Atget's camera and negatives

[Dr Juliet Hacking]

I am researching Eugene Atget and wish to know more about how the camera that he used would have contributed to the distinctive appearance of his photographs. I have only just started my research so apologies if I have overlooked an obvious source. At the moment all discussion is about his use of glass negatives and mainly albumen prints. I understand that he got his negatives from Lumiere bros - do we know what type of negative they were?

[Ian Wallace]

Juliet,

You might like to have a look at the readily available Taschen book by Hans Christian Adam,  He does not answer the questions directly but does note Adget used a wooden camera that took 18cm x 24cm glass plates.

The distinctive appearance is due to the choice of lens.  Atget as I understand it, liked close range lenses that gave a heightened perspective effect. He was less concerned about image 'perfection' and more concerned about documentary recording of the places he visited, hence a number of the effects and marks seen on the images.

I'm sure more learned commentators will give you more details!

Ian