INVENTING THE
DAGUERREOTYPE

By 1837, after nearly a decade of trials, Daguerre devised a revolutionary type of image. He called it the Daguerreotype. Adhering a thin sheet of polished silver to a copper plate, he made it light sensitive by exposing it to the vapors from heated iodine crystals. Camera exposures of 15-30 minutes were needed to make an impression. The latent image was fully developed by treating it with mercury vapor. Fixed in a solution of salt and hot water, the positive image became permanent.



Daguerre officially unveiled his invention in 1839. The Daguerreotype could only be seen in certain lights and from particular angles. And it could not be mass produced. Each image was singular and unique.

Despite the drawbacks, Daguerreotypes offered images of extraordinary clarity and beauty. There was no comparison between Daguerre's pictures and the crude, grainy photos produced by Talbot.

A consummate showman and entrepreneur, Daguerre turned his energies to marketing and licensing his new invention. In a partnership with his brother-in-law, Daguerre began manufacturing the Giroux camera. The instrument, packaged with Daguerre's 79-page instruction manual, was immediately in high demand. Giroux cameras were soon shipped around the globe.

Enthusiasts and entrepreneurs improved Daguerre's basic methods. The introduction of fast achromatic lenses, large apertures, and an improved development process utilizing mercury and bromide chlorine vapors, brought exposure time down to two minutes. Innovations continued over the next decade as the Daguerreotype became firmly established. Yet by 1860 this novel and celebrated new art form would be all but forgotten.


for more information consult

Daguerre - Biogramm at Leggat's History of Photography

Daguerre Chonology - prepared at montana.edu

A History of the Daguerreotype - prepared by The Daguerreian Society

Daguerre and Niepce : The invention of photography - by About.com

Daguerre's Manual : A Bibliographical Enigma - essay by Pierre G. Harmant