1. Robert Cornelius was an American photographer and pioneer in the history of photography.
14 Facts About Robert Cornelius
1. 2.
Robert Cornelius operated some of the earliest photography studios in the United States between 1840 and 1842 and implemented innovative techniques to significantly reduce the exposure time required for portraits.
3.
Robert Cornelius created and patented the "solar lamp" in 1843 which burned brighter and allowed for the use of cheaper lard as a fuel source rather than more expensive whale oil.
4.
Robert Cornelius's father immigrated from Amsterdam in 1783 and worked as a silversmith before opening a lamp-manufacturing company.
5.
Robert Cornelius attended private school as a youth and took a particular interest in chemistry.
6.
Around October 1839, Robert Cornelius improvised a camera obscura and made his first daguerreotype, a self-portrait outside of his family store.
7.
At the time, Robert Cornelius did not make much of his achievement of the first human photograph in the United States.
8.
Robert Cornelius told Sachse that he began taking photographs in October 1839 but no evidence was found of his claim until 1975 when a librarian at the American Philosophical Society discovered photographs taken by Robert Cornelius dated 1839.
9.
In May 1840, Robert Cornelius opened a photographic studio, the first in Philadelphia and second in the world.
10.
Robert Cornelius's studio gained popularity among wealthy patrons, and many of his portraits of famous individuals still exist today.
11.
Robert Cornelius revised a British lamp design which forced additional air into the burner and allowed for the burning of lard rather than whale oil.
12.
Robert Cornelius applied for and received a US patent for the "solar lamp" in 1843.
13.
Robert Cornelius was an elder at the Presbyterian Church, where he was a member for fifty years.
14.
Robert Cornelius died at his Frankford home on August 10,1893 and was interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery.