Silver

The Abiding Role of Silver in Photography

Silver is one of the most commonly used substances in photography and is fundamental to the chemical process of developing a photograph. While styles and processes associated with photography have evolved since the invention of the photograph, using silver and silver compounds in photography has remained a practice due to the metal’s unique reactivity to light. The invention of the daguerreotype in 1939 initiated photography’s transition from a relatively unknown and inaccessible art form to one in high demand throughout the 19th century, and this increase in popularity could not have occurred without the silver halides used in the photographic process. Thus, silver is considered a crucial aspect of both photography’s early beginnings and its continuing success, sparking significant developments in the realms of artistic representation, communication, and chemistry.

Silver is a precious metal characterized by its lustrous white color, ductility, and high level of malleability, making it ideal for use in delicate photographic print-making. The first widespread use of silver in photography was in the daguerreotype, an early photographic process invented by Louis Daguerre in France in 1839. Daguerre’s process was the first practical method of capturing and fixing an image on a metal plate, producing a commercially viable method of photography and therefore marking the beginning of photography as a widely accessible type of technology. The daguerreotype’s combination of sharp detail, unique style, and the innovative use of silver and metal plates laid the foundation for photography as we know it today.

While other practical methods have largely replaced daguerreotypes, they remain a defining element of the early years of photography.

When used for photography, silver is not often used in its pure form but in the form of silver halide crystals (typically silver bromide or silver chloride) that are suspended in an emulsion layer on the film or paper. The silver halide solution darkens when exposed to light because it undergoes a photochemical reaction, meaning that light energy causes some of the silver halide molecules to break down, forming a latent image. After exposure, the film or print is processed in a series of chemicals in a darkroom, where the developer reduces the exposed silver halide crystals to metallic silver, forming the image. The unexposed silver halides are then removed during the fixing stage, leaving behind a permanent image made up of fine particles of silver.

The development of the photograph, notably for its use of reactionary metals, had significant implications for the realms of both art history and science. Photography made it possible to capture a moment in time with more accuracy than ever before, allowing people to preserve images of places, people, and events. The power to capture a photograph offers a universal way to document history, culture, and the everyday life of different social classes and plays a key role in documenting significant historical events. Notable historical photographic collections such as Mathew Brady’s Civil War photos or Dorothea Lange’s photos taken during the Great Depression had a profound impact on how the public engaged with major social and historical events by providing accurate visual aids for storytelling and news reporting. The invention of photography transformed art, communication, and visual technology, dawning a new age for visual representation and information technology, and this could not have been possible without silver’s role in the photographic process.

The use of metal in photography also gives historical insight into Daguerre and other early photographic inventors’ knowledge of technical and scientific processes. According to an article published in the magazine The Scientific American in 1862, not long after the daguerreotype process began to be replaced by calotypes (the first form of photography that produced reproducible negative prints), “The quality which salts of silver possess of becoming black by exposure to light lies at the very foundation of the photographic art" [1]. This report gives one of the main reasons why silver was used in the early photographic process and demonstrates the scientific understanding of chemical processes related to silver at the time. In 1953, photographic chemist Thomas T. Hill published “Basic Chemistry of Photography,” an article explaining the chemical process of developing a photograph. In the article he says, “Although photography makes use of all the sciences, chemistry comes in at a great many stages and it is chemical control that makes it possible to use a silver process in such a versatile way" [2]. A recent article published on The Silver Institute website entitled “Silver in Photography” provides a report on the continuing use of silver in certain forms of photography and film, saying, “Despite the growth in digital photography, silver-based film is still sometimes used for X-Rays [...]. Silver-based films are also the medium of choice for some commercial motion pictures because of their vibrant colors and detail" [3]. Comparing these reports, each published in a different century, demonstrates how the standard procedure for silver usage in the photographic process has remained immutable since its conception. Additionally, the fundamental role that silver plays in the photographic process, even in the digital age, is evidenced by the fact that it continues to be applied to new forms of photography and film.

Although the use of silver in photography has declined with the development of digital methods, the process remains a significant part of photographic history. Without the silver halides used in the daguerreotype process, daguerreotypes would not have been able to achieve the level of popularity and accessibility they reached in the 19th century, nor would they have been able to pave the way for innovations in photography to the extent that they did. Secondarily, the chemistry of photography advanced broader scientific understanding of silver-based chemical solutions and the reactivity of silver and other pure metals, and promoted the intersection of science and art through the darkroom development process. Therefore, silver has certainly left its mark within the history of photography.

Endnotes

1. “SALTS OF SILVER, PHOTOGRAPHY AND INDELIBLE INK.” Scientific American 7, no. 12 (1862): 185–86. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24962004.

2. Hill, Thomas T.. “Basic Chemistry of Photography.” Journal of the University Film Producers Association 6, no. 2 (1953): 14–17.

3. “Silver in Photography.” The Silver Institute. https://silverinstitute.org/