Again Is Raised the Question of Who Made the First Camera in the U. S. and Took the First Photographic Portrait By ELMO SCOTT WATSON (Released by Western Newspaper Unlon.l HO made the first camera in America? What pioneer pho tographer first used a “fast action” picture-taking ma chine to get a successful por trait of a human being? According to a recent Asso ciated Press dispatch from Hampden Sydney, Va., hon ors belong to Dr. John Wil liam Draper, an Englishman who was educated at the Uni versity of Pennsylvania, be came a professor of chemis try at Hampden Sydney col lege more than a century ago and achieved a wide reputa tion not only in chemistry but in physiology, history and philosophy as well. This dis patch said: An old box-shaped camera left at Hampden Sydney college in 1839 by Dr. John William Draper is going to be taken from its cen tury-old resting place to a niche in the Smithsonian Institution, officials of which have accepted it as the first camera in America and the first “fast action” camera in the world. The presentation probably will take place at the June commencement. To prove that it was the first camera of modern type, eight years of research was conducted by the Rev. Howard C. Cobbs, who was a professional photog rapher at Charleston, W. Va., be fore he began his studies for the ministry. The college asked Mr. Cobbs to make a picture of the camera in 1932 for George W. Eastman, president of the Eastman Kodak company. The young student learned its history from Dr. J. H. C. Bagby, professor of chemistry. He tried it with modern film and it worked. He learned that Dr. Draper made his famous “first portrait” of a living person at New York university in 1839 or 1840, soon after leaving Hampden Sydney. Mr. Cobbs became convinced that the camera here was older than the one used at N. Y. U. and was the first modern-type camera. Everything he un earthed indicated that he was right in his belief, but he could get no “iron-clad” proof. Mr. Cobbs took his data to the Smithsonian. Officials congratu lated him on his work, then sug gested that he study records there. He found just what he needed, and it was in Dr. Draper’s own words in a letter to the Photographic and Fine Art Journal, published in 1858, in an swer to an inquiry “who made the first photographic portrait?” Dr. Draper explained that he had worked with sensitive plates before anything was published in Europe by Daguerre or Talbot; that he had tried a lens of large aperture and short focus to speed up action enough to permit por traits of living persons; that he succeeded notably later with in formation about Daguerre’s more sensitive plates. It was while at Hampden Syd ney that he carried on his ex periments, he said, even trying mirrors from a telescope before obtaining a lens. The telescope is here and will be presented with the camera. His connection with portraiture, he said, dated to the summer before publication of Daguerre’s process. Daguerre’s process was published in August, 1839. Dr. Draper went to New York univer sity in September, 1839, and with Daguerre’s more sensitive plates and his methods succeeded. Had he discovered the more sensitive plate, Virginia might have claimed the honor of the first portrait as well as the first camera. Despite the assertions in that news story, however, it is possible that some one may soon rise to challenge Dr. Draper’s right to the honor of having made the first camera in America and being the first to get a successful por trait. Here’s why: Last year was celebrated the “Centennial of Photography” dur ing which honors were paid to Louis Jacques Mande Dageuerre, the Frenchman, who is univer sally acclaimed as "The Father of Photography.” On the eve of that celebration the MacMillan company of New York published “Photography and the American Scene—A Social History, 1839 1889,” the result of more than six years of research by Dr. Robert Taft, professor of chemistry at the University of Kansas. In the first two chapters of his book, Dr. Taft gives a well-doc umented account of the work of the pioneer “daguerreotypists” in this country jvho became interest DR. JOHN W. DRAPER (From an ambrotype made by Mathew W. Brady about 1857.) ed in the new art very soon after articles about Daguerre's proc ess had been reprinted from French and English journals in American newspapers as early as March, 1839. One of these was D. W. Seager, an Englishman, who was living in New York in 1839. As a result of Dr. Taft's investigations, he makes the statement that Seager “was the first person to make a successful daguerreotype in the United States; which he did on Septem ber 27, 1839.” As for the claim that Draper made the first successful portrait of a human being, Dr. Taft’s con clusions also give that honor to another man. Alexander S. Wol cott of New York. Wolcott, who was an instrument maker and manufacturer of dental supplies, took a daguerreotype of his part ner, John Johnson, on October 7, 1839, according to Taft, and this was the “first photographic por trait.” Draper's Contributions. Although denying to Draper the honor of being the first to make a successful photographic por trait, Dr. Taft sums up his impor tant contributions to photography thus: “He was among the earliest to attempt photographic portraiture. The earliest photographic por trait which has survived. It is a daguerreotype of Miss Dorothy Catherine Draper, made by her brother, Dr. John W. Draper, probably in the summer of 1840. These attempts were based on such scientific principles as were then known; he sent abroad an early daguerreotype portrait, ap parently the earliest which has survived; he published an exten sive account of these experiments, thereby enabling and encourag ing others to benefit from his ex perience; and he became as sociated with Morse in the open ing of an establishment for the purpose of taking portraits, thus becoming one of the founders of a new profession.” Dr. Taft’s mention of “the earli est daguerreotype portrait which has survived” is a reference to Draper’s famous portrait of his sister, Miss Dorothy Catherine Draper, which is still in existence and which is owned by the Rev. Sir John C. W. Herschel of Eng land, grandson of Sir John F. W. Herschel, the distinguished Eng lish scientist to whom Draper sent it in the summer of 1840. It was accompanied by a letter, the full text of which is printed for the first time in Taft’s book. In this letter Draper stated that “I believe I was the first person here who succeeded in obtaining portraits from life.” “It will be noted that the letter is dated July 28, 1840, and that no reference is made to the date on which the portrait was made,” comments Dr. Taft. “It will also be noted that the exposure of this early daguerreotype portrait was only 65 seconds. Previously pub lished accounts concerning this daguerreotype have given expo sures ranging from 10 to 20 min utes, which have evidently been based upon such general informa tion as was available in Seager’s exposure table (printed in the American Repertory of Arts, Sciences and Manufacturers for March, 1840, the first ever printed in this country). “Judging from these facts, the date of the letter, the relatively short exposure required and an examination of the portrait itself which shows rather great con trasts, I am of the opinion that it was taken outdoors during the summer of 1840.” In September, 1840, Draper published an article in the Lon don, Edinburgh and Dublin Philo sophical Magazine in which he described in detail his method of making photographic portraits, such as the one of his sister. He stated that in his earlier attempts he dusted the face of the person sitting for the portrait with white powder (probably flour) to secure greater contrast but that a few trials showed him that there was no advantage in this. To get greater illumination on the sub ject he used mirrors to reflect the sun directly upon the sitter “but in the reflected sunshine, the eye can not support the effulgence of the rays.” In order to support the head and keep it still during the long exposures required for these early pictures, a staff ter minating in an iron ring was at tached to the sitter's chair and so "arranged as to have motion in all directions to suit any stature and any altitude.” Instrument of Torture. “The modern patron of the pho tographer’s art may not recog nize the instrument of torture de scribed above,” writes Dr. Taft, “but to those who had photo graphic portraits made ‘in the long ago’ it will be remembered as the familiar head rest which was part of every photographer’s equip ment, a device which was used, as can be seen, from the early in ception of the art up to fairly modern times.” It must have been a very try ing experience for Miss Dorothy Catherine Draper and it is doubt ful if many of the belles of 1840 would have been willing to endan ger their complexions by having dour smeared over it or sitting exposed to strong sunlight for long minutes while trial pictures were being taken, not to men tion enduring the discomfort of that “instrument of torture,” the iron head rest. So she deserves great credit for her contribution to the development of the art of photography and even though it is debatable if her brother can just ly claim the honor of being the first to make a photographic por trait, there is little doubt that one distinction does rest with the Draper family. Dorothy Catherine Draper was the first photographic “model”— the ancestor of the “glamour gals” who smile so bewitching ly at us from the pages of thou sands of magazines and newspa pers today. Operation for Sinus Trouble May Be Futile By DR. JAMES W. BARTON j (I pleased by Western Newspaper Union.I A FEW years ago there were many operations for sinus trouble—the little hollows or caverns adjoining the nose. These sinuses are called the sounding box of the voice. Thus when a head TODAY’S HEALTH COLUMN cold is present and these little sinuses get filled with mucus, the voice sounds flat and “ing” sounds like “ick.” When these head colds be came very common and the mucus and sometimes pus was too thick to drain out, the enlarging of the opening was frequently done by nose surgeons to enable this mucus and pus to drain out. The enlarged opening also helped to “ventilate” the sinus, thus keeping its lining of mucous membrane in a more healthy condition. Unfortunately, these openings from the sinus into the nose are not placed in the best position for drainage when we are stand ing or sitting, but as Dr. Louis M. Pearl man states in Hy geia, the different positions one natur ally takes when ly ing down are favor able to the emptying of the sinuses. When one lies on Dr. Barton the left side, the right antrum (sinus in cheek bone) is emptied; when one lies on the right side the left antrum is emptied, and when one lies face downward the sinuses at upper and back part of the nose (level with the eyes) are emptied. However, it has been found that in many cases operation is of no help and may leave the patient in the same condition as before opera tion and with some loss of smell. Dr. Pearlman states further: "The present trend of treatment is tracing the trouble to its source and getting rid of it before the con dition becomes chronic. Stress is laid on increasing the resistance of the individual and performing only slight operations to increase ventila tion and drainage.” Eating less meat and table salt and eating more fruit and vege tables seems to help a number of these chronic sinus cases. Fat Foods Important In Diet and Weight VIRTUALLY all reducing diets emphasize the importance of cut ting down on starch foods—bread, potatoes, sugar and pastry—if satis factory reduction is to be obtained. Now starch foods give energy, help to make the fat foods burn more completely, and should be eaten in certain amounts even by those who are overweight. What about fat in the daily diet? For the overweights who wish to lose weight, the tremendous food or fuel value of fat should never be forgotten; any quantity of fat food has twice the food value of the same quantity of either of the other main classes of foods, that is, starches and proteins (meat, eggs, fish, cere als). Fat Foods for Underweights. For the same reason—fat foods being rich in fuel value—under weights are advised to eat fat foods up to the point where the amount of food does not cause indigestion and spoil the appetite. A table that should help over weights to pick out foods they like that are low in fats, and under weights to select foods they like and (which agree with them) that are rich in fats, is given by Dr. R. G. Sinclair, department of biochemis try, Queens university, Kingston, Canada, in a booklet, “Nutrition in Everyday Practice,” issued by the Canadian Medical association. There are three divisions, (a) foods low in fat