Vero Charles Driffield (7 May 1848 – 14 November 1915) was an English

chemical A chemical substance is a form of matter having constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Some references add that chemical substance cannot be separated into its constituent elements by physical separation methods, i.e., w ...

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

who also became involved in photographic research. Driffield was educated at Liverpool Collegiate and Sandbach Grammar School. He also attended a private school in

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Iris ...

where he came into contact with a Swiss master called Dr Knecht. Leaving school he became an

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

to a

photographer A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographers As in other ...

in Southport but then decided to study engineering. In 1871 he became an engineer at the

Gaskell Gaskell is a Gaelic surname. The surname related to "Gaisgeil", meaning valorous. People with the surname * Charles George Milnes Gaskell (1842-1919), British lawyer and politician * Lady Constance Gaskell (1885–1964), British courtier * D ...

–

Deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

Works in

Widnes Widnes ( ) is an industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 census had a population of 61,464. Historically in Lancashire, it is on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form th ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

where the chief chemist was the Swiss

Ferdinand Hurter Ferdinand Hurter (15 March 1844 – 12 March 1898) was a Swiss industrial chemist who settled in England. He also carried out research into photography. Early life Ferdinand Hurter was born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, the only son of Tobi ...

. Through a common interest in music they became friends and around 1876 Driffield persuaded Hurter to take up photography as a hobby. Hurter applied his scientific mind to photography and together they carried out important research into the subject. They published eight papers and in 1898 they were jointly awarded the Progress Medal of the Royal Photographic Society.Royal Photographic Society. ''Progress medal''. Web-page listing people, who have received this award since 1878 (): "Instituted in 1878, this medal is awarded in recognition of any invention, research, publication or other contribution which has resulted in an important advance in the scientific or technological development of photography or imaging in the widest sense. This award also carries with it an Honorary Fellowship of The Society. ��1898

and Vero C Driffield �� Driffield died in 1915 and is buried in the churchyard of Farnworth church near his former collaborator Ferdinand Hurter.Hardie, p179

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