Lancashire Lantern: Lancashire Pioneers

Part of the Lancashire Lantern network, the Pioneers gives details of people who were famous local people in science, technology and innovation. These pioneers were either born in Lancashire or their endeavours made a significant contribution to the development of the County.

Click the image of John Mercer at any time to return to his home pageJohn Mercer - Photography

 

 

 

Mercer was also fascinated with the new concept of photography, and worked long and hard at achieving colour photography.

He was accustomed to work with dyes, so followed this route, and created single coloured photographs on cloth in a rainbow of different shades.

He never achieved full colour, but at a meeting of the British Association in Leeds in 1858, he exhibited colour photos, some on paper, others on cambric.

Below are probably some of those exhibits on cambric, with the colours perfectly preserved.

They are of himself, possibly his daughter and possibly his sons. He also took photographs of friends, such as Frederick Steiner another calico printer.

(Click the images to enlarge)
(Courtesy of the Lancashire Record Office)

One of his images on cambric, of himself, with the colours perfectly preserved One of his exhibits on cambric, possibly of his daughter, with the colours perfectly preserved One of his exhibits on cambric, possibly of one of his sons, with the colours perfectly preserved One of his exhibits on cambric, possibly of one of his sons, with the colours perfectly preserved

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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