Henry Baden Pritchard

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Henry Baden Pritchard (born November 30, 1841 in London , † May 11, 1884 in Blackheath ) was an English chemist , photographer and writer .

Life

Henry Baden Pritchard was a son of Andrew Pritchard . He studied chemistry in Lausanne and Eisenach and was employed by the War Department at the age of 20 . There he had to take care of the photography department.

Pritchard quickly made a name for himself in specialist circles with his high-quality images. In 1868 he became a member of the Royal Photographic Society , in which he quickly achieved influential positions, and in 1872 he was also elected a member of the Chemical Society , in whose organ many of his texts were published. From 1880 he was editor of the Photographic News . The texts he published there were also published in book form in 1882 under the title The Photographic Studios of Europe . From 1881 he also published the Year Book of Photography . Pritchard's articles have appeared in numerous academic journals. He also wrote literary texts on the side, including a play for the stage.

Pritchard, who married Mary Evans in 1873, died of complications from pneumonia .

Pritchard and the world's first photo

Retouched version of the Niépce picture

Shortly before his death, Pritchard acquired the world's first photograph , made by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce . The picture passed into the possession of his widow, who lived until 1917. After their death, it was stored with other family property and was forgotten. It was not until 1950 that Pritchard's son contacted Helmut Gernsheim , who was looking for Niépce's picture, and confirmed that the piece had been in the family's possession. As he remembers, it was shown at the International Exhibition of the Royal Photographic Society in 1898 and was not returned afterwards. Only after this son of Pritchard died did his widow get in touch with Gernsheim and report that the picture had still been found in the stored estate.

Works (selection)

  • A Peep in the Pyrenees (1867)
  • Tramps in the Tyrol (1874)
  • Dangerfield (1878)
  • Old Charlton (1881)
  • The Photographic Studios of Europe (1882) ( digitized )

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Henry Baden Pritchard at www.historiccamera.com
  2. ^ Jeanne Willette, The Invention of Photography: Niépce, Part Two , December 5, 2014 at arthistoryunstuffed.com
personal data
SURNAME Baden Pritchard, Henry
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Photographer, chemist and writer
DATE OF BIRTH November 30, 1841
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH May 11, 1884
Place of death Blackheath (London)