INTRODUCTION.

The announcement of the discovery of a process by which light—themost subtilo of the elements, the mysterious agent of vision—was madeto pencil, on solid tablets, the objects it illuminated, and permanently fixtlio fleeting shadow, possessed, at the same timo, so much of the mar-vellous and beautiful, as to excite more than common wonder.

Nor was this feeling in any way lessened by the examination of thefirst specimens of the new art, which were presented to the world byMr. Talbot,—so perfect in their outline, so minute in their detail, werethese early photographic * delineations. But when the delicate picturesproduced by M. Daguerre becamo public, words were weak to expresstho general admiration of those beautiful things, which infinitely sur-passed, in their exquisite finish, the most perfect specimens of humanart; and which, in their distribution of light and shadow, and the magicof atmospheric effect, had a charm almost equalling that of the livinglandscape in its richest aspects. At the same time, these pictures con-vinced ono of the strict fidelity of those productions which the pencilsof some of the old masters liavo given to the world.

All men, even the most uniutcllectual, are sensible to tho influencesof beauty, whether presented to their view in the completeness ofNature’s works, or in the approaches of human effort towards perfec-tion. Thero is, with men in general, a soul-felt wish to approach to theexcellence they admire, but it is too frequently trammelled by the bondsof ignorance and sensuality. The desire being but seldom seconded bypersevering industry, is unfortunately too often abortive—the approachto perfection being granted only as the roward of labour.

The photographic processes appeared, when first reported, to be so

* Photographic, or as the} are sometimes called, Photogenic drawings, signify lightdelineated, or light generated pictures.