The Pioneering Photographic Work of Hercule Florence

This book delivers an in-depth analysis of Hercule Florence, who is virtually unknown despite being among the worlds photographic pioneers. Based on the texts of various manuscripts, letters, diaries, notes, and advertisements, this book answers numerous questions surrounding Florences work, including the materials, methods, and techniques he employed and why it took more than a century for his discovery to come to light. Kossoys groundbreaking research establishes Florences use of photographie to describe the product of his experiments, half a decade before Sir John Herschel recommended photography to Henry Fox Talbot. This book aims to change the fact that despite its cultural and historical importance, Florences photographic breakthrough remains largely unknown in the English-speaking world.