Résumés
Abstract
In the mid-nineteenth century photographers were challenged by the absence of light in indoor and underground spaces. One promising solution was the intense light created by the combustion of magnesium, which became commercially available in England in 1864. This article examines the use of magnesium wire by the pioneer Canadian photographer Charles Smeaton, who took the first pictures in the Roman catacombs in the winter of 1866-1867.
Keywords:
- Catacombs,
- Charles Smeaton,
- Magnesium,
- Flash Photography,
- Rome
Résumé
Au milieu du XIXe siècle, les photographes ont été confrontés à l’absence de lumière dans les espaces intérieurs et souterrains. Une solution prometteuse a été la lumière intense créée par la combustion du magnésium, une méthode qui a été commercialisée en Angleterre, en 1864. Cet article examine l’utilisation du fil de magnésium par Charles Smeaton, photographe canadien visionnaire, qui a pris les premières photos des catacombes romaines au cours de l’hiver 1866-1867.
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Parties annexes
Acknowledgements
I am enormously grateful to Joan Schwartz for her encouragement of my interest in Charles Smeaton over many years, and her thoughtful suggestions have much improved the present study. The late Peter Smeaton very kindly facilitated access to his family’s archive of photographs and other documents, substantial portions of which have recently been donated to the McCord Museum in Montreal. My thanks also to Hélène Samson (McCord Museum), Alessandra Giovenco (British School at Rome), and Nathalie Mathieu (Library and Archives Canada) for their collegial collaboration and assistance.
Biographical note
John Osborne is a historian who specializes in the material culture of the European Middle Ages, with a focus on the city of Rome. He taught at the University of Victoria and Queen’s University, before serving as the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Carleton University (2005-2015), where he remains a Research Professor. A secondary passion is the history of nineteenth-century Canada, stemming from three summer internships at National Historic Parks and Sites in the mid-1970s. A monograph on the innovative Quebec photographers Charles and John Smeaton will be published by McGill-Queen’s UP in 2022.