Recording-2025-02-06T14:29:03.257Z

Overview of Daguerreotypes

• Daguerreotype: An early photographic process that produces a positive image on a silver-coated copper plate.

• Inventor: Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre.

• Public Access: Daguerre sold his formula to the French government for public use, promoting widespread adoption.

• Popularity: Acclaimed for its realistic depictions, daguerreotypes saw rapid adoption across Europe and North America.

• Social Impact: Allowed diverse socio-economic classes access to portraiture.

Daguerreotype Process

• Equipment: Requires significant skill and various equipment for production.

• Preparation:

  • Copper plate with a silver coating is polished with rotten stone and alcohol for smoothness.

  • Polished plate is buffed with rouge to increase reflectivity.

• Sensitizing the Plate:

  • In a dark environment, the plate is exposed to iodine fumes to create silver iodide.

  • A second exposure to bromine enhances the light sensitivity.

• Photographic Exposure:

  • Plate loaded in a camera, requiring a long exposure time (up to 20 seconds or more).

  • Recommended methods to keep subjects still include using a head support fixture.

• Development:

  • Developed using a solution of hyposulfide of soda to fix the image, then washed to remove excess chemicals.

  • A gilding stand with gold chloride is used for further enhancement and preservation.

• Final Assembly:

  • The daguerreotype is kept safe in a case, often decorated with brass and glass covers.

Industrial Production and Impact

• Production Statistics: By the mid-1850s, around 3 million daguerreotypes were produced annually in the U.S.

• Economic Value: Represented a retail industry of approximately 7.5 million dollars.

• Cultural Relevance: Daguerreotypists became common figures in urban settings, making photography an integral part of American life.

Key Figures and Alternatives

• William Henry Fox Talbot: Developed an alternative to the daguerreotype but continued to refine his method; emphasized the usage of photography for documentation.

• Anna Atkins: Used a similar process (cyanotype) for scientific documentation, particularly botanical studies.

• Famous Early Photographers:

  • Robert Cornelius: Credited with taking the first self-portrait using the daguerreotype process.

  • Gaston Bayard: Known for his self-portrait that serves as an early example of photography that combines images with text.

Evolution of Photographic Techniques

• Transition to Collodion Wet Plate:

  • Enhanced the photographic process with better consistency and quicker results compared to earlier methods.

  • Required the plate to be sensitized and exposed quickly, making it more practical for widespread use.

Examination Guidelines

• Photograph Analysis: When answering test questions about photographs, consider content relationships between images in pairs.

• Avoid Obvious Statements: Simple observations like identifying a photo as a portrait will not earn credit.

• Variable Test Formats: Expect multiple-choice questions, fill-in-the-blanks, short answers, and potential essay questions on future tests.