William Willis Jr. (1841–1923)[1] is a British inventor who developed the platinum printing process, an early form of photography, based on the light sensitivity of platinum salts, originally discovered by John Herschel.
[3] Willis made the first platinum print in 1873 and patented it,[4] but the process was imperfect, attracting little interest.
By 1879 he had improved the process sufficiently to justify founding the Platinotype Company to market his papers.
[5] He lived for many years in Bromley (Kent) and took a considerable interest in the nearby local cottage hospital to which he donated land and funds as well as buying their first X-ray machine.
Auditor and a Vice President of the Bromley Camera Club and continued his connection with them even after moving away in 1912.