Robert Hunt (1807-1887) was an English pharmacist, photographer, poet, and mineralogist. He is best known for authoring an early analysis of the photographic process (A Popular Treatise on the Art of Photography, 1840) and for his work compiling mineralogical surveys of Great Britain.

Hunt was born on September 6, 1807 in Devonport (formerly Plymouth Dock), England, to Robert Hunt (d. 1807) and Honour Thomas Hunt (1781-1842). He never knew his father. The elder Robert Hunt was a naval carpenter and was lost at sea in the eastern Mediterranean with his ship, the HMS Moucheron, earlier in 1807, prior to the younger Robert's birth.

After spending his early childhood in Devon and Cornwall, Hunt was sent by his mother to London to learn pharmacy. There, he worked for a surgeon and later managed a drug dispensary. In 1830-1831, he relocated to Penzance and went in to business with his uncle James Thomas as a chemist and druggist. Shortly thereafter in 1834, he met and married his wife, Harriet Swanson (1808-1896). The family partnership with Uncle James did not last; it dissolved after a few years, and Hunt relocated to London in an attempt to make it as a playwright. This latter venture did not pan out. In 1837, Hunt returned home to Devonport and set up his own pharmacy.

At this time, Hunt began branching out to other pursuits, particularly scientific writing. He published in the Philosophical Magazine, the Art Journal, The Athenaeum, British Association Reports, Chemist, Pharmaceutical Times, and the Photographic Journal. He became interested in photography, and wrote the first comprehensive work on the subject in Britain, penning A Popular Treatise on the Art of Photography in 1840. He was an original member of the Calotype Club (1847) and of the Photographic Society of Great Britain (1853). He also was involved with the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society at Falmouth and the British Association, where he interacted with leading scientific figures of the time. In 1848, Hunt wrote The Poetry of Science, an ambitious attempt to wax lyrical about science for a public audience. The work was well received.

Also at this time, Hunt began a 30-year association with the mining industry. In 1845, he was assigned keeper of the mining record office, working under the geological survey of Henry De la Beche. He compiled statistics on mineral production as part of his responsibilities. In 1851, Hunt was hired as professor of mechanical science in the newly created School of Mines. He advocated for mining education in southwestern England, and was involved in an abortive school of mines at Truro and a miners' association of Devon and Cornwall. Hunt retired in 1883 and published the monumental industry guide, British Mining, the following year.

Hunt was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society in 1854 and as a fellow of the Royal Statistical Society in 1855.

Hunt died on October 17, 1887 in London.

Additional Biographical Notes:

Clarke, Hyde, 1815-1895. English engineer and philologist.

Claudet, Antoine Francois Jean, 1797-1867, French photographer.

Cole, Henry, 1808-1882. English official.

De La Beche, Henry T. (Henry Thomas), 1796-1855. Geologist.

Fairbairn, William, Sir, 1789-1874. Noted Scottish engineer.

Farr, William, 1807-1883. English statistician.

Oldham, Thomas, 1816-1878. Geologist. Director of the Irish Geological Survey.

Ramsay, A. C. (Andrew Crombie), 1814-1891. Scottish geologist. Director-General of the Geological Survey of the United Kingdom.

Siemens, Charles William, 1823-1883. German metallurgist and electrician. Laid Atlantic cable.

Ure, Andrew, 1778-1857. Scottish chemist and scientific writer.

Wheatstone, Charles, Sir, 1802-1875. English physicist.

Wilson, George, 1818-1859. Scottish chemist and religious writer.

Physical description

32 items

Provenance

Initial acquisition was purchased from unknown source and accessioned, 1977 (1977 603.a ms, 733.a ms). Subsequent purchase from W. Myers auction (Sotheby's - Rawlins; accessioned, 06/30/1980 (1980 1301ms)

• Christie, Alfred
• Clarke, Hyde, 1815-1895
• Claudet, A. (Antoine), 1797-1867
• Cole, Henry, 1808-1882
• De La Beche, Henry T. (Henry Thomas), 1796-1855
• Fairbairn, William, Sir, 1789-1874
• Farr, William, 1807-1883
• Hunt, Robert, 1807-1887
• Oldham, Thomas, 1816-1878
• Ramsay, A. C. (Andrew Crombie), 1814-1891
• Ure, Andrew, 1778-1857
• Wheatstone, Charles, Sir, 1802-1875
• Wilson, George, 1818-1859

• Geology.
• Light.
• Photography.
• Physics.
• Scientific apparatus and instruments.