Mungo Ponton
Encyclopedia
Mungo Ponton FRS
(20 November 1801 – 3 August 1880) was a Scottish
inventor who in 1839 created a method of permanent photography
based on sodium dichromate
.
Mungo was a farmer's son, born and raised in Edinburgh
. He became a legal apprentice and was admitted to the Society of Writers to the Signet, a legal fraternity, on 8 December 1825. He married Helen Scott Campbell on 24 June 1830 and the couple had seven children. His first wife died on 7 August 1842 and he married his second wife, Margaret Ponton (possibly related), on 7 November 1843 with whom he had a son. Mungo suffered a breakdown around 1845 and moved to Bristol
, England
for its milder climate. He married his third wife, Jean McLean, on 1 August 1871. Ponton died at his home in Clifton, Bristol
on 3 August 1880.
. In 1838, the Society of Arts for Scotland awarded Mungo the silver medal for his contributions to the development of the electrical telegraph
.
In 1839, while experimenting with early photographic processes developed that year by William Henry Fox Talbot, Mungo discovered the light-sensitive quality of sodium dichromate. He presented his findings to the Society of Arts for Scotland on 29 May. Mungo did not attempt to patent the photographic process and published his findings in the Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal. Others experimented with his discovery including Talbot, Edmund Becquerel
, Alphonse Poitevin
, and John Pouncey, all of whom patented their photographic techniques.
Mungo continued to work on photography and in 1845 the Society again awarded him a silver medal for his process for measuring the hourly variation in temperature of photographic paper. That year he also developed a variation on the calotype
process to allow for shorter exposure times.
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
(20 November 1801 – 3 August 1880) was a Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
inventor who in 1839 created a method of permanent photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
based on sodium dichromate
Sodium dichromate
Sodium dichromate is the chemical compound with the formula Na2Cr2O7. Usually, however, the salt is handled as its dihydrate Na2Cr2O7·2H2O. Virtually all chromium ore is processed via conversion to sodium dichromate. In this way, many millions of kilograms of sodium dichromate are produced...
.
Mungo was a farmer's son, born and raised in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. He became a legal apprentice and was admitted to the Society of Writers to the Signet, a legal fraternity, on 8 December 1825. He married Helen Scott Campbell on 24 June 1830 and the couple had seven children. His first wife died on 7 August 1842 and he married his second wife, Margaret Ponton (possibly related), on 7 November 1843 with whom he had a son. Mungo suffered a breakdown around 1845 and moved to Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
for its milder climate. He married his third wife, Jean McLean, on 1 August 1871. Ponton died at his home in Clifton, Bristol
Clifton, Bristol
Clifton is a suburb of the City of Bristol in England, and the name of both one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells...
on 3 August 1880.
Inventor
On 20 June 1834, Mungo became a Fellow of the Royal Society of EdinburghRoyal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
. In 1838, the Society of Arts for Scotland awarded Mungo the silver medal for his contributions to the development of the electrical telegraph
Electrical telegraph
An electrical telegraph is a telegraph that uses electrical signals, usually conveyed via telecommunication lines or radio. The electromagnetic telegraph is a device for human-to-human transmission of coded text messages....
.
In 1839, while experimenting with early photographic processes developed that year by William Henry Fox Talbot, Mungo discovered the light-sensitive quality of sodium dichromate. He presented his findings to the Society of Arts for Scotland on 29 May. Mungo did not attempt to patent the photographic process and published his findings in the Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal. Others experimented with his discovery including Talbot, Edmund Becquerel
A. E. Becquerel
Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel , known as Edmond Becquerel, was a French physicist who studied the solar spectrum, magnetism, electricity, and optics. He is known for his work in luminescence and phosphorescence. He is credited with the discovery of the photovoltaic effect, the operating principle of...
, Alphonse Poitevin
Alphonse Poitevin
Alphonse Poitevin was a French chemist, photographer and civil engineer who discovered the light–sensitive properties of bichromated gelatin and invented both the photolithography and collotype processes....
, and John Pouncey, all of whom patented their photographic techniques.
Mungo continued to work on photography and in 1845 the Society again awarded him a silver medal for his process for measuring the hourly variation in temperature of photographic paper. That year he also developed a variation on the calotype
Calotype
Calotype or talbotype is an early photographic process introduced in 1841 by William Henry Fox Talbot, using paper coated with silver iodide. The term calotype comes from the Greek for 'beautiful', and for 'impression'....
process to allow for shorter exposure times.