THE 



FLORICULTURAL CABINET, 



DECEMBER 1st, 1839. 



PARI I. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



ARTICLE I. 



ON TAKING IMPRESSIONS OF FLOWERS, &c, BY THE PHOTOGENIC 



PROCESS. 



BV FLORA. 



This new mode of taking drawings of flowers havingcreated con- 

 siderable excitement in the floral community. I forward the 

 particulars of it (as given in the Magazine of Natural History), for 

 insertion in the Floricultural Cabinet. I have tried it and find it 

 give a very correct representation of the specimen. 



The operation is a little tedious as to its chemical preparation, 

 but when once practised is done very readily, it is well worth 

 adopting, especially to obtain a correct form of what is desired. 



The mode of fixing the images of the camera obscura, and 

 copying engravings, by means of the chemical action of light on 

 paper prepared with a solution of chloride of silver, has attracted 

 so much notice, and produced so much popular excitement, that 

 a few observations on this interesting process will not perhaps be 

 considered out of place in your magazine. I venture to occupy 

 your pages with the less reluctance, because I feel that the appli- 

 cation of this heliographic or photogenic art will be of immense 

 service to the botanist, by enabling him to procure beautiful out- 

 line drawings of many plants, with a degree of accuracy, which, 

 otherwise, he could not hope to obtain. 



That light will act on chloride of silver is by no means a novel 

 discovery, and paper prepared with it was long ago* used by Ritter 



Vol. VII. No. 82. n 



