[Ornate Vase with Handles] - Public domain museum object photo

Hippolyte Bayard (1801-1887) was a French photographer and inventor, best known for his invention of the direct positive photographic process. He was one of the pioneers of photography and a contemporary of Louis Daguerre and William Henry Fox Talbot. Born in Breteuil-sur-Noye, France, Bayard began experimenting with photography in the 1830s. In 1839 he invented the direct positive process, which allowed photographers to produce a positive image directly onto a sheet of paper without the need for a negative. Bayard's invention was a major breakthrough in photography and helped pave the way for the development of modern photographic techniques. However, his contribution to the field was overshadowed by the success of Daguerre and Talbot, who both patented their own photographic processes around the same time. In addition to his work in photography, Bayard was also an accomplished painter and sculptor. He died in Nemours, France, in 1887 at the age of 86.

Nicolaas Henneman was actually a Dutch-born English photographer, born in the Netherlands on 11 January 1813 and died on 21 January 1898. Henneman is best known for his association with the inventor of photography, William Henry Fox Talbot. He played an important role in the early development and popularisation of photography in the 19th century. Henneman initially worked as Talbot's valet, but soon became involved in experiments with the calotype process, an early photographic technique developed by Talbot. The calotype process used a light-sensitive paper to create a negative image, which could then be used to create multiple positive prints. As well as working with Talbot, Henneman ran his own photographic studio in Reading, England. He produced calotype portraits and landscapes and contributed to the development of photography as an art form. His studio was an important centre for early photography and he worked with several prominent figures of the time. Nicolaas Henneman's contributions to the field of photography, both as a collaborator with Talbot and as an independent practitioner, have had a lasting impact on the history of this visual medium.