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Information About

William De Wiveleslie Abney





BIOGRAPHY


Abney was born in Derby, England . His father was a member of the clergy. Abney attended the Royal Military Academy and joined the Royal Engineers in 1861 . He serving with the Royal Engineers in India for a few years. Thereafter, and to futher his knowledge in photography, he became a chemical assistant at the Chatham School Of Military Engineering .

Abney improved Photography 's technical aspects. Abney's endeavors in the Chemistry of photography produced useful photographic products and astronomy breakthroughs. He was doubtful, though, that his improvements would impact the art of photography. He wrote many books on photography that were considered standard texts at the time.

Abney investigated the blackening of a negative to incidental light. In 1874 , Abney developed a dry photographic Emulsion (which replaced "wet" emulsions). Abney used this emulsion in an Egypt expidition to photograph the movement of Venus across the Sun . In 1880 , Hydroquinone was introduced by Abney. Abney also introduced new and useful types of photographic paper. In 1882, Abney developed a formula for gelatin Silver Chloride paper.

Abney conducted early research into the field of Spectroscopy . Abney developed a red-sensitive emulsion. This was used for the Infrared Spectra of Organic Molecule s. Abney was also a pioneer in photographing the Infrared Solar Spectrum ( 1887 ). Abney researched Sunlight in the medium of the atmosphere.

Abney invented the " Abney Level ", a combined Clinometer and a Spirit Level . The Abney Level is used by Surveyor s to measure Slope s and Angle s.

Abney died in Folkestone , England .


PUBLICATIONS

  • Chemistry for Engineers (1870)

  • Instruction in Photography (1871)



ORGANIZATIONS AND HONORS



QUOTES

  • "'' {Link without Title} whatever little notions of art a person might have in his head would certainly be driven out of it, for the knowledge that he could take an almost unlimited number of pictures would lead him to expose a sheet on every possible occasion, and probably 99 percent of what he obtained would be thoroughly inartistic productions''".



SEE ALSO



REFERENCES

  • "Abney, William de Wiveleslie." Britannica Student Encyclopedia. 2004. Encyclopædia Britannica.