Decoding Hercule Florence: The science behind a photography pioneer
Scientific analyses conducted in 2022 confirm Hercule Florence’s pioneering role in the history of photography
The oldest still visible photographic images of the Americas
Images produced by Florence in Campinas, Brazil, in the early 1830s, created using gold and silver salts as photosensitive elements, were analyzed at the HERCULES Laboratory at the University of Évora, Portugal.
Hercule Florence
Hercule Florence was born in Nice on February 28, 1804. He arrived in Brazil in 1824. He served as a draftsman for the Langsdorff Expedition (1825–1829). He lived in Campinas, where he developed various inventions—such as photography in 1833—until his death in 1879. Learn more.
Early experiments with the camera obscura
After the Langsdorff Expedition, Florence focused on methods for reproducing images. In his manuscripts, he described his research into "printing with light" and how he used his painter's palette and monocle lenses to construct a homemade camera obscura.
The invention of the word "photography"
On January 15, 1833, in his manuscript Livre d’annotations et de premiers matériaux, Hercule Florence wrote about his discovery of the photographic process. He was the first person to use the word photographie.
“Photographie”
(Hercule Florence in his diary, January 15, 1833)
On October 22 of the same year, in his manuscript Photographie, ou Imprimerie à la lumière (Photography, or Printing by Light), entirely dedicated to the photographic process, Florence describes the details of his discovery.
Detail of Livre d’annotations et de premiers matériaux by Hercule FlorenceInstituto Hercule Florence
“Le 15 Janvier [1833]
[...] un jour on imprimer par l'action de la lumière.”
"[...] one day, printing will be done through the action of light."
Hercule Florence, January 15, 1833
Camera obscura developed by Hercule Florence
In his photographic experiments, Florence constructed rudimentary camera obscuras and used paper sensitized with silver nitrate, producing negative, laterally reversed images. He reported producing an image of a bust of Lafayette and one of the Campinas prison.
Batch-producing solar prints
“I took a piece of window glass and blackened it with candle smoke. Using a very fine point, I wrote on it [...]. I placed a piece of prepared paper underneath, exposed the assembly to the sun, and in less than a minute, the words appeared clearly on it.” (Diary I, 1833)
Photograph of masonic diploma (1832) by Hercule FlorenceInstituto Hercule Florence
Photographie: Masonic diploma
Hercule Florence began his photographic experiments using silver salts available at the local apothecary (Joaquim Corrêa de Mello). His first experiments were with silver nitrate (AgNO₃).
Photographie: Masonic diploma
“This one was only slightly deoxidized; this is the reason for its paleness and discoloration in several places. Photographed in 1832, seven years before I had the first inkling that others were pursuing the same research with greater success.” (Hercule Florence)
Photograph of pharmacy labels by Institute Hercule FlorenceInstituto Hercule Florence
Photographie: Pharmacy labels
For the pharmacy labels, Hercule Florence used gold salts as the photosensitive substance.
Detail of photograph of nine pharmacy labels (c. 1833) by Hercule FlorenceInstituto Hercule Florence
Both the image and inscriptions are the result of his photographic process: “Photographia de H. Florence, inventor da Photographia”.
Scientific analyses of Hercule Florence's photographs at the HERCULES Laboratory (2022) by Jorge SimãoInstituto Hercule Florence
Heritage Sciences – Characterization
In 2022, an international partnership comprising the Instituto Hercule Florence, the HERCULES Laboratory, the Getty Conservation Institute, and the Instituto Moreira Salles came together to scientifically analyze photographic images produced by Hercule Florence 190 years earlier.
Scientific analyses of Hercule Florence's photographs at the HERCULES Laboratory (2020) by Jorge SimãoInstituto Hercule Florence
Non-invasive techniques were applied, including Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence, Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, and elemental mapping.
Photograph of nine pharmacy labels by Hercule FlorenceInstituto Hercule Florence
Scientific analysis - Institute of Physics - USP
The initial Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) analysis, conducted in 2016 using portable equipment, revealed that gold salts were used as photosensitive elements in the pharmacy labels, and silver salts in the Masonic diploma.
Detail of photograph of nine pharmacy labels by IHF / HERCULESInstituto Hercule Florence
Scientific analysis - HERCULES Laboratory
Scientific analysis conducted in 2022 at HERCULES Laboratory with different analytical techniques confirmed the findings.
Photograph of nine pharmacy labelsInstituto Hercule Florence
Mapping – Chemical elements
Pharmacy labels (Instituto Hercule Florence).
The mapping demonstrated unequivocally that image formation is linked to the chemical element gold (Au).
Detail of photograph of nine pharmacy labels by IHF / HERCULESInstituto Hercule Florence
Pharmacy labels – Elemental mapping
Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) reveals gold particles amidst the paper fibers.
Photograph of masonic diplomaInstituto Hercule Florence
Mapping - Chemical elements
Masonic diploma (Instituto Hercule Florence).
The mapping revealed that the formation of the photographic image is linked to the chemical element silver (Ag).
Detail of photograph of masonic diploma by IHF / HERCULESInstituto Hercule Florence
Masonic diploma - Elemental mapping
Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) shows silver particles amidst the paper fibers.
3D Digital Optical Microscopy
High-performance 3D digital optical microscopy allowed for the visualization of detailed paper fibers and the nanoparticles deposited within them.
External links - 2
To learn more about the discovery of the photographic process by Hercule Florence in 1833:
Hercule Florence and the invention of photography
A short chronology of Hercule Florence’s photographic process
The project is the result of a partnership launched in 2022 between the Hercule Florence Institute (São Paulo, Brazil), the HERCULES Laboratory (University of Évora, Portugal), the Getty Conservation Institute (Los Angeles, USA), and the Instituto Moreira Salles (São Paulo, Brazil).
Coordination:
Instituto Hercule Florence
Participants:
Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles (Dr. Art Kaplan)
Laboratório HERCULES, University of Évora (Prof. Dr. António Candeias and Dr. Sara Vallada)
The Academy of Archaic Image (Grant Romer and Ariadna Romer)
Physics Institute of the Universidade de São Paulo (Prof. Dr. Márcia Rizzutto)
Instituto Moreira Salles (Sergio Burgi and Millard Schisler)
Prof. Dr. Boris Kossoy
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