author
Sir William de Wiveleslie Abney
1843–1920
A Victorian pioneer who helped turn photography into a serious scientific tool, he explored everything from color and light to the far reaches of the solar spectrum. His work connected chemistry, astronomy, and image-making in ways that shaped early photographic science.
3 Audiobooks
The Art and Practice of Silver Printing
by H. P. (Henry Peach) Robinson, Sir William de Wiveleslie Abney
Colour Measurement and Mixture
by Sir William de Wiveleslie Abney
Colour vision : Being the Tyndall Lectures delivered in 1894 at the Royal Institution
by Sir William de Wiveleslie Abney
About the author
Sir William de Wiveleslie Abney was an English astronomer, chemist, and photographer, born in Derby on July 24, 1843, and died in Folkestone on December 3, 1920. He is best remembered for advancing the chemistry of photography and for experiments that pushed photographic recording farther into the infrared than had previously been possible.
He served in the Royal Engineers and later taught chemistry and photography at the School of Military Engineering in Chatham. Alongside his technical work, he became a respected scientific figure, serving in leading roles in learned societies including the Royal Astronomical Society and the Physical Society.
Abney also wrote extensively, helping explain photographic methods and science to a wider audience. His career sits at an interesting crossroads: part military engineer, part laboratory researcher, and part public guide to the fast-developing world of photography.