Alexander S. Wolcott

Alexander Simon Wolcott (June 14, 1804 – November 10, 1844) was an American experimental photographer, inventor, and maker of medical supplies. With John Johnson, he created the world's first commercial photography portrait studio and patented the first U.S. camera that made photographs. The camera used a concave mirror to focus the available light onto a photosensitive plate less than a 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) square, that was eventually increased to 2 inches (50.8 mm) due to improved lighting techniques. The pictures on the plate were positive images and did not require reversion to correct.

Alexander S. Wolcott
circa 1843
Born	June 14, 1804 New London, Connecticut
Died	November 10, 1844 (aged 40) Stamford, Connecticut
Nationality	American
Occupation	Manufacturer
Known for	World's first portrait studio
Notable work	First U.S. patented camera

Biography

Wolcott reflector mirror camera diagram of patent No. 1,582

Wolcott's box camera invention patented May 8, 1840

Wolcott was born on June 14, 1804, in New London, Connecticut.[1] He was the son of Alexander Wolcott Sr. and Joanne (née Paull) Wolcott.[2] In his youth he was initially trained in the business selling merchandise in Connecticut but soon lost interest and decided to go into the field of dentistry.[3] He also at that time went into making optical instruments.[4] Wolcott moved to New York City in 1830 and made medical instruments and dental supplies for a living in the 1830s besides being a dentist.[5][6][7] He also worked as a machinist in the mechanics of designing and making instruments that used optics.[8][9][10] In 1839 he met John Johnson, a jeweler and watchmaker's assistant.[11] They established a business relationship with their trade skills and organized the firm 'Wolcott and Johnson' at 52 First Street in New York City. The small business manufactured optical instruments and dental equipment.[12]

Johnson learned about Louis Daguerre's photographic mechanics on how to make a camera soon after the details had arrived in America on September 20, 1839. Daguerre, an artist, had devised a month earlier in France a method of capturing a person's portrait onto a photosensitive metal plate by directing the light through a lens.[13] On October 6, 1839, Johnson took to Wolcott a copy of the specifications on Daguerre's method of capturing a likeness of a person and storing on a permanent plate that would hold the picture indefinitely.[14][15][16] They made a camera that day based on Daguerre's method and started experimenting with it.[1][17] Wolcott improved on Daguerre's lens camera by making a camera that used a concave mirror to gather more light instead of a simple refractive lens that gathered little light.[4][5] On October 7, 1839, Wolcott took a photograph of Johnson with his daguerreotype reflector camera, creating the first photograph portrait in the world.[18][19][20]

Wolcott patented the camera on May 8, 1840 (US #1,582).[4][21][22] It became known as "Wolcott's camera" and the "mirror camera".[23] It was the first U.S. patent in photography.[24][25] Wolcott started using his camera available to the public on March 4, 1840, in a business in the Granite Building[26] on Broadway at the northwest corner of Chambers street, the Daguerreian Parlor,[27] that made commercial portraits in a professional studio.[28][29][30] It was the world's first commercial daguerreotype gallery, a portrait photography studio.[17][31][32] By June, he had opened a branch in Washington D.C., operated by John G. Stevenson.[33][34]

Wolcott's camera used a polished concave mirror to reflect the focused light onto a photosensitive plate less than a 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) square.[24] The pictures were not a negative image of reverse colors, but a correct positive image that did not require reversion of the image.[35] The size of the photosensitive plate was eventually increased to just over 2 inches (50.8 mm) that they could make a likeness image, because of their refined mechanical lighting techniques.[20]

Wolcott and Johnson continued to improve their photography techniques. Wolcott made a photosensitive plate that used a chemical enhancer to develop the image.[36] It was a solution of bromide and chloride and known in London as Wolcott's mixture.[8][37] This, along with highly polished silver plates, earned them a second U.S. patent in photography in December 1841, designated #2,391. They also designed outdoor mirrors that provided more light inside the studio for faster higher quality portrait pictures.[38]

Wolcott married Mary Sanborn (born 1810 – unknown) and they had one child (born 1834 – unknown).[39] Wolcott died on November 10, 1844, at 40 years of age at his residence in Stamford, Connecticut.[1][35][40]

References

1. Falk 1999, p. 3116.
2. Hannavy 2013, p. 1502.
3. Karad 2014, p. 49.
4. Smith, Frank (1953). "Alexander S. Wolcott / America's First Photographic Genius". Signals. Armed Forces Communications Association. May–June: 18.
5. KodakMuseum 1989, p. 21.
6. McGraw-Hill 1969, pp. 136–137.
7. "Making Culture Visible". Retrieved 22 January 2021.
8. "Alexander S. Wolcott". Retrieved 22 January 2021.
9. Newhall 1976, p. 156.
10. Watson, Elmo Scott (June 13, 1940). "Again is Raised the Question of Who Made the First Camera in the U.S." The Times-Independent. Moab, Utah. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com . Wolcott who was an instrument maker and manufacturer of dental supplies took a daguerreotype of his partner John Johnson on October 7, 1839, according to Taft and this was the first photographic portrait.
11. Gillespie 2016, p. 138.
12. Welling, William (July 30, 1978). "Baltimore's Photo Pioneers". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. p. 168 – via Newspapers.com .
13. "Your Photography". Lexington Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. August 20, 1939. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com .
14. APHA 1984, p. 54.
15. Heathcote 2002, pp. 87–89.
16. "Next Year will be celebrated the Centennial of Photography". Cambridge Clarion. Cambridge, Nebraska. November 24, 1938. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com .
17. Newhall 1976, p. 25.
18. "Who made the first good daguerreotype!". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. February 1, 1883. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com .
19. Watson, Elmo Scott (November 24, 1938). "Next Year Will Be Celebrated The Centennial of Photography". The Times-Independent. Moab, Utah. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com .
20. McDarrah 1999, p. 541.
21. Macintosh 1843, pp. 275–283.
22. Ikenson 2012, p. 4.
23. Ikenson 2012, p. 15.
24. Hannavy 2013, pp. 1056, 1502.
25. "Patent issued". New Castle News. New Castle, Pennsylvania. June 8, 1978. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com .
26. Gillespie 2016, p. 139.
27. Hirsch 2017, p. 32.
28. Gernsheim 1986, p. 31.
29. Glenner 1990, p. 11.
30. Kane 1997, p. 414.
31. Schimmelman 2002, p. 3.
32. Daguerreian Society 2008, p. 105.
33. Baird 1975, p. 1.
34. Taft 1938, p. 460.
35. "Mr. Alexander S. Wolcott". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans, Louisiana. November 20, 1844. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com .
36. "Alexander S. Wolcott". The Photographer's Friend. W. Newton. 3: 8. 1873.
37. "Alexander S. Wolcott / America's First Photographic Genius". The London Journal of Arts, Sciences, and Manufactures, and Repertory of Patent Inventions. W. Newton. 25: 330–337. 1844.
38. Hannavy 2013, pp. 1502–1503.
39. "Alexander Simon Wolcott". Retrieved 22 January 2021.
40. "Died". The Manchester Times. Manchester, England. December 28, 1844. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com .

General references

• APHA (1984). Photographica Journal. American Photographic Historical Association.
• Baird, Joseph Armstrong (1975). Images of El Dorado.
• Daguerreian Society (2008). The Daguerreian Annual. The Society.
• Falk, Peter H. (1999). Who was who in American Art. Sound View. ISBN 978-0-932087-55-3.
• Gernsheim, Helmut (1986). Concise History of Photography. Courier Corporation. ISBN 978-0-486-25128-8.
• Gillespie, Sarah Kate (12 February 2016). The Early American Daguerreotype: Cross-Currents in Art and Technology. MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-03410-4.
• Glenner, Richard A. (1990). The American dentist. Pictorial Histories. ISBN 978-0-929521-05-3.
• Hannavy, John (16 December 2013). Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-87327-1.
• Heathcote, Bernard & Pauline (2002). A faithful likeness. B. & P. Heathcote. ISBN 978-0-9541934-0-9.
• Hirsch, Robert (7 April 2017). Seizing the Light. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-317-37183-0.
• Ikenson, Ben (2012). Patents: Ingenious Inventions. Hachette. ISBN 978-1-60376-272-4.
• Kane, Joseph Nathan (1997). Famous first facts. H.W. Wilson. ISBN 978-0-8242-0930-8.
• Karad, Ashosk (2014). Clinical Orthodontics. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9788131231685.
• KodakMuseum (June 1989). The Story of popular photography. Trafalgar Square. ISBN 978-0-943955-15-5.
• Macintosh (1843). Repertory of patent inventions. Macintosh.
• McDarrah, Gloria S. & Fred W. & Timothy S. (1999). The Photography Encyclopedia. Schirmer. ISBN 978-0-02-865025-8.
• McGraw-Hill (1969). Focal Encyclopedia of Photography. McGraw-Hill.
• Newhall, Beaumont (1976). The Daguerreotype in America. Courier Corporation. ISBN 978-0-486-23322-2.
• Schimmelman, Janice G. (2002). American Photographic Patents 1840–1880. Carl Mautz. ISBN 978-1-887694-21-6.
• Taft, Robert (1938). Photography and the American Scene. Acls History E Book Project.