Wednesday, March 22, 2017

What Is a Daguerreotype Camera?

What Is a Daguerreotype Camera?

A daguerreotype camera is an early form of camera. It uses metal plates covered in an amalgam of silver and mercury to make them light-sensitive. Daguerreotypes were the first photographic process to enjoy commercial success. The daguerreotype process was later rendered obsolete by more advanced photographic technology but still enjoys a following among art photographers.

Early Photography

    The daguerreotype camera evolved from earlier cameras such as the camera obscura. The camera obscura could project three-dimensional scenes onto a flat two-dimensional surface. Without light sensitive materials to capture the images, however, pictures made with the camera obscura were not permanent. In 1826, Joseph-Nicephore Nipce, a French photochemist, took the first real photograph: an image of a barn which needed an eight hour exposure. Nipce called this image a "heliograph," a sun-drawing.

The Development of the Daguerreotype

    Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre was an associate of Joseph-Nicephore Nipce. He built on the work Nipce had already done, developing his own photosensitive materials. In 1835 an accident involving a broken mercury thermometer led to Daguerre's discovery of the silver-mercury amalgam that would prove crucial to his invention. When applied to a polished metal plate, the mixture allowed lasting photographic images to be created. Little more than a decade after Nipce's heliograph, Daguerre took the first pictures with his daguerreotype camera. In 1839 he disclosed his method to the public.

Popularity

    Unlike earlier photographic apparatus the daguerreotype was portable -- it could be folded up and taken from place to place. The twenty-minute exposure period required to take daguerreotype photographs seems excessively long by modern standards but was revolutionary at the time. The daguerreotype swept Europe and the United States during the mid-19th century. In 1857 Ichiki Shiro took the first known Japanese photograph, a daguerreotype of his daimyo (feudal lord).

Decline

    After enjoying a decade of widespread popularity the daguerreotype began to lose ground to less complex and cheaper forms of photography. Daguerrotype photos were very delicate, easily smudged and needing to be kept in glass cases to prevent the silver compounds from oxidizing. Newer technologies such as the ambrotype and tintype began to supplant the daguerreotype and by the 1860s it was no longer the predominant form of photography.

Daguerreotypes Today

    Antique daguerreotype photographs command a respectable price if they are in good condition and the subject is interesting. The technology also enjoys a following among art photographers who appreciate the ephemeral and delicate quality of the medium.


What Is a Daguerreotype Camera?

A daguerreotype camera is an early form of camera. It uses metal plates covered in an amalgam of silver and mercury to make them light-sensitive. Daguerreotypes were the first photographic process to enjoy commercial success. The daguerreotype process was later rendered obsolete by more advanced photographic technology but still enjoys a following among art photographers.

Early Photography

    The daguerreotype camera evolved from earlier cameras such as the camera obscura. The camera obscura could project three-dimensional scenes onto a flat two-dimensional surface. Without light sensitive materials to capture the images, however, pictures made with the camera obscura were not permanent. In 1826, Joseph-Nicephore Nipce, a French photochemist, took the first real photograph: an image of a barn which needed an eight hour exposure. Nipce called this image a "heliograph," a sun-drawing.

The Development of the Daguerreotype

    Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre was an associate of Joseph-Nicephore Nipce. He built on the work Nipce had already done, developing his own photosensitive materials. In 1835 an accident involving a broken mercury thermometer led to Daguerre's discovery of the silver-mercury amalgam that would prove crucial to his invention. When applied to a polished metal plate, the mixture allowed lasting photographic images to be created. Little more than a decade after Nipce's heliograph, Daguerre took the first pictures with his daguerreotype camera. In 1839 he disclosed his method to the public.

Popularity

    Unlike earlier photographic apparatus the daguerreotype was portable -- it could be folded up and taken from place to place. The twenty-minute exposure period required to take daguerreotype photographs seems excessively long by modern standards but was revolutionary at the time. The daguerreotype swept Europe and the United States during the mid-19th century. In 1857 Ichiki Shiro took the first known Japanese photograph, a daguerreotype of his daimyo (feudal lord).

Decline

    After enjoying a decade of widespread popularity the daguerreotype began to lose ground to less complex and cheaper forms of photography. Daguerrotype photos were very delicate, easily smudged and needing to be kept in glass cases to prevent the silver compounds from oxidizing. Newer technologies such as the ambrotype and tintype began to supplant the daguerreotype and by the 1860s it was no longer the predominant form of photography.

Daguerreotypes Today

    Antique daguerreotype photographs command a respectable price if they are in good condition and the subject is interesting. The technology also enjoys a following among art photographers who appreciate the ephemeral and delicate quality of the medium.



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