Early photography in Eastern Europe

Abstract

At the session of the French Academy of Sciences held on 7th January 1839, D. F. Arago (1786–1853), secretary of the Academy, announced that the fixation of the picture seen in the camera obscura had been achieved. Hasznos Mulatságok, a Hungarian-language paper published in Pest, made its readers acquainted with Daguerre's invention in its issue of 2nd February, an extremely short time, considering the communication and travel conditions then prevailing. Newspaper stories of the new invention stimulated a lively interest among Hungarian readers, and the papers continued to feature reports on photography whenever the occasion warranted: In its 7th March issue, a Pest weekly, Athenaeum, published an article on daguerreotypy written by Jules Janin, a French journalist and art critic. Hungarian society accepted Janin's opinion and was prepared to welcome photography as an artistic expression of reality and truth.