Daguerreotypes - The Forgotten Photos

Half-length portrait of John Brown with his arms folded. Sixth-plate Daguerreotype. Circa 1856. (Source: Wikimedia Commons).

Daguerreotypes are one of the earliest forms of photography. They were invented by Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre, and were first introduced to the world in 1839. At the time, they represented a major breakthrough in the field of photography, and they were widely used throughout the 19th century. However, as newer forms of photography were developed, daguerreotypes fell out of favor, and they were largely forgotten. In this article, we will explore the history of daguerreotypes, and examine why these early photographs are still relevant today.

History of Daguerreotypes

The history of daguerreotypes dates back to the early 19th century, when inventors and scientists around the world were experimenting with ways to capture images using light. In 1826, the French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce created the first known photograph, using a process known as heliography. This process involved exposing a metal plate coated with bitumen to light, and then washing it with a solvent to reveal the image.

Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre was a French artist who had been working on a way to capture images of his own for many years. He collaborated with Niépce, and together they developed a new process for capturing images using a silver-coated copper plate. This process involved sensitizing the plate with fumes from iodine crystals, exposing the plate to light, and then developing the image using mercury vapor.

The resulting images were incredibly detailed, and daguerreotypes quickly became a popular form of portraiture. They were widely used throughout the 19th century, and many famous figures, including Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, had their portraits taken using this process.

How Daguerreotypes Were Made

Daguerreotypes were made using a complex process that involved several steps. The first step was to prepare the silver-coated copper plate. This involved cleaning the plate with a mixture of whiting and alcohol, and then polishing it to a high shine using a piece of soft leather.

Daguerreotype apparatus (Source: link).

The plate was then sensitized with fumes from iodine crystals. This process created a thin layer of silver iodide on the surface of the plate, which was sensitive to light. The plate was then loaded into the camera, which was typically a large, wooden box with a lens on the front.

Once the camera was set up and focused, the plate was exposed to light for a period of time that varied depending on the brightness of the scene being photographed. After the exposure was complete, the plate was removed from the camera and taken to the darkroom.

In the darkroom, the plate was developed using mercury vapor. The plate was placed in a closed box, along with a container of mercury. The box was then heated, causing the mercury to vaporize and condense on the exposed areas of the plate. This process created a visible image on the plate, which was then fixed using a solution of sodium thiosulfate.

The resulting image was a positive, meaning that the areas that had been exposed to light appeared darker than the unexposed areas. The image was also laterally reversed, meaning that the left side of the image was on the right side of the plate, and vice versa.

Boulevard du Temple, Paris, 3rd arrondissement, Daguerreotype. Made in 1838 by inventor Louis Daguerre, this is believed to be the earliest photograph showing a living person. It is a view of a busy street, but because the exposure lasted for 4 to 5 minutes, the moving traffic left no trace. Only the two men near the bottom left corner, one apparently having his boots polished by the other, stayed in one place long enough to be visible. As with most daguerreotypes, the image is a mirror image. (Source: Wikimedia Commons).

Why Daguerreotypes Were Important

Daguerreotypes were an important innovation in the field of photography, for several reasons. First, they represented a major advance in the quality of photographic images. Prior to the invention of the daguerreotype, photographic images were often blurry and poorly defined. The daguerreotype process produced images that were incredibly detailed and sharp, making them ideal for portraiture.

Second, daguerreotypes were a relatively affordable form of photography. While the initial cost of setting up a daguerreotype studio was high, once the equipment was in place, it was relatively inexpensive to produce individual plates. This made daguerreotypes accessible to a wider range of people, and helped to popularize photography as a medium for capturing images.

Third, daguerreotypes were durable. Because the image was created directly on the surface of the plate, there was no negative that could be damaged or lost. This meant that daguerreotypes could be easily replicated, and that they could be stored for long periods of time without deteriorating.

Daguerreotypes were an important cultural artifact. They captured the faces and lives of people from a particular moment in history, and provided a unique window into the past. Many daguerreotypes were taken of ordinary people, and they offer a glimpse into the lives of those who might not have been well-known or well-documented through other sources.