Robert Jefferson Bingham facts for kids
Robert Jefferson Bingham (born in 1824, died in 1870) was an amazing English photographer. He was one of the first to use and write about a special photography method called the collodion process. Bingham mainly worked in France, taking pictures of people and copying famous paintings. He was a true pioneer in the world of photography!
Contents
Early Life
Robert Bingham was born in a place called Billesdon, England, in 1824. Later, in 1853, he got married in Paris. His wife, Emma, passed away 15 years later.
A Career in Photography
Bingham first started working as a chemist. In 1847, he published a book called "Photogenic manipulation." This book taught people about the art of photography. It was very popular and was printed many times.
Exhibitions and Big Projects
In 1851, Bingham showed 19 of his photographs at The Great Exhibition in London. Because of his great work, he was asked to print photos for a special report. These photos showed prize-winning items from the exhibition. To do this big job, Bingham set up a printing place in Versailles, France.
His photos were also shown at the first exhibition focused only on photography. This was in London in 1852.
Capturing the World with Collodion
Bingham also took many pictures at the World's Fair in Paris in 1855. He took about 2500 photos very quickly. This showed other photographers how useful the collodion process was. This method then became the most popular way to take photos for many years.
Around this time, Bingham moved to Paris to work as a photographer. He even won a medal for his life-sized portraits at the 1855 World's Fair.
Photographing Art and Artists
Bingham's work at the Louvre Museum in Paris inspired him. He started taking portraits of people for money. In 1857, he opened his own photography studio in Paris. This area was a popular spot for artists.
He became friends with many artists and photographed them and their artwork. He started a new project to photograph the works of a painter named Paul Delaroche. This collection was published in 1858. It was one of the first times someone made a photo catalog of an artist's work. He made similar collections for other artists too.
Bingham's photos of paintings were famous. They made the black-and-white pictures look like they had the original colors. Artists like Gustave Moreau and Gustave Courbet used Bingham's photos to show their new paintings to people. Some of Courbet's paintings are only known today because Bingham photographed them.
Later Years and Legacy
Bingham continued to show his photos in Great Britain and France. He won another medal in London in 1862. He was also an important member of the French Photography Society. He contributed many photos to their shows.
Robert Bingham suddenly left Paris in early 1870 and went to Brussels, where he passed away in February of that year. His photography studio stayed open for several more years, publishing more photos from his negatives.
Gallery
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Alexandre Bida, a famous artist, around 1855
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A portrait of Auguste Gendron
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A photo of the artist James Tissot
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Alexine Tinne, Henriëtte Tinne-van Capellen and Jetty Hora Siccama, photographed in 1860
