Developing Chemical

Donor Name:J. Gordon Henderson
Item #: M980.0045.011

A bottle of crystal pyro, a white powdery crystal made by superheating gallic acid.  Pyrogallic acid, popularly known as pyro, is a chemical used for developing photographic negatives.  It was used throughout the 1900s.  Crystal pyro fell out of general  use around 1920.

  • From the collection of J. Gordon Henderson, a photographer in Goderich from 1930 to 1980.
  • J. Gordon Henderson bought his business from J. W. Trussler.  The business was previously owned by J. T. Fell and Fred Brophey.