Frederick Scott Archer | |
|---|---|
 Frederick Scott Archer – byRobert Cade, c. 1855 | |
| Born | (1814-08-30)30 August 1814 Hertford |
| Died | 1 May 1857(1857-05-01) (aged 42) London |
| Resting place | Kensal Green Cemetery |
| Occupation(s) | sculptor; photographer |
| Known for | Collodion process |
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Frederick Scott Archer (30 August 1814 – 1 May 1857) was an English chemist, photographer, inventor and sculptor who is best known for having invented the photographiccollodion process[1] which preceded the drygelatin emulsion used on plates and films. He was born inHertford, within the county ofHertfordshire, England (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland) and is remembered mainly for this single achievement which greatly increased the accessibility of photography for the general public.[2]
Scott Archer was the fifth son, and sixth of seven children, born to Thomas Archer, a Hertford butcher and his wife Elizabeth (née Scott). He Left Hertford for London to take an apprenticeship as agoldsmith andsilversmith with Mr. Benjamin Massey of 116 Leadenhall Street.[3]
On the recommendation ofEdward Hawkins he trained at theRoyal Academy Schools as a sculptor and foundcalotype photography useful as a way of capturing images of his sculptures. Dissatisfied with the poor definition and contrast of the calotype and the long exposures needed, Scott Archer invented the new process in 1848 and published it inThe Chemist in March 1851, enabling photographers to combine the fine detail of thedaguerreotype with the ability to print multiple paper copies like the calotype.[4] In publishing his discovery, he did so knowingly without first patenting it,[4] giving it as a gift to the world.[5]
As a sculptor, he exhibited at theRoyal Academy from 1836 until 1851.
He died impoverished, as since he did not patent thecollodion process, he made very little money from it.[4] An obituary described him as "a very inconspicuous gentleman, in poor health."
His family received a gift of £747 after his death, raised by public subscription, and a small pension was also provided to support his three children after the death of their mother.[4]
TheRoyal Photographic Society has a small collection of Scott Archer's photographs; some are also held in theVictoria and Albert Museum.
Archer died on 1 May 1857 of a hereditary cystic disease of the liver which had plagued him for his last 11 weeks and is buried atKensal Green Cemetery in London.
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