Inventors Of Everyday Objects Codexery

Frederick Scott Archer

Inventor of the collodion process that made photography widely accessible.

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Frederick Scott Archer was an English chemist, photographer, inventor, and sculptor. He is best known for inventing the photographic collodion process in 1851, which greatly increased the accessibility of photography for the general public by combining the fine detail of the daguerreotype with the ability to print multiple paper copies like the calotype.

Background

Frederick Scott Archer was born in Hertford, Hertfordshire, England, the fifth son and sixth of seven children of Thomas Archer, a butcher, and Elizabeth Scott. He left Hertford for London to apprentice as a goldsmith and silversmith with Benjamin Massey. On the recommendation of Edward Hawkins, he trained at the Royal Academy Schools as a sculptor and found calotype photography useful for capturing images of his sculptures.

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Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. In which place was Frederick Scott Archer born?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Hertford.

From the source: “He was born in Hertford, within the county of Hertfordshire, England (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland) and is remembered mainly for this single achievement which greatly increased the accessibility of photography for the general”

2. In what year was Frederick Scott Archer born?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1814.

From the source: “thumb|Frederick Scott Archer: Sparrow House, 1857 thumb|Grave of Frederick Scott Archer in Kensal Green Cemetery, London. Location on map: Frederick Scott Archer (30 August 1814 – 1 May 1857) was an English chemist, photographer, inventor a”

3. In what year did Frederick Scott Archer die?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1857.

From the source: “Archer died on 1 May 1857 of a hereditary cystic disease of the liver which had plagued him for his last 11 weeks and is buried at Kensal Green Cemetery in London.”

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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