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The daguerreotype, one of the earliest forms of photography, was patented by French artist Louis Daguerre in 1839. The daguerreotype is a thin silver or silver coated piece of copper that is prepared with chemicals and fit into a box-like camera. The plate is then exposed to light for a predetermined amount of time and the image “burns” itself onto the plate. The photo is then covered and brought over to a dark room, where it is then “fixed” with a sodium-like solution, and then treated with gold chloride and fit into a case to seal and protect it.

Daguerre invented the daguerreotype process in France, and the invention was announced to the public on August 19, 1839 at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris. American photographers quickly capitalized on this new invention. In the early 1840s, the invention was introduced in a period of months to practitioners in the United States by Samuel Morse, inventor of the telegraph code. One of these original Morse Daguerreotype cameras is currently on display at the National Museum of American History, a branch of the Smithsonian, in Washington, DC. A flourishing market in portraiture sprang up, predominantly the work of itinerant practitioners who traveled from town to town. For the first time in history, people could obtain an exact likeness of themselves or their loved ones for a modest cost, making portrait photographs extremely popular with those of modest means. Daguerreotypists in major cities invited celebrities and political figures to their studios in the hopes of obtaining a likeness for display in their windows and reception areas. By 1850, there were over 70 daguerreotype studios in New York City alone. Popularity of the daguerreotype declined in the late 1850s when the ambrotype, a faster and less expensive photographic process, became available.

Antique Daguerreotype
US $20.00 (1 Bid)
End Date: Saturday Sep-04-2010 4:08:35 PDT
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Antique 1840s Daguerreotype of a Woman in Bonnet
US $450.00
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Antique 1840s Daguerreotype of a Young Man
US $500.00
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Gutta Percha Daguerreotype Case
US $950.00
End Date: Tuesday Sep-07-2010 12:57:51 PDT
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The daguerreotype is a direct-positive process, creating a highly detailed image on a sheet of copper plated with a thin coat of silver without the use of a negative. The process required great care. The silver-plated copper plate had first to be cleaned and polished until the surface looked like a mirror. Next, the plate was sensitized in a closed box over iodine until it took on a yellow-rose appearance. The plate, held in a lightproof holder, was then transferred to the camera. After exposure to light, the plate was developed over hot mercury until an image appeared. To fix the image, the plate was immersed in a solution of sodium thiosulfate or salt and then toned with gold chloride.

Although daguerreotypes are unique images, they could be copied by redaguerreotyping the original. Copies were also produced by lithography or engraving. Portraits based upon daguerreotypes appeared in popular periodicals and in books.

The earliest cameras used in the daguerreotype process were made by opticians and instrument makers, or sometimes even by the photographers themselves. The most popular cameras utilized a sliding-box design. The lens was placed in the front box. A second, slightly smaller box, slid into the back of the larger box. The focus was controlled by sliding the rear box forward or backwards. A laterally reversed image would be obtained unless the camera was fitted with a mirror or prism to correct this effect. When the sensitized plate was placed in the camera, the lens cap would be removed to start the exposure.

Dauguerrotypes are now prized by collectors and are available in shops, shows and on-line. A daguerreotype will have a shiny mirror-like reflection and should always be in a “Union Case” or another type of hard plastic case (yes they had plastic back then) to preserve them from the air.