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Josef Maria Eder (16 March 1855 – 18 October 1944) was an
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n
chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...
who specialized in the chemistry of
photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is emplo ...
, and who wrote a comprehensive early history of the technical development of chemical photography.


Life and work

Eder was born in Krems an der Donau in 1855. He studied chemistry, physics and mathematics at the Vienna University of Technology and at the
University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich hi ...
. In 1876, he received his PhD and in 1879, after his
habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including ...
, became lecturer at the Vienna University of Technology. His research then was focused on the chemistry of photography. After spending some time at the Staatliche Gewerbeschule Vienna, he became lecturer at the Höhere Gewerbeschule Vienna. This change improved his possibilities for doing research. In the following years, Eder developed sensitized gelatin silver process.
Orthochromatic In chemistry, orthochromasia is the property of a staining, dye or stain to not change color on binding to a target, as opposed to Metachromasia, metachromatic stains, which change color. The word is derived from the Greek ''wikt:ortho-, orthos'' ...
photographic plates, in combination with a color filter counter-acting the plates' inhomogeneous sensitivity to light of different wavelengths, yielded black and white images showing all colors of the light in their true brightness. Eder was a professor at the Vienna University of Technology from 1892 to 1925. Eder tried to implement science methods into the development of photographic processes. In particular, he used
spectroscopy Spectroscopy is the field of study that measures and interprets the electromagnetic spectra that result from the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter as a function of the wavelength or frequency of the radiation. Matter ...
methods and invented several new instruments including the "Eder-Hecht neutral wedge
photometer A photometer is an instrument that measures the strength of electromagnetic radiation in the range from ultraviolet to infrared and including the visible spectrum. Most photometers convert light into an electric current using a photoresistor, ...
" (with (1896–1960)). His another invention was the "mercury oxalate photometer" which was a chemical
photometer A photometer is an instrument that measures the strength of electromagnetic radiation in the range from ultraviolet to infrared and including the visible spectrum. Most photometers convert light into an electric current using a photoresistor, ...
to measure the intensity of
UV radiation Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30  PHz) to 400 nm (750  THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiatio ...
. After the effect of
X-rays An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nbs ...
on photographic material was published, Eder did research to improve the sensitivity of photographic material to X-rays. By 1884, Eder started writing his ''Extensive Handbook of Photography'', which is still available as reprint. He was awarded the
Lieben Prize The Ignaz Lieben Prize, named after the Austrian banker , is an annual Austrian award made by the Austrian Academy of Sciences to young scientists working in the fields of molecular biology, chemistry, or physics. Biography The Ignaz Lieben P ...
in 1895 and became a member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in 1930. On March 1, 1888 Eder founded the Institute for Photography and Reproduction Techniques (today the Höhere Graphische Bundes- Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt).


Publications

Eder published over 650 publications. The ''History of Photography was published'' in four editions from 1881 to 1932 , each of which was expanded. * Eder, J. M. (1893). ''Das Atelier und Laboratorium des Photographen''. (Ausführliches Handbuch der Photographie.) Halle a.S: Verlag von Wilhelm Knapp. * Eder, J. M., & Valenta, E. (1896). ''Spectralanalytische Untersuchung des Argons'' (Spectral Analysis of Argon'). Wien: Kaiserlich-Königlichen Hof- und Staatsdruckerei. * Eder, J. M., & Valenta, E. (1924). ''Atlas typischer Spektren''. * Eder, J. M. (1930). ''Ausführliches Handbuch der Photographie''. Halle: Wilheim Knapp. * ----. (1932). ''Geschichte der Photographie'' ('History of Photography'). Halle a. S: Knapp. * ---- (1971). ''Quellenschriften zu den frühesten Anfängen der Photographie bis zum XVIII Jahrhundert''. ('Sources for the earliest beginnings of photography up to the 18th century') Niederwalluf bei Wiesbaden: Dr. Martin Sändig.


Distinctions

In 1884 he was awarded the Progress Medal of the Photographic Society of Great Britain (known as the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) today).Royal Photographic Society. ''Progress medal''. Web-page listing people, who have received this award since 1878 (): “Instituted in 1878, this medal is awarded in recognition of any invention, research, publication or other contribution which has resulted in an important advance in the scientific or technological development of photography or imaging in the widest sense. This award also carries with it an Honorary Fellowship of The Society. ��1884 J M Eder ���� *
Lieben Prize The Ignaz Lieben Prize, named after the Austrian banker , is an annual Austrian award made by the Austrian Academy of Sciences to young scientists working in the fields of molecular biology, chemistry, or physics. Biography The Ignaz Lieben P ...
, 1895 * Wilhelm Exner Medal, 1923


References

* The History of European Photography 1900-1938, FOTOFO., 2011.


See also

* Improvements to Julius Scheiner's system of measuring
film speed Film speed is the measure of a photographic film's sensitivity to light, determined by sensitometry and measured on various numerical scales, the most recent being the ISO system. A closely related ISO system is used to describe the relation ...
s in Scheinergrade. {{DEFAULTSORT:Eder, Josef Maria 1855 births 1944 deaths People from Krems an der Donau Austrian chemists TU Wien alumni Academics of TU Wien Historians of photography