The invention of photography in the late 1830s is conventionally framed in terms of simultaneous rival developments by a few well-known figures in England and France. Less attention has been paid to how early photography was shaped by a wider cast of individuals placed in both metropolitan and regional networks of science and applied arts. Drawing in particular on recent studies on networks and the geography of science, this article examines the significant but frequently overlooked contributions made to early photography by the chemist and popular science writer Robert Hunt (1807–87) as a way to open up questions about the spatial networks of early photography. Based in southwest Britain, and from a relatively humble background, Hunt experimented widely with early photographic processes. He used correspondence with key figures of Victorian science, notably Sir John Herschel, to share his knowledge and build a reputation within influential networks of early science and publishing. This article argues that Hunt’s foundational contributions to early photography – which were widely recognised in the half century after his death – need to be better appreciated and understood within the setting of spatial networks of science and applied arts at various scales. These include regional networks, such as those in Cornwall; metropolitan circles in London; national networks, such as the British Association for the Advancement of Science; and national and international networks of publishers and readers. As an examination of Hunt’s work demonstrates, accounts of early photography may profit from paying more attention to the networks and places in which photographers, photographs and writings on photography were located.

中文翻译：

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放置早期摄影：罗伯特·亨特在 19 世纪中叶英国的作品

1830 年代后期摄影的发明通常是根据英国和法国的一些知名人物同时进行的竞争发展来定义的。较少关注早期摄影是如何被更多人置于都市和区域科学和应用艺术网络中的。本文特别借鉴了最近对网络和科学地理学的研究，探讨了化学家和科普作家罗伯特·亨特（Robert Hunt，1807-87 年）对早期摄影做出的重要但经常被忽视的贡献，以此来提出有关网络和科学地理学的问题。早期摄影的空间网络。亨特住在英国西南部，出身相对卑微，他对早期的摄影工艺进行了广泛的试验。他利用与维多利亚时代科学界关键人物的通信，特别是约翰赫歇尔爵士，分享他的知识并在早期科学和出版的有影响力的网络中建立声誉。本文认为，亨特对早期摄影的基础性贡献——在他去世后的半个世纪中得到了广泛认可——需要在不同尺度的科学和应用艺术空间网络的背景下得到更好的欣赏和理解。其中包括区域网络，例如康沃尔的网络；伦敦的大都会圈；国家网络，例如英国科学促进会；以及国内和国际出版商和读者网络。对亨特作品的考察表明，