Apap Wrote:
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> Looks like magnesium to me-

That one was probably flash powder or wire.. The Edgar brothers photos were probably magnesium ribbon or possibly very early magnesium flash bulbs. The Rutherford photos of the 1950's were certainly magnesium flash bulbs.

The first and earliest flash up until about the end of the 19th century was flash powder.
Flash powder was replaced by magnesium ribbon (higher intensity light), Magnesium wire didn't offer significant advantages over powder and was much more expensive, Ribbon was cheaper to produce, which in turn was replaced by magnesium ribbon inside a disposable bulb (more convenient use), a flash bulb. Which was in turn replaced in the 1960's by xenon electronic flash, which we still use today.
Magnesium ribbon, and magnesium flash bulbs were quite expensive and single use, one pop only, so any flash photography was quite a big deal. Even in the 1950's.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 18-Aug-17 23:17 by Jon Ellison.