Paris: Chez l'auteur, 1854. First edition. 8vo., 208 pp., 3 pp. adverts. Printed wrappers, which are slightly chipped at the spine ends, with a short tear at the front joint. Scattered foxing, with a few chemical stains. A very good copy. Item #31919

Auguste Belloc, born in Paris in 1800, was a portrait miniaturist, watercolor painter and photographer of the nude, versed in the daguerreian and calotype processes. He was one of the founding members of the Société Héliographique, 1851, and its successor, the Société Française de Photographie, 1854. In the 1850s he was inventing, manufacturing and selling photographic supplies and equipment, which he continued until his death in 1868. He was a prolific writer on photographic theory, processes, and techniques. In this, his first published book, Belloc provides an historical introduction of photographic invention, an extensive manual on the "wet" collodion process, the preparation of various positive printing papers, and a practical guide to photographic chemistry.

WorldCat locating twelve holdings, with George Eastman House, Gettry Research Institute, Boston Public Library, Franklin Institute, Tennessee State Library, National Gallery of Canada, and the Biblioteca Nacional Mexico being the North American holders. Bellier de la Chavignerie, Manuel Bibliographie du Photographe Francais, 1863, fails to locate this title.

Price: $1,750.00