John C. Moss

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John Calvin Moss (1836—April 8, 1892) invented the first practicable photo-engraving process in 1863. It led to a revolution in printing and eventually to the mass marketing of newspapers and magazines and books which combined photographs with traditional text.

Moss’ process was enhanced over the years by continuing innovations such as Frederick E. Ives’ invention in 1886 of half-tone engraving for newspaper photographs. His legacy appears today on everything from postcards to coffee table books. Before Moss’ invention, publications used wood engravings for illustrations, a labor-intensive process done by hand that did not lend itself to mass production.

Moss turned out to be an extraordinary inventor but a hard-luck businessman with not much talent for self-promotion. He received little recognition for his invention during his lifetime, except from colleagues in the printing and publishing industry.

John Moss was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, in 1836. At age 17 he became an apprentice to a Philadelphia printer. When barely 19, he married Mary A. Bryant, who became his partner in developing a workable photo-engraving method. Moss attributed Mary’s help to much of his success.

In 1858 Moss became a photographer and began experiments in photographic chemistry. Being both a practical photographer and a professional printer helped put him in the forefront of inventors who were striving to perfect a photo-engraving process.

Moss studied the work of Nicéphore Niepce (1765-1833), a French doctor who produced the world’s first photograph in 1826. He also mastered the technique of L.J.M Daguerre, a Frenchman who joined with Niepce to produce, in 1835, what became known as the first daguerreotype photograph, and which was followed by the worldwide commercial success of daguerreotypes.

A daguerreotype was made by exposing a polished silvered copper plate to an iodine vapor, which left a thin coat of light sensitive silver iodide on the copper. The plate was then placed over heated mercury, and the vapor combined with the silver particles to create an image. Sodium thiosulphate fixed the image.

The weakness in the process came from the fact that the finished photograph had to be framed behind sealed glass to prevent oxidation of the silver, which would cause the photograph to deteriorate. Each image was unique and no copy could be made. This was largely why the daguerreotype became obsolete within 20 years of its invention.

Another inventor, William Henry Fox Talbot, an Englishman, took the development a step further by inventing the world’s first multi-copy photographic process in 1841. He also used material sensitized with silver iodide. More progress was made by others, and in 1852 Fox Talbot patented a prototype of photo-engraving.

But finding a workable solution for the mass production of photographs and text printed on an ordinary printing press remained out of reach. This failure of technology became of particular interest as photography itself made great advances—illustrated by Mathew Brady’s work during the 1860s, in the American Civil War.

After another inventor tried but failed to etch a daguerreotype plate with electricity, Moss made a galvanic battery and began experiments that led in 1863 to the discovery of his photo-engraving process. It had taken him five years of relentless work.

This was Moss’ eureka! moment, although there were still glitches to be worked out. Realizing the value of his invention, he and Mary moved in 1863 to New Jersey and then to New York City with dreams of making their fortune.

In its issue of September 18, 1875, the Scientific American magazine described what happened to Moss and his wife for the next eight years.

“There are some inventions which, though of great value, are slow in winning their way to public favor,” Scientific American wrote. “This proved to be one of them. There existed in the minds of many publishers a strong prejudice against process engraving because several processes had been introduced, of which they had made trial with very unsatisfactory results. Time was required to prove that Moss’ process was not like the others.”

Perhaps an even greater obstacle arose from the opposition of wood engravers and the reluctance of artists to change their style of drawing to fit this new art. The wood engravers feared—quite rightly, as it turned out—that Moss’ invention would decimate their profession. The artists did not favor Moss because they were accustomed to sketching their drawings quickly with pencil and brush, leaving the finished work to be done by the slow and tedious toil of the wood engraver. Moss’ process required that they spend enough time to complete their drawings, which would then be photographed.

In the face of active opposition by wood engravers and the yawning indifference of publishers, Moss and his wife struggled in their home-workshop under penurious circumstances for eight years, attracting few clients, until they finally found several backers willing to invest in a new company devoted to photo-engraving.

The Actinic Engraving Company was formed in 1871 in New York City.

Michael George Duignan, who was one of Moss’ first backers, had published a massive work of a quarter million words in 1862, entitled Positive Facts without a Shadow of Doubt, which revealed him to be an eccentric visionary with theories about everything from religion to philosophy to international affairs. One chapter of his book was—perhaps facetiously—titled “How to Torment Your Wife.”

Duignan urged the Actinic Company to make its national debut by publishing the first photo-engraved copy of the Declaration of Independence. This would be the world’s first document of international importance to be photo-engraved, and Duignan believed it would make a big splash with the general public.

Facsimiles of the Declaration of Independence had been wildly popular from the 1820s until the 1850s and the outbreak of the Civil War. One in eight American families had a Declaration framed on the wall of their homes. The most famous facsimiles were produced by two competing entrepreneurs, John Binns and Benjamin Tyler.

Duignan obtained the Binns facsimile of an ornamental Declaration of Independence, published in 1819 with wood engravings, and gave it to Moss to be photo-engraved. Duignan, who was of French background, added and signed a presumptuous dedication to his fellow U.S. citizens at the bottom of the Binns print. He also requested and received a copyright from the Library of Congress. This made Michael Duignan the only individual ever to claim ownership to an edition of America’s most sacred and historic document!

Since Duignan owned the copyright, Moss could not mass produce the Declaration without his permission, and Duignan proved to be no marketing visionary. Very few copies were produced. In June 1872, two months after Duignan copyrighted the Declaration of Independence, Moss dissolved the Actinic Engraving Company, and started over without Duignan.

Moss found a more amenable investor and in 1873 founded the Moss Photo-Engraving Company. The Scientific American and Puck and other periodicals gave him contracts that paved the way for his growing success. He invented new machinery and techniques to speed up the process of photo-engraving.

By 1875, his 60 employees were annually turning out an amount of work that would have required at least 1,000 wood engravers. Moss photo-engraved original work, but a large part of his business consisted of reproducing woodcut and lithographic prints for mass production.

Thanks to the unheralded John Moss, America became the leader in the world for mass producing periodicals and books that contained actual photographs instead of wood-engraved drawings.

Desiring to be, finally, the sole master of his own company and inventions, Moss left the Photo-Engraving Company in 1880 and established the Moss Engraving Company, which was also a success.

John C. Moss died in 1892, age 56, at his home in Brooklyn, leaving behind his wife Mary and one son.

The Moss 1872 Declaration was the world’s first major document to be photo-engraved. At the bottom of the Declaration M.G. Duignan wrote a dedication as follows: “To the People of the United States this ornamented copy of the original Declaration of Independence is respectfully dedicated by their fellow citizen M. G. Duignan.”

Then it is followed material taken from the Binns Declaration and concludes at the end with: “Engraved by Actinic Engraving Co, 113 Liberty Street, New York. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1872, by M.G. Duignan, in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. Printed by GEO Wheat & Co. 8 Spruce Street, New York.

The 1872 Moss Declaration of Independence was copyrighted (above) by writer M.G. Duignan—the only individual to be granted ownership to America’s most sacred document. Presumably, Duignan was granted copyright because it was the first photo-engraved reproduction of the Declaration. The copyright is on file at the U.S. Copyright Office in Washington, D.C.

Advertisements by the Moss Photo-Engraving Company. Moss left this company and established the Moss Engraving Company in 1880 with himself as sole owner.

Obituary of John C. Moss – Publishers’ Weekly – April 1892

John Calvin Moss, inventor of the first practicable photo-engraving process and head of the Moss Engraving Company, died on the 8th inst.,[April 8, 1892] at his home, 54th Street and 4th Avenue, South Brooklyn, N.Y. He was born in 1836 in Washington County, Pa. and was early intended by his parents for the ministry. But he felt no inclination in that direction, and at the age of 17 entered a printing office in Philadelphia, devoting much of his time to the study of fine arts. When barely 19 he married Miss Mary A. Bryant, who worked with him in his experiments, and to whose aid he attributed much of his success. In 1858 he became a photographer, experimenting in photographic chemistry and studying the processes of Daguerre and his predecessors. Following the attempt of Prof. Grove to etch on a Daguerrean plate by means of electricity, he made a galvanic battery and entered into experiments which resulted in the discovery of his photo-engraving process. Realizing the value of this invention, in 1863 Mr. Moss and his wife came to New York, and for eight years had a hard struggle, getting a few orders, but meeting active opposition from the wood engravers who feared the new process would destroy their trade. In 1871 Moss organized the Actinic Company, which was dissolved the following year. With the aid of a friend he established the Photo-Engraving Company in 1873. This was successful, and in 1880 Mr. Moss left this company and organized the present Moss Engraving Company. His wife is still living, and he leaves one son.

Digitized by Google/The Publishers’ Weekly Vol. XLI January to June, 1892 Moss, John C./Obituary/Index/613

For an article on John C. Moss describing his work and ultimate success as the inventor of the first practicable photo-engraving process, see: Scientific American 1845-1908; September 18, 1875; Vol. XXXIII; No. 12; pg. 178; Library of Congress, APS Online.

Michael G. Duignan’s book “Positive facts without a shadow of a doubt” is in the Library of Congress.

Positive facts without a shadow of a doubt 2nd edition New York, 1862 LOC Call Number: BR50.D8 1862