T aces o /by na u e:Augus S indbe g’s pho og aphic
expe imen s o he 1890’s
Ka ha ina S eidl
IWM Junio Visi ing Fellows’ Con e ence P oceedings, Vol. XXIX ©
2011 by he au ho
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T aces o /by na u e:Augus S indbe g’s pho og aphic
expe imen s o he 1890’s
The ollowing pape cen e s on Augus S indbe g’s pho og ams o he 1890’s and hei
ela ion o an a ibu ed capaci y o pho og aphy – i s appa en abili y o cap u e a pic u e
au oma ically, wi hou human in e e ence – and he nine een h cen u y
concep ualiza ion o pho og aphic objec i i y which ollowed om his a ibu ion.
S indbe g’s no ions o na u e and chance play a c ucial ole in his ela ionship and a e
ela ed o he way in which he pho og am can be seen as a medium loca ed be ween
science and a . A he same ime, his pape conside s he connec ion be ween echnical
inno a ions like pho og aphy and concep s o senso y pe cep ion and he ex en o which
pho og aphy shaped he possibili ies and limi a ions a ibu ed o he human senses. In
he case o he pic u e-p oducing echnique “pho og am”, an aspec o 19 h cen u y
pho og aphy, he echnology e ealed hidden o unseen phenomena in he wo ld and was
he e o e ega ded as a kind o subs i u e o human ision. I a gue ha he pho og am, as
a came aless and lensless a ia ion o pho og aphy, had a o ma i e ole in he
concep ualisa ion o pho og aphy, which he ea e s uck wi h e ms such as “con ac ”,
“imp ession” o “ ace” o desc ibing he e e en ial s a us in pho og aphy heo y. The
pho og am’s ac ile quali ies ga e i a cen al ole in he science and pa ascience o he
nine een h cen u y, shaping he so-called medium-speci ici y o he pho og am as an
a is ic p inciple.
Pic o ial ambigui y
Augus S indbe g, he Swedish playw igh , essayis and no elis , who li ed be ween 1849
and 1912, is as ou s anding a is in many espec s. In he 1890’s he no only de o ed
himsel o he na u al sciences (almos ceasing his li e a y w i ing en i ely), bu he also
sus ained ano he majo in e es , in his expe imen a ion wi h pho og aphy.[1] Besides
explo a ions in he ield o chemis y, op ics and as onomy, he was in e es ed in bo any
and alchemy. S indbe g’s mos impo an w i ings in he ield o na u al sciences a e his
specula i e esea ch epo s, en i led An iba ba us (1984), which we e published in
le e - o ma and ques ioned he p edominan classi ica ion sys em o he elemen s; and
he mo e essayis ic wo k Syl a Syl a um (1896), which challenged he “big
diso ganiza ion” and he “in ini e in e ela ion” in he wo ld.[2] A he end o his li e, he
published his ou - olume s ong Blue Books (Blå Böcke na).[3] These con ained sho
en ies o en in dialogic o m, which examined a ious ields, such as ma hema ics,
eligion, biology, his o y and pho og aphy, and ied o elabo a e an o e all s uc u e o
analogies in he manne o Emanuel Swedenbo g’s heo y o co espondences. Though he
did no achie e g ea p o essional success wi h his expe imen a ion, he was, in ac , mo e
in e es ed in he expe imen a ion p ocess i sel . He had begun o explo e pho og aphic
echniques in 1865, a ime when ama eu pho og aphy had no ye been es ablished.
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Besides his acquisi ion o he i s a ailable box-came a, in en ed by Geo ge Eas man,
S indbe g p oduced his own came as consis ing o a simple box wi h an uncu lens o
pinhole came a.
In he ollowing ex I am no ocusing on S indbe g’s poe ic w i ings, bu en i ely on his
pho og aphic – o , mo e p ecisely, on his pho og ama ic – wo k o he 1890’s. This makes
i possible o ake a close look a he speci ic possibili ies o he pho og am, i s connec ion
o pho og aphy and he powe s i was a ibu ed wi h as a esul .
Figu e 1: Augus S indbe g, Pho og am o C ys allisa ion, c. 1892-1896, 12 x 9 cm, The
Royal Lib a y, Na ional Lib a y o Sweden, S ockholm.
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Figu e 2: Wal e E. Woodbu y, Pho og aphic Amusemen s, Bos on 1922, 9 h edi ion.
I am pa icula ly concen a ing on wo g oups o pho og ams, bo h p oduced wi hou a
came a o lens – a choice which e lec s S indbe g’s mis us in he pho og aphic
appa a us, which led o a ce ain dis o ion and abe a ion in his iew. The i s example,
shown in igu e 1, is one o six pho og ams made be ween 1892 and 1896 in which a
“d awing” o an almos -whi e s uc u e on a ligh b ownish backg ound eme ges. In he
lowe pa o he pic u e, wo holes and a squa e-edged con ou up u e he almos
un a ying ho izon al lines. In he uppe pa , i egula bu mos ly e ical lines g adua e
in o sho e ones, cu o by a bigge , wa e-like line a he bo de o he pic u e. Somehow
his pic u e is eminiscen o na u al o ms: he s uc u e in he lowe pa , o example, is
eminiscen o he in e sec ion o ea h, wi h he uppe pa sugges i e o wildly g owing
plan s. Bu wha is he e ac ually o see? Wha has le i s imp in on he pho og aphic
su ace?
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F om his w i ings and le e s we know ha S indbe g used saline solu ions on glass
pla es, which c ys allized when exposed o hea o cold. A e his, he imp essed he esul
di ec ly on o pho og aphic pape . Pho og ama ic expe imen s like his a e inspi ed by
hoa os and ice- e ns, a popula subjec a ha ime which S indbe g himsel no ed in
se e al passages.[4] In a le e o Pe Hasselbe g o 1892, he w o e: “I ha e e u ned o my
c ys al agg ega es which I pho og aph di ec ly by p in ing s aigh om he glass slides on
which he c ys alliza ion has been ca ied ou . And hese agg ega es – os - lowe s –
ha e opened up pe spec i es in o na u e’s sec e places ha ha e as ounded me.”[5]
Expe imen s wi h c ys alliza ion, o scien i ic esea ch o o he simple amusemen s o
p oducing “ e y delica e pho og aphic images”, we e desc ibed in a ious
con empo aneous a icles.[6] This opic was a pa o he scien i ic popula iza ion
mo emen o he nine een h cen u y, seen, o example, in he pho og aphic ama eu
book Pho og aphische Zei e eib by He mann Schnauss ( i s published in 1890), o in
Wal e E. Woodbu y’s Pho og aphic Amusemen s o 1896, which desc ibes “ he many
beau i ul phenomena o na u e ha can be s udied by he aid o pho og aphy” ( igu e 2).
[7] The in e es ing hing in desc ibing snow and ice c ys al pho og aphs as pho og aphic
amusemen lies in i s po en ial o gene a e pic u es inspi ing human imagina ion o see
conc e e o ms, which can be cla i ied wi h Woodbu y’s dic ion o hese phenomena as
“na u al phenomenon in ice”, “delica e lace-like edging” and “ lo al design”.[8] The
impo ance o pho og aphy’s abili y o pic u e snow and os pa e ns lies in he ac ha
hese pa e ns can be ans o med om hei epheme al s a e – in which hey would
quickly e apo a e and disappea – in o a ixed s a e. On he o he hand, pho og aphy’s
a ibu ed po en ial o e eal an au hen ic image o he objec – one which he naked eye
looking h ough he mic oscope would in e p e , in his case, as symme ical and egula
o ms – exposes asymme ic o impe ec shapes in he pho og aphic pic u e. This
changed pe spec i e, coupled wi h pho og aphy’s so-called “mechanical objec i i y”,
gene a es a di e en se o assump ions conce ning he na u e o snow c ys als.[9]
Fo S indbe g he ascina ing ac in his pho og ams we e he c ys al o ma ions
eminding him o li ing ma e . In luenced by his in e es in he occul , he pic o ial
ambigui y o he c ys als as hey me amo phose in o o ms o plan s, wa e , ea h
o ma ions and so o h, was sugges i e and belonged o his imagina ion o see
simila i ies in eal hings.[10] Acco ding o S indbe g, hese c ys alliza ions a ose om
he c ys al’s ememb ance o esu ec ion o i s ancien o m. He he e o e asks i i could
be possible ha wa e , unning h ough anima e and inanima e hings many imes,
emembe s ea lie s ages o li ing and dead ma e in i s c ys alline o ma ion.[11]
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Figu e 3: Augus S indbe g, Ein Blaubuch. Die Syn hese meines Lebens (A Blue Book),
1s ome, Ge man Edi ion, Munich 1920.
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Figu e 4: F iedlieb Fe dinand Runge, De Bildungs ieb de S o e. Ve anschaulich in
selbs ändig gewachsenen Bilde n, O anienbu g 1855.
This belie in he “image-making ins inc ”[12] o na u e is e lec ed in a sho no ice in his
Blue Book, en i led “Reinca na ion”, in which S indbe g desc ibes na u e’s po en ial o
gene a e simila i ies in o ganic o ino ganic o ms, such as he c ys allized acidi y o a
ine esembling ine lea es o he ebi h o a checke ed-lily seen in i s c ys allized ash
( igu e 3).[13] Ano he aspec o na u e’s image-making ins inc is he app ehension o
o ms in na u al objec s, ans o ming an o dina y hing in o a na u al pic u e. This was
some hing which occupied S indbe g when he wo ked in Uppe Aus ia, whe e a ock is
gene ally known as “Tu k’s head”: a pho og aph o his ock, which he collec ed in his
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“g een bag” (G öna säcken), is s ill p ese ed in he Royal Lib a y in S ockholm.[14] I
hink ha his sea ching o meaning o ele ance in na u e, in i s c ea ions, and in he
su ounding wo ld can be, on he hand, in e p e ed as e idence o a belie in supe na u al
occu ences, inspi ed by a need o explain and un a el e e y hing in na u e, and, on he
o he hand, connec ed o oman ic Na u philosophie.
Rep oducing na u e – The pho og am as second na u e
In his analysis o S indbe g’s pain ings, he a his o ian Douglas Feuk no es ha ,
because S indbe g belie ed ha na u e could gene a e pic u es o i sel , he saw his
pic u es no as ep esen a ions o na u e, bu as a pa o na u e. The e o e his pic u es
can be iden i ied in hei ac ual p ocess o he pic o ial p oduc ion as a pa allel ac ion o
na u e.[15] In his pain ings S indbe g ied o cas he colo o e he can as andomly,
he isual sense somehow con olled he pic o ial p oduc ion. In he case o his
c ys alliza ion pho og ams, he goes one s ep u he , by lea ing he glass pla e comple ely
un ouched: he ma e ial o he saline solu ions de e mines he o ma ion o he pic u e
and so i s ac ual eme gence is no con olled by he a is ’s and is he e o e an
au opoe ical p oduc ion o chance. This can be compa ed o he chemis F iedlieb
Fe dinand Runge and his au opoie ical pic u es o he 1850’s: he p oduc ion o hese
pic u es likewise s ands be ween science and a , in ol ing a chemical me hod o analysis
(pape ch oma og aphy) which p oduces images o “aes he ic beau y” explici ly add essed
o a is s ( igu e 4).[16] In his con ex , Runge discusses his heo y o a so-called
Bildungs ieb de Ma e ie (a e m he adop ed om Johann F ied ich Blumenbach’s 1781
publica ion, Übe den Bildungs ieb und das Zeugungsgeschä e), he sel -ac ing powe
o gene a ing o ms and shapes, which is he e o e compa able o he li e- o ce o plan s
and animals.[17] These examples a e impo an in his con ex as S indbe g explici ly
e e s o a concep o a sel -gene a ing powe which can shape pic u es somehow
au oma ically o wi hou a angible au ho .[18] This au opoe ical aspec gi es ise o he
idea ha hey can be unde s ood as na u al c ea ions.
The di ec imp in ing p ocess o S indbe g’s c ys alliza ions om a glass pla e o
pho og aphic pape – he sel -ac ing ans o ma ion o he ou e wo ld in o an image
h ough con ac – is eminiscen o William Hen y Fox Talbo ’s so-called “pho ogenic
d awings”. Talbo was one o he in en o s o pho og aphy, and desc ibed his in en ion in
his book, The Pencil o Na u e (published be ween 1844 and 46), as a kind o be e
me hod o d awing compa ed o he hand o he a is , in which subjec i i y can in luence
he p ocess o “copying” a na u al objec .[19] As Talbo iden i ies his pho ogenic d awings
as “specimens” o “i ems”, i is clea ha hese pic u es we e conside ed o be, as he a
his o ian Ca ol A ms ong has poin ed ou , “a na u al a as well as a na u al hing,
some hing made by na u e as well as a piece o na u e”.[20] This idea o pho og ams as
na u al hings, and he alua ion o he p ocess by which hey a e p oduced as na u al,
can be associa ed wi h S indbe g’s pic u e p ocess, which I wan o cla i y ia a
discussion o he second g oup o pho og ams.
Imagining he sky
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In he colo ed pho og am, made by Augus S indbe g in 1894, an o e all s uc u e o
yellow-golden do s seem o eme ge om a b ownish su ace, wi h hei la ges
conglome a ion isible in he uppe pa o he pic u e ( igu e 5). On he uppe igh edge,
hese do s a e concen a ed in o a bigge , spo y a ea on a bluish backg ound. Ano he
concen a ion is ound in he lowe pa , also su ounded by a bluish og. A hin owa ds
how his migh be in e p e ed is gi en by S indbe g’s i le o he pho og am:
“Celes og aphy”. In 1893, when he mo ed o Do nach in Uppe -Aus ia, S indbe g
p oduced abou 16 o such pho og ams. These we e p oduced by placing hem di ec ly in
a basin illed wi h de eloping liquid and lea ing hem unde he nigh sky.[21]
Figu e 5: Augus S indbe g, Celes og aphy, 1894, 12 x 9 cm, The Royal Lib a y,
Na ional Lib a y o Sweden, S ockholm.
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Augus S indbe g, in: Okkul ismus und A an ga de. Von Munch bis Mond ian, F ank u
a. Main 1995, p. 132-135; Michel F izo , L’âme, au ond. L’ac i i é pho og aphique de
Munch e S indbe g, in: Lumiè e du monde, p. 193-198; Clémen Ché oux, L’ expé ience
pho og aphique d’Augus S indbe g. Du na u alisme au su -na u alisme, A les 1994;
Douglas Feuk, S indbe g: Pa adiesbilde – In e nomale ei, Helle up 1991; Pe
Hemmingsson, Augus S indbe g som o og a , Åhus 1989; Tu e Rangs öm, Pho ogenie
– Pho ogenique. Augus S indbe g und die Pho og aphie, in: Angelika Gundelach (ed.),
De ande e S indbe g. Ma e ialien zu Male ei, Pho og aphie und Thea e p axis,
F ank u a. Main 1981, p. 247-290.
2. Augus S indbe g, An iba ba us I ode die Wel ü sich und die Wel ü mich, Be lin
1894; Id., Syl a Syl a um (1896), in: Na u -T ilogie, ed. by Emil Sche ing, München 1921,
p. 173-332
3. Augus S indbe g, Ein Blaubuch. Die Syn hese meines Lebens, ed. by Emil Sche ing,
ol.1, München 1920.
4. Augus S indbe g, Syl a Syl a um. Das Seu zen de S eine, in: Emil Sche ing (ed.),
Augus S indbe g, Na u -T ilogie, München 1921, p. 237-268; id., Neue Kuns o men!
Ode de Zu all im küns le ischen Scha en, in: Ve wi e Sinneseind ücke, p. 30-38, 35 ,
138; C .: Gus a Hellmann, Schneek ys alle: Beobach ungen und S udien, Be lin 1893;
Lo aine Das on/Pe e Galison, Objek i i ä , F ank u a. Main 2007, p. 156 .
5. Michael Robinson (ed.), S indbe g’s le e s, ol. 1, 1862-1892, London 1992, p. 366-
368, 367.
6. Anonymus, C ys allisa ionsd uck, in: Pho og aphisches A chi , 9, 167/168, 1868, p.
348.
7. Wal e E. Woodbu y, Pho og aphic Amusemen s, including a desc ip ion o a numbe
o no el e ec s ob ainable wi h he came a, New Yo k 1896, p.73 ; He mann Schnauss,
Pho og aphische Zei e eib, Leipzig 1890, (4 h ed. p.17 ); C .: He be Molde ings,
Laszlo Moholy-Nagy und die Neue indung des Fo og amms, in: id., Die Mode ne de
Fo og a ie, Hambu g 2008, p. 45-70; Clémen Ché oux, Les éc éa ions pho og aphiques.
Un épe oi e de o mes pou les a an -ga des, in: É udes pho og aphiques, ol. 5, 1998,
p. 73-96.
8. Woodbu y 1896, pp. 75, 78.
9. Das on/Galison 2007.
10. E a-Ma ia Siegel, Okkul ismus und A an ga de, in e medial. Beme kungen zum We k
Augus S indbe gs um die Jah hunde wende, in: Ha mu Ki che /Ma ia Klanska/E ich
KLeinschmid , A an ga den in Os und Wes . Li e a u , Musik und Bildende Kuns um
1900, Köln 2002, p. 271-295. Fo ambigui y as aes he ic pa adigm in a : Ve ena K iege
e al. (ed.), Ambigui ä in de Kuns . Typen und Funk ionen eines äs he ischen
Pa adigmas, Köln 2010.
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11. S indbe g, Syl a Syl a um, p. 244 .
12. Feuk 2001, p. 123.
13. S indbe g, Ein Blaubuch, p. 380.
14. Augus S indbe g, In e no, in: Ann-Cha lo e Ga el Adams (ed.), Augus S indbe gs
Samlade Ve k, 37, S ockholm 1994, p. 206. Quo ed a e : Da io Gamboni, “Dieses
Schille n de Eind ücke eu e mich…”. Augus S indbe g und unabsich liche Bilde im
Pa is de 1890e Jah e, in: Ge ha on G ae eni z/S e an Riege /Felix Thü lemann (ed.),
Die Un e meidlichkei de Bilde , Tübingen 2001, p. 173-186, 179.
15. Feuk 1991, p. 28. Conce ning he e m ‚second na u e’ compa e: No be Ra h, Zwei e
Na u . Konzep e eine Ve mi lung on Na u und Kul u in An h opologie und Äs he ik
um 1800, Be lin 1996.
16. F iedlieb Fe dinand Runge, Zu Fa benchemie. Mus e bilde ü eunde des Schönen
und zum Geb auch ü Zeichne , Male , Ve zie e und Zeugd ucke . Da ges ell du ch
chemische Wechselwi kung, Be lin 1850; Id., De Bildungs ieb de S o e.
Ve anschaulich in selbs ändig gewachsenen Bilde n, O anienbu g 1855. C .: F ied ich
Wel zien, Vom Bildungs ieb de S o e. Ode : wie sieh Lebendigkei aus?, in: A men
A anessian e al., Vi a aes he ica. Szena ien äs he ische Lebendigkei , Zü ich/Be lin
2009, p. 31-44.
17. Johann F ied ich Blumenbach, Übe den Bildungs ieb und das Zeugungsgeschä e,
Gö ingen 1781.
18. C . S indbe g, Nisus o ma i us ode unbewuß e Bild ieb, in: Ein Blaubuch, p. 211.
19. William Hen y Fox Talbo , The pencil o Na u e, ed. by Ba ne Newhall, New Yo k
1969. E en S i ndbe g imp in ed he blossom o a hellebo e on pho osensi i e pape ,
which un o una ely did no su i e. C . S indbe g, Übe die Lich wi kung de
Fo og a ie. Be ach ungen aus Anlaß de X-S ahlen, in: Ve wi e Sinneseind ücke, p.
122-130.
20. Ca ol A ms ong, Came aless: F om Na u al Illus a ion and Na u e P i n s o Manual
and Pho ogenic D awings and O he Bo anog aphs, in: Ocean Flowe s. Imp essions om
Na u e, New Yo k 2004, p. 87-165, 94 .
21. C . Pe S am, Na u e enskapliga Sk i e II, Augus S indbe gs Samlade Ve k Band
36, S ockholm 2003, p. 416 , Appendix.
22. Augus S indbe g, Übe die di ec e Fa b o og a ie, in: Ve wi e Sinneseind ücke p.
119-121, 119.
23. P ocès- e baux des séances de la Socié é as onomique de F ance, 1895, p. 29. C .
Pe e Geime , Bilde aus Ve sehen. Eine Geschich e o og a ische E scheinungen,
Hambu g 2010, p. 115, no e 187.
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24. Augus S indbe g, Übe die Lich wi kung bei de Fo og a ie. Be ach ungen aus
Anlaß de X-S ahlen, in: Ve wi e Sinneseind ücke, p. 122-130, 128.
25. C . V eni Hockenjos, Phan om, Schein, T aumbild. Zu isuellen Wah nehmung bei
Augus S indbe g, in: Wal e Baumga ne /Thomas Fechne -Sma sly (ed.), Augus
S indbe g. De Dich e und die Medien, München 2003, p. 236-252.
26. Quo ed a e Fechne -Sma lsly 2007, p. 39.
27. S indbe g, Übe die di ec e Fa b o og a ie, p. 119 .
28. S indbe g, De Himmel und das Auge, in: Ve wi e Sinneseind ücke, p. 117-119, 117.
29. C . Fechne -Sma sly 2007, p. 33.
30. S indbe g, De Himmel und das Auge, p. 118.
31. Das on/Galison 2007.
32. Quo ed a e Geime 2010, p. 113, no e 181.
33. Ka h in Busch, A is ic Resea ch and he Poe ics o Knowledge, in: A & Resea ch. A
Jou nal o Ideas, Con ex s and Me hods, ol. 2, n. 2, 2009,
h p://www.a and esea ch.o g.uk/ 2n2/busch.h ml (19.10.2010).
34. William Hen y Fox Talbo , Pho ogenic D awing. To he Edi o o he Li e a y Gaze e,
in: Li e a y Gaze e and Jou nal o Belles Le es, A s, Sciences, &c , 2 nd o Feb ua y
1839, n . 1150, p. 73-74, 73.
35. S indbe g, Neue Kuns o men! Ode de Zu all im küns le ischen Scha en, in:
Ve wi e Sinneseind ücke, p. 30-38.
36. Augus Wilhelm Schlegel, Be line Vo lesungen 1801-1802, in: Vo lesungen übe
Äs he ik, ol. 1 (1798-1803), ed. by E ns Behle , Pade bo n 1989, p. 258. Quo ed a e :
F ied ich Wel zien, Desc ibing Landscape – Expe iencing Na u e. Augus Wilhelm
Schlegel’s Concep ion o ‘Selbs hä igkei ’ and Aes he ic Judgemen , in: E na Fio en ini
(ed.), Obse ing Na u e – Rep esen ing Expe ience. The osmo ic dynamics o
Roman icism 1800-1850, Be lin 2007, p. 205-219, 213.
37. Quo ed a e Da io Gamboni, Po en ial images. Ambigui y and inde e minacy in
mode n a , London 2002, p. 29.
38. C . O o S elze , Die Vo geschich e de abs ak en Male ei. Denkmodelle und
Vo bilde , München 1964.
39. Pe e Geime , Image as T ace: Specula ions abou an undead Pa adigm, in:
di e ences: A Jou nal o Feminis Cul u al S udies, ol. 18, n. 1, 2007, p. 8-28, 8.
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40. Sybille K äme , Was also is eine Spu ? Und wo in bes eh ih e epis emologische
Rolle? Eine Bes andsau nahme, in: id. e al., Spu . Spu enlesen als O ien ie ungs echnik
und Wissenskuns , F ank u a. Main 2007, p. 11-33, 16.
41. Sybille K äme , Immanenz und T anszendenz de Spu . Übe das epis emologische
Doppelleben de Spu , in: id. e al., p. 155-181.
42. C . Geime 2010, p. 17.
43. Ibid., p. 18.
P e e ed ci a ion: S eidl, Ka ha ina. 2011. T aces o /by na u e:
Augus S indbe g’s pho og aphic expe imen s
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