HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY artist portrays a woman using the clear room (or glossy room). The device; patented in 1807 by the British chemist and physicist William Hyde Wollaston (6 August 1766 - 22 December 1828); allowed the designer to superimpose the vision of the subject from the real to the support; with an optical illusion; and to "trace it" with great precision; but requiring a lot of practice and skill. Lithograph; London 1810.