477 



DAHL, JOHANN CHRISTIAN. 



DALBEKG, KARL THEODOPv. 



478 





tbe public interest in dioramas, which had now lost their novelty 



was beginning to flag. 



M. Daguerre had before this been directing his attention to a mattei 



which was destined to secure for him a more permanent reputation 

 tban his scenery or his dioramas. This was the mechanical production 

 of fac simile delineations of objects by the chemical action of light. 

 As early as about the middle of the 16th century, Fabricius had dis 

 covered the property which salts of silver possess of changing colour 

 when exposed to the action of light, and this property had been the 

 subject of many experiments by scientific men. Sir Humphry Davy 

 among recent chemists had sought by various applications of this 

 property to obtain copies of simple objects, but though he succeeded 

 in doing this, he was unable to prevent them from being effaced when 

 exposed to the light. In France M. Niepoe began about 1814 to 

 pursue a similar course of experiments, and he succeeded in rendering 

 the images he obtained insensible to the subsequent action of the 

 light; but his discovery remained very incomplete when Daguerre 

 commenced similar experiments. About 1829 Niepee and Daguerre 

 joined in the prosecution of their investigations. Niepee died in 1833, 

 before they had made any decided approach to success. But Daguerre 

 persevered, and at length his zeal and rare ingenuity met with an 

 ample reward. He discovered in fact a method by which he was able 

 so to prepare metallic plates, that by placing them in the darkened 

 chamber of a camera-obscure, they received a distinct impression of 

 the images thrown upou them by the lens of the camera, which he 

 was enabled by a subsequent process to render indelible. It does not 

 belong to this faction of our work to state the steps by which he 

 urrived at this grand discovery, or the method he finally adopted for 

 producing, rendering visible, and fixing this sun-picture. It will ba 

 enough to say that with remarkable patience and ingenuity he sur- 

 mounted every difficulty, and eventually produced his discovery, as to 

 its principles, perfect. Other experimentalists had in this country 

 and elsewhere been at work, unknown to Daguerre, at the same idea, 

 but to M. Daguerre is due the priority of publication of the discovery, 

 and no doubt also the priority of discovery, as far as the producing 

 sun-pictures upon metallic plates is concerned. What has proved to 

 be the more generally applicable process of photography, was as 

 unquestionably the result of the independent investigations of our 

 own countryman, Mr. Talbot ; but, aa was to be expected, both the 

 processes as now practised are very different to what they were when 

 originally promulgated by their inventors or discoverers. 



Great was the excitement among both learned and unlearned when 

 in January 1839 M. Arago gave, at a sitting of the Acadlmie des 

 Sciences, an account of the new method by which, as was said, the 

 sun himself became the artist, and some of the delineations, with all 

 their wonderful delicacy of detail, were exhibited. At the same time 

 Daguerre made a public exhibition of numerous pictures produced by 

 what he termed the ' Me'thode Niepco perfectionnde.' An examination 

 of the merits of the new method was, at the suggestion of M. Arago, 

 promptly ordered by the French government to be made, and in con- 

 sequence of the favourable nature of the report, M. Daguerre was in 

 June 1839 nominated an Officer of the Legion of Honour j and the 

 project of a law was on the same day presented to the Chambers by 

 whom it was readily adopted which accorded to M. Daguerre, on con- 

 dition of the full publication of bis method, an annuity for life of 6000 

 francs, and one of 4000 francs to the representative of M. Niepee. 

 [NlEPCK.] The rapid extension and improvement of the process of 

 Daguerre (or the Daguerreotype, as it soon came to be generally 

 called) after its being thus freely made public property, was due 

 perhaps more to others than to M. Daguerre, who however never 

 ceased to labour at its improvement during the remainder of his 

 life. He died July 12th, 1851, at Petit-Brie-sur-Marne, where a hand- 

 some monument has been erected by subscription to his memory. 



M. Daguerre is the author of two abort works' Histoire et Descrip- 

 tion des precedes du Daguerreotype, et du Diorama,' 8vo, Paris, 1839; 

 and ' Nouvetm Moyen de prdparer la conche sensible des plaques 

 destinies a recevoir les images photograpliiques,' 8vo, Paris, 1844. 



(Arago, Rapport d I'Acadfmie des Science!; A. do Lacaze, art. 

 Dagntrre in Now. Bioy. Gen. ; and the various historical notices of the 

 Daguerreotype and Photography.) 



DAHL, JOHANN CHRISTIAN, one of the most eminent of the 

 modem German school of landscape painters, was born at Bergen in 

 Norway, February 24th, 1778. He was originally designed for the 

 church, but on reaching manhood abandoned the study of theology 

 for that of art, to which he had been inclined from childhood. In 

 1811 he went to Denmark; some years later he removed to Berlin; 

 and he then proceeded to Rome, where he enjoyed the friendship and 

 advice of BarthoMy and Thorwaldsen. Since 1821 he has resided at 

 Dresden; he has been largely patronised by the court and leading 

 admirers of art in Denmark, and has seen his reputation extend 

 throughout Germany, and bix pictures find purchasers among the 

 collectors of England and America. Dahl bas painted many views of 

 . and Tyrolean scenery, and not a few landscape compositions ; 

 but it is by hi representations of the remarkable scenery of big 

 native country that he is best known, and on them hia fame will 

 depend. To an eye accustomed to the rich colouring of the Italian 

 masters and the freshness of that of the English landscape painters, 

 there a much that is unsatisfactory in the colouring of Dahl'n land- 



scapes, and there is also a good deal of mannerism iu their general 

 style, yet the wild grandeur of Norwegian scenery has probably by 

 no one else been so extensively and well painted, or under such 

 various aspects. The coast and marine views of Herr Dahl are by 

 many of his admirers more highly esteemed than even his rock and 

 forest scenery. 



DAHL, MICHAEL, a Swedish portrait-painter, was born at 

 Stockholm iu 1656, was taught painting by Ernstraen Klocke, and 

 came to England in 1678. He went about a year afterwards to Paris, 

 where he remained a year; and from thence to Italy, where he spent 

 three years in its principal cities. In 1688 Dahl came again to 

 England, where he had a very successful career. During the reigns 

 of Anne and George I., Dahl was the principal rival of Sir Godfrey 

 Kneller. Walpole mentions, among other works by Dahl, a portrait 

 of his mother at Houghton, which he says possessed great grace. 

 There is an equestrian portrait by Dahl, at Windsor, of Charles XI. 

 of Sweden, and there are several portraits in the gallery of admirals 

 at Hampton Court, and spme whole-lengths of ladies at Petworth. 

 He died in London in 1743, and was buried in St. James's church. 



DAILLfi, JEAN, was born at Chatelleraut in 1594, of a Protestant 

 family. In 1612 he undertook the education of the two grandsons 

 of Duplessis Mornay, the friend of Henri IV., and he travelled with 

 them in several countries of Europe. At Venice he became acquainted 

 with the famous Fra Paolo Sarpi. On his return to France he 

 became pastor at Charenton in 1626. He published many works on 

 divinity, both in Latin and French, and especially on controversial 

 subjects ; and was esteemed one of the most learned and powerful 

 advocates of the Protestant doctrines in his time. His principal 

 productions are : ' TraitiS de 1'emploi des SS. Peres pour le jugement 

 des differeuds de la religion,' Geneva, 1632, which was also published 

 in Latin, with the title ' De UBU Patrum : ' it is one of Daille"s best 

 works and still much esteemed ; ' De la croyance des Peres sur le fait 

 des images ; ' ' Adversus Latinorum traditionem de religiosi cultus 

 objecto ; ' ' De cultibus religiosis Latinorum.' These three last works 

 attempt to prove, that in the early or primitive Christian church there 

 was no religious worship paid to the host, to relics, cross, images, &c. 

 ' De confirmatione et extrema unctioue ; ' ' De sacramental! sive 

 auricular! Latinorum Confessione,' Geneva, 1661. This last work 

 puts forth the strongest arguments against the practice of auricular 

 or private confession. ' De scriptis qusa sub Dionysii Areopagita) et 

 Sancti Ignatii Antiocheui uominibus circumfervmtur,' Geneva, 1666. 

 Dailld, in this work, which exhibits much historical and critical 

 learning, looks upon the works attributed to Dionysius and Ignatius, 

 of Antioch, as apocryphal. 'De psenis ct satisfactionibus humauis.' 

 He also wrote an apology of the reformed churches and numerous 

 sermons, which have been collected in several volumes, and also 

 'Dernieres heures de Duplessis Mornay, 1 Leyden, 1647. DaiUe" died 

 at Paris April 15, 1670. His son, Adrien Dailld, left France at the 

 revocation of the Edict of Nantes, and retired to Zurich, where he 

 wrote bis father's life. 



DALBERG, KARL THEODOR ANTON MARIA VON, was born 

 on the 8th of February 1744, at Hernsheim. The b:irony of Dalberg 

 was the oldest in Germany, and his father held high offices under the 

 Archbishop-Elector of Mainz. Young Dalberg received a sound edu- 

 cation at home, and when only fifteen was sent to the University of 

 36'ttingen, whence he removed to that of Heidelberg, where in 1761 

 IB received the degree of LL.D. He then travelled for a while, and 

 on his return resolved to devote himself to the clerical profession, for 

 which purpose he studied theology and the canon law at Worms, 

 Uanheim, and Mainz. He soon received ecclesiastical preferment, 

 >eing mada a prebendary of Mainz, and a canon of Wurzburg aud 

 Worms. In 1772 he received the appointment of governor of Erfurt, 

 and during his long continuance in that office distinguished himself 

 lighly by his judicious and benevolent conduct. He was unwearied in 

 tncouraging art, science, commerce, and agriculture; aud the little town 

 ,nd district under his government flourished ao remarkably as to testify 

 to his capabilities for a higher situation. He maintained an intercourse 

 during his whole life with the highest minds of Germany Herder, 

 Jothe, Wieland, Schiller, Ac. His abilities and virtues attracted the 

 itteution of the Emperor Joseph and of Frederick the Great, by whose 

 nfluencc, in 17S7, he was ehoaeu coadjutor in the archbishopric aud 

 electorate of Mainz, to which, on the death of the archbishop in 1802, 

 le succeeded, as also to the dignity of archchancellor of the empire, 

 jy the treaty of Luneville however the electorate was abolished, part 

 if the territory surrendered to France, and the remainder secularised. 

 _n order to recompense him in some degree, the districts of Ratisbon, 

 Aschaffenburg, and Wetzlar were assigned to him. 



In 1804 Dalberg went to Paris to arrange with Pope Pius VII. the 

 affairs of the German Roman Catholic Church, and to obtain, if possi- 

 ble, some milder terms from Napoleon. This journey brought him 

 nto ill repute with his countrymen, who, from the extreme com- 

 ilaisance he evinced, naming Cardinal Fesch as his successor, and 

 lecoming a corresponding member of the Institute, believed that he 

 md sacrificed his country in order to forward his own preferment. 

 le certainly became a favourite with Napoleon, who caused him to be 

 ade Prince-Primate of the Rhenish Confederation, aud President of 

 he Assembly of the States. In 1810 he surrendered the principality 

 if Ratisbon to Bavaria, and Napoleon in consequence created him 



