Background

William Abney was born on July 24, 1843 in Derby, England. His father, Edward Abney, was a vicar of St Alkmund's Derby, and owner of the Firs Estate.

Education

Abney attended Rossall School and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. In June 1902, he became Doctor of Science (D.Sc. Honoris causa), the University of Dublin.

Career

In 1861, William Abney joined the the Royal Engineers, with whom he served in India for several years. Abney became a lieutenant and then a captain (1873) in the Royal Engineers, later teaching chemistry for them at Chatham (until 1877). In 1877 he became active in London's Department for Science and Art, and in 1881 he retired from the army, becoming assistant director for science in the Science and Ait Department of South Kensington in 1884. From 1900 Sir William directed secondary education for England and Wales. He served as president of Royal Photographic Society, 1892-1894, 1896 and 1903-1905, and held posts at various learned societies as well as garnering numerous awards.

Achievements

• A specialist in the chemistry of photography, Abney was best known for the development of a photographic emulsion to map the solar spectrum far into the infrared. He was the first photographic investigator to make quantitative measurements of the relation between the transparency of the image and the exposure, according to С. E. K. Mees (Theory of the Photographic Process), and his other discoveries included copper bromide silver nitrate intensification (1877), the use of hydroquinone as a developer (1880) and silver gelatin citrochloride emulsion for printingout paper (known as P.O.P.) (1882). Abney invented the "Abney level", a combined clinometer and spirit level, used by surveyors to measure slopes and angles. He was responsible for the "Abney mounting" of a concave grating spectrograph in which the photographic plate was fixed and the entry slit moved to accommodate different regions of the spectrum. He wrote extensively in the field and was published in such periodicals as Photography and Photographic News.
  
  In 1876, Abney became Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1878 he received first Progress Medal of the Photographic Society of Great Britain ever. In 1882 William de Wiveleslie Abney was awarded the Rumford Medal. In 1885 William became Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He was also Companion of the Order of the Bath and Knight Commander (civil division) of the Order of the Bath (KCB).

Works

More photos

• book

  • INSTANTANEOUS PHOTOGRAPHY

    (An early book on how to make an instantaneous photo.)

    1895
  • Researches in colour vision and the trichromatic theory
  • Colour Measurement and Mixture - Original & Unabridged & Special Edition (ANNOTATED)
  • Instruction in photography 1900
  • The Art and Practice of Silver Printing

Connections

William had married twice: firstly Agnes Matilda Smith (died 1888), and secondly Mary Louisa Mead.

Wife:

Agnes Matilda Smith

Wife:

Mary Louisa Mead