Frederick Wratten
Encyclopedia
Frederick Charles Luther Wratten (1840, England
– 8 April 1926, London
) was an English
inventor.
Wratten started his career as a school teacher and organist, and moved to London
in 1861 to become a clerk in the Photographic & Optical Warehouse owned by Joseph Solomon. His work there stimulated his interest in photography
, and while there learned of the use of gelatin as a sensitized emulsion, and began experimentation on his own.
In 1876, Wratten invented the use of alcohol in drying gelatin emulsion and removing unwanted nitrate of silver. This process was described in the British Journal of Photography of 1877 and 1878. During the course of his experiments, Wratten formed a partnership with Henry Wainwright
and in 1877 they formed a partnership, Wratten and Wainwright, to manufacture and sell photographic supplies for the collodial process and the process of forming dry gelatin. Wratten & Wainwright were the first firm in England to offer dry plates commercially.
Wratten is also credited with introducing in 1878 the noodling process for gelatin emulsion before washing, which substantially increases surface area and thus the efficiency of the process. This allowed creating more sensitive photographic plates than previously possible. In 1906 Wratten incorporated his company with his son S. H. Wratten, and C. E. Kenneth Mees as owners. Mees, a recent graduate of London University, was placed in charge of new product development, and soon introduced panchromatic
plates. To enable photography of longer wavelength light, Mees developed colored filters using dyed gelatin which could be placed between the plate and the subject matter. These colored filters; later called Wratten filters, began with yellow filters created with the dye tartrazine
(CAS #
1934-21-0), but soon were available in many more colors. George Eastman
purchased Wratten and Wainwright in 1912, to be merged with Kodak Ltd at Harrow. At approximately this time both Frederick Wratten and S. H. Wratten began working at Harrow, while C. E. Kenneth Mees moved to Rochester, New York
to found Eastman Kodak
's Research Laboratories.
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...
– 8 April 1926, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) was an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
inventor.
Wratten started his career as a school teacher and organist, and moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1861 to become a clerk in the Photographic & Optical Warehouse owned by Joseph Solomon. His work there stimulated his interest in 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...
, and while there learned of the use of gelatin as a sensitized emulsion, and began experimentation on his own.
In 1876, Wratten invented the use of alcohol in drying gelatin emulsion and removing unwanted nitrate of silver. This process was described in the British Journal of Photography of 1877 and 1878. During the course of his experiments, Wratten formed a partnership with Henry Wainwright
Henry Wainwright
Henry Wainwright was an English murderer.Wainwright was a brushmaker who murdered his mistress Harriet Lane in September 1874 and buried her body in a warehouse he owned. When he was declared bankrupt the next year, he disinterred the body in September 1875 and attempted to rebury it with his...
and in 1877 they formed a partnership, Wratten and Wainwright, to manufacture and sell photographic supplies for the collodial process and the process of forming dry gelatin. Wratten & Wainwright were the first firm in England to offer dry plates commercially.
Wratten is also credited with introducing in 1878 the noodling process for gelatin emulsion before washing, which substantially increases surface area and thus the efficiency of the process. This allowed creating more sensitive photographic plates than previously possible. In 1906 Wratten incorporated his company with his son S. H. Wratten, and C. E. Kenneth Mees as owners. Mees, a recent graduate of London University, was placed in charge of new product development, and soon introduced panchromatic
Panchromatic
Panchromatic film is a type of black-and-white photographic film that is sensitive to all wavelengths of visible light. A panchromatic film therefore produces a realistic reproduction of a scene as it appears to the human eye. Almost all modern photographic film is panchromatic, but some types are...
plates. To enable photography of longer wavelength light, Mees developed colored filters using dyed gelatin which could be placed between the plate and the subject matter. These colored filters; later called Wratten filters, began with yellow filters created with the dye tartrazine
Tartrazine
Tartrazine is a synthetic lemon yellow azo dye used as a food coloring...
(CAS #
CAS registry number
CAS Registry Numbersare unique numerical identifiers assigned by the "Chemical Abstracts Service" toevery chemical described in the...
1934-21-0), but soon were available in many more colors. George Eastman
George Eastman
George Eastman was an American innovator and entrepreneur who founded the Eastman Kodak Company and invented roll film, helping to bring photography to the mainstream...
purchased Wratten and Wainwright in 1912, to be merged with Kodak Ltd at Harrow. At approximately this time both Frederick Wratten and S. H. Wratten began working at Harrow, while C. E. Kenneth Mees moved to Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
to found Eastman Kodak
Eastman Kodak
Eastman Kodak Company is a multinational imaging and photographic equipment, materials and services company headquarted in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded by George Eastman in 1892....
's Research Laboratories.
See also
- Wratten numberWratten numberWratten numbers are a labeling system for optical filters, usually for photographic use comprising a number sometimes followed by a letter. The number denotes the color of the filter, but is arbitrary and does not encode any information ; letters increase with increasing strength.They are named for...
- Kenneth MeesKenneth MeesCharles Edward Kenneth Mees FRS was a British-American physicist and photographic researcher.He was born in Wellingborough, England, the son of a Wesleyan minister, and attended the University of London. In 1906 he was awarded his D.Sc. with a dissertation on photographic theory...