884
Further Reading
Martin Bailey, ”The Discovery of Michaelangelo’s Entomb-
ment: the rescuing of a Masterpiece” in Apollo, October
1994, 30–33.
Pierro Bechetti, Dyveke Helsted, et al., Rome in Early Pho-
tographs: The Age of Pius IX. Copenhagen: Thorvaldsen
Museum, 1977.
Pierro Bechetti, and Carlo Pietrangeli, Un Inglese fotografo a
Roma. Rome: Quasar, 1987.
Alistair Crawford, “Robert MacPherson 1814–72: The Foremost
Photographer in Rome” in Papers of the British School at
Rome, vol. 67, 358–403, 1999.
Carol Richardson, and Graham Smith, Britannia, Italia, Germaia:
Tast and Travel in the Nineteenth Century. VARIE occasional
papers 1, Edinburgh, 2000.
Michael Wynne, “Fesch Paintings in the National Gallery of
Ireland” in Gazette des Beaux Arts (January 1977): 1–8.
A microfi che of the 1863 edition of Robert MacPherson’s Vatican
Sculptures was published by Chadwyck-Healey Ltd., 1994.
MADDOX, RICHARD LEACH
(1816–1902)
Richard Leach Maddox was born on the 4th of August
1816 in Bath, England. He traveled all over the world
during the 1840s as a physician and worked for a few
years in Constantinople (Turkey) before returning to
England. He married twice, the fi rst time in Turkey, to
Amelia Winn Ford who died in 1871, and the second
time in 1875, to Agnes Sharp. He traveled with his fam-
ily, which included his three children. He returned to
Southampton in England and ended his photographic
activities in 1886 however he continued writing for
scientifi c newspapers.
Richard Leach Maddox was not a professional pho-
tographer, instead he was more a scientist interested in
photography and the science involved in its processes.
As a scientist he is especially known for his work con-
cerning microphotography and his research to improve
the photographic process. In 1853, he began working
with photography, particularly microphotography, in
connection with his professional work as a scientist and
exhibited his work that same year in the Photographic
Society Exhibition in London.
Passionate for this kind of photography, Maddox
translated Dr. Félix Dujardin’s manual, Nouveau manuel
complet de l’observateur au microscope, published in
France in 1842 (The New Complete Manual for the
Microscope Observer). The translated version never was
published but he did write articles on this subject for
the British Journal of Photography between 1855 and
- For his research in the beginning of the 1870s on
atmospheric organisms, Maddox used an apparatus of
his own design, called the “aeroconiscope” described
by the British Journal of Photography as “a kind of
multiple funnel set up as a vane. The wind traversing
this instrument deposited the organisms on a thin cover-
glass duly prepared for the purpose” (British Journal of
Photography, May 30, 1902, 427).
With this optical instrument connected to the camera,
scientists were able to discover and study micro-organ-
isms. During these years, they used a wet process to take
photographs of their results.
Speed and picture quality were the most important
topics for both scientists and photographers from the
very beginning of the technique. The wet collodion
process was the most sensitive technique at this time, but
not practical enough because it had to be taken before
it dried. At this time, the Taupenot process, also called
dry collodion, was used as an alternative choice however
it was a less sensitive process. A good photographic
technique has to be practical and as fast as possible so
researchers were always trying to improve the different
processes.
One other important concern of Maddox’s regarding
photographic research was focused on the use of danger-
ous, chemical substances. His research, which required
him to be at his microscope for hours up to sixteen hours
a day in conjunction with him being around chemicals
used for collodions vapor caused his health to deteriorate
quickly. Maddox used ether to prepare his photographic
plates, coating them with wet collodion and his failing
health is the main reason the scientist tried to replace
it in the process.
Well known from the beginning of the nineteenth
century, gelatin was already being used in food and in
photography (principally for photographic reproduction
and impression). Maddox replaced the collodion coating
with gelatin. He covered a glass with a mix of Nelson’s
gelatin and cadmium bromide. After drying, this plate
was used as a negative, then developed with pyrogallic
acid combined with silver nitrate and fi xed with a so-
dium hyposulfi te solution, which proved successful.
Maddox announced his discovery in the British
Journal of Photography, the 8th of September of 1871,
which soon was spread throughout Europe because of
the various specialized newspapers and photographic
associations. It’s likely he realized the importance of his
work, but did not follow up with improving the process.
According to his notes, he did not have time to perfect it
and let others scientists continue any further research.
From August 1873, the British Journal of Photog-
raphy anticipated its future applications. Gelatin was a
sensitive, fast, and dry photographic technique, which
was also easy to prepare. Consequently, Richard Leach
Maddox’s discovery was the beginning of photographic
industrialization, and one which caused a radical change
concerning the picture’s aesthetic due to the relatively
short developing time.
Several scientists Jos. King, J. Burgess, and R. Ken-
nett, improved the process before 1878, when Charles
Bennett perfected actually perfected it by making it