76 JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS 



tradition, we are told, " the legend of llie sun sometimes making 

 on the frozen surface of lakes or placid rivers the images of trees 

 and other objects along their banks." 



In a m5^thological work published b}' a French bishop about 

 1690 there appeared this passage by which the imaginative aspects 

 are further fed, and goes to show that master minds of that day 

 grasped the theme and portrayed future possibilities. It is as fol- 

 lows : " There was no painter in that countr5^ But if one wished 

 to have the portrait of a friend or the picture of a beautiful land- 

 scape, or any other effect, water was placed in great bowls of gold 

 and silver and the object desired to be painted was placed in front 

 of that silvered water. After a while the water solidified and be- 

 came a mirror on which the image remained." 



Such, then, is a glimpse or two that goes to show the thoughts 

 of the generations preceding us. The limited time will not allow 

 of the recitation of similar paragraphs. But we must hasten along 

 to the time when photography had passed these stages and assumed 

 more practical aspects, and more akin to photography as known to 

 us. And while we appreciate all that we owe to photograph}^, we 

 may with both pleasure and profit go back and ascertain to whom 

 we owe the more practical suggestions which by the untiring pro- 

 cess of expansive evolution day by da}' drew us nearer and nearer 

 the goal of present-day perfection. 



During the seventeenth century we find many writers giving 

 attention to these themes. In 1763 was published a work by Dr. 

 Wm. lycwis, M.D., F.R.S. : "Investigations Into the Cause of 

 the Discolorations of Ivor}^ Bone, Wood, or Stone, Treated with a 

 Solution of Silver Nitrate and Exposed to Sunlight." In 1772 Dr. 

 Joseph Priestly contributed a work, " The History of Discoveries 

 Relating to Light, Vision and Color." In 1777 appeared "The 

 Experiments on Air and Fire," by Carl Wm. Scheele. Following 

 came Senebier, Berthollet, Mrs. Fulhame and Dr. Black, with valu- 

 able contributions, adding additional data before the new century 

 dawned. In 1800 Hershall, and in 1801 Ritter, contributed their 

 investigations respecting the spectrum, discovered respectively the 



