Hamilton Lanphere Smith facts for kids

Hamilton Lanphere Smith (born November 5, 1819 – died 1903) was an amazing American scientist, photographer, and astronomer. He made many important discoveries and inventions during his life.

Early Life and Big Ideas

Hamilton Smith was born in New London, Connecticut. He was very smart and loved learning. He went to Yale and finished his studies in 1839. Even before he graduated, in 1838, he built the biggest telescope in the entire country! Imagine building something like that when you were still in college.

Making Photography Popular

One of Smith's most famous inventions was the tintype photographic process. He got a special paper, called a patent, for his tintype invention on February 19, 1856. The tintype was a new way to take pictures that made photography much easier and cheaper for everyone. Before this, getting a photograph was very expensive. Thanks to Smith's invention, more people in America could have their pictures taken, making photography popular across the country.

Teaching and Tiny Discoveries

Hamilton Smith was also a dedicated teacher. From 1853 to 1868, he was a professor at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. He taught subjects like natural philosophy (which is like science) and astronomy (the study of stars and planets). Later, he taught at Hobart College in New York.

Besides his work with telescopes and photography, Smith was also very interested in tiny living things. He created a special way to describe and organize microscopic algae. Algae are very small plant-like organisms that live in water. His system for describing them is still used by scientists today!