The Early Days of Photography: Insights from Anika Burgess

Discover the fascinating stories behind early photography, from Anna Atkins’ cyanotypes to the Daguerre‑Talbot rivalry, women’s hidden studios, and the first surveillance photos of suffragettes—highlights from Anika Burgess’ interview on the “10 Frames Per Second” podcast.  The “10 Frames Per Second” podcast is a go‑to resource for anyone interested in photojournalism history, yet this particular episode dives deep into the origins of photography itself. If you’re a photographer, educator, historian, or simply a curious visual storyteller, the episode offers insights and details from technical to social, on the rise of photography

Meet Anika Burgess – Photo Historian & Author

• Title: Photo editor, writer, and author of Flashes of Brilliance: The Genius of Early Photography and How It Transformed Art, Science, and History (W.W. Norton).
• Background: History & Law degrees, early career at Penguin Books (Modern Classics), later freelance photo‑researcher.
• Passion: Uncovering hidden stories—especially of women, scientists, and “oddball” characters—in the birth of photography.

From Law School to Photo Editing

Anika’s journey is a reminder that career pivots can lead to groundbreaking work:

• Law → Photo Editing: A short course in photo research opened the door to a role at Penguin’s Modern Classics series.
• On‑the‑Job Learning: She describes freelance work as an “accelerated masterclass” in assigning, commissioning, and archival research.
• Teaching Lens: As a photo‑history instructor, Anika emphasizes the value of primary sources—old photo journals, newspapers, and diaries.

Pioneers of Early Photography

Anna Atkins & the First Photo Book

• Who: English botanist & cyanotype pioneer.
• Milestone: Created Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions (1843), the first photographic book—and made by a woman.
• Rediscovery: Mis‑attributed as “AA” until the 1970s when Larry Scharf revived her story.

Women Photographers in the 1840s‑1850s

• Studio Advertisements: Journals show Miss Wigley and others openly marketing portrait studios.
• Color Tinting: Una Howard promoted women’s employment in hand‑tinting photographs, even establishing a school for the craft.
• Editorial Debates: Early photo‑journals featured heated arguments about photography’s purpose—art vs. science—with women actively contributing.

Surprising Finds in the Archives

• Skin & Nail Prints: Some 19th‑century journals reported people printing photographs onto their own skin or fingernails.
• Psychic Photography: Experiments aimed to capture thoughts, dreams, or “effluvia”—the supposed visual aura of a soul.
• X‑Ray Curiosities: Early images of snakes, crayfish, and snowflakes (thanks to Wilson Bentley) showed how photography became a tool for scientific discovery.

Early Photography: The Daguerre vs. Talbot Rivalry

Anika notes that Talbot’s patents slowed adoption, while Daguerre’s state‑backed release accelerated his method’s popularity—an early example of how capitalism shapes technology diffusion.

Early Photography Chemical Hazards & “You‑Tube‑Free” Learning

• Deadly Substances: Cyanide, mercury, and strong acids were common in darkrooms.
• No Antidotes: For cyanide, there was no effective remedy, underscoring the danger.
• Community Knowledge: Early photo clubs circulated “antidote tables”—precautions rather than cures.

“There were no textbooks, no YouTube tutorials—just trial, error, and sometimes tragedy.” – Anika

Science Meets Art: X‑Rays, Snowflakes & Psychic Photography

• X‑Ray Explorations (1890s): Photographs of snakes and crayfish revealed anatomy unseen by the naked eye.
• Wilson Bentley (Vermont): Captured over 5,000 snowflake images using a microscope—blending meteorology and artistry.
• Effluvia Photography: Early attempts to photograph the “spirit” of a person, predating modern AI‑generated ethereality.

Early Surveillance: The Suffragette Photo‑Ops

• Arthur Barrett’s Top‑Hat Camera (1908): Secretly photographed suffragists inside a London courtroom. He even coughed to mask the shutter sound.
• Government Commission: The British Home Office later hired Barrett to take long‑lens photographs of suffragists in Holloway Prison.
• Legacy: This marks one of the first documented uses of photography for covert surveillance—a precursor to today’s CCTV debates.

Lessons for Modern Photojournalists

1. Transparency Matters: Early manipulators like Oskar Rieslander openly disclosed composite techniques—mirroring today’s call for AI‑generated image labeling.
2. Innovation Stems from Limits: Nadar’s underground catacomb portraits show how technical constraints spark creative solutions.
3. Community Sharing Wins: Photo clubs of the 19th century were the original knowledge‑exchange platforms—modern equivalents are online forums, workshops, and open‑source libraries.

What’s Next for Anika?

After a seven‑year labor of love, Anika hints at a potential sequel covering 1910‑present—a period that includes modernist photography, wartime photojournalism, and the digital revolution. She’s also considering shorter books focused on women pioneers and photographic chemistry.

Quick Takeaways

• Anna Atkins wrote the first photographic book, and women have been key players since the 1840s.
• Daguerre’s free release vs. Talbot’s patents illustrates how policy shapes tech adoption.
• Early photographers faced real chemical dangers—no antidotes for cyanide, mercury, or acids.
• Surveillance photography began with suffragist courtroom shots, foreshadowing modern privacy concerns.
• Transparency in image manipulation is a historic constant, now relevant in the age of AI.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

Anika Burgess’ conversation on “10 Frames Per Second” proves that the early history of photography is far from a static timeline—it’s a vibrant tapestry woven by inventors, women entrepreneurs, scientists, and activists. Understanding this past not only enriches our appreciation of current visual culture but also equips today’s photojournalists with perspective on ethics, innovation, and the ever‑present tension between art and science.

Ready to dive deeper? Grab a copy of Flashes of Brilliance, explore the NYPL digital collections, and let the stories of Anna Atkins, Una Howard, and Arthur Barrett inspire your next visual project.

For more on “ghost” photography and William Mumler, check out our past episode with Peter Manseau, author of a book The Apparitionists, exploring Mumler’s creations.

Keywords: early photography, history of photography, women photographers, Anna Atkins, Daguerre vs Talbot, photojournalism history, photographic chemistry hazards, X‑ray photography, suffragette surveillance, photo manipulation early, 10 Frames Per Second podcast

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photojournalism, early photography, Anna Atkins, cyanotype, women photographers, Julia Margaret Cameron, Nadar, Daguerre, William Henry Fox Talbot, X‑ray photography, Wilson Bentley (snowflake photography), spirit photography, psychic photography/effluviography, photo manipulation, suffragette surveillance photography, top‑hat hidden camera, dry‑plate process, wet collodion process, chemical hazards in photography (cyanide, mercury), 1840s women‑run photo studios, hand‑tinting (colorizing photographs), archival research (NYPL, Met), Penguin Modern Classics photo editing, photographic patents and licensing, darkroom safety, early photo journals and newspapers, mechanical vs artistic classification in exhibitions, scientific photography, photography‑and‑art debate, early photographic portrait experience.

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