0191) 222 5893 (out of hours (0191) 281 4811), e-mail Claire.Schofield@ncl.ac.uk

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