Daguerreotype

 Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre was a French scene painter who created the first, successful, process of photography. Daguerre worked with Nicéphore Niépce, a French inventor and the father of photography, before his tragic death. Niépce managed to create the first ever photograph in the 1820’s, but it took eight hours to expose. Together they experimented with Schultz’s discovery of compounds and light exposure. Daguerre managed to cut down the exposure time. The daguerreotype plate, named after  Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre, had been made to capture fine details.

First daguerreotype photograph

Due to how cheap a daguerreotype was, the process wasn’t though, it became very popular among the common crowd. Although the 19th century had an obsession with death and often photographed their deceased loved ones. The process wouldn’t be repeated more than once, due to cost, but was praised because of how “unique” it made them.

Daguerreotype of a deceased child

Today people still use the daguerreotype in contemporary art. Photographers are still keeping the original form alive due to it’s macabre style. Adam Fuss, John Dugdale and Jane Hinds Bidaut are modern photographers who are still keeping daguerreotypes alive for it’s unique style and dark history with the deceased.

References

1. Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2019). Daguerreotype | photography. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/technology/daguerreotype [Accessed 7 Nov. 2019].
2. National Science and Media Museum blog. (2019). How to spot a daguerreotype (1840s–1850s). [online] Available at: https://blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/find-out-when-a-photo-was-taken-identify-daguerreotype-photography/ [Accessed 7 Nov. 2019].
3. News, S. (2019). Modern Daguerreotypes & More – Swann Galleries News. [online] Swann Galleries News. Available at: https://www.swanngalleries.com/news/2017/04/modern-daguerreotypes/ [Accessed 7 Nov. 2019].
4. The Vintage News. (2019). Taken in 1826, “View from the Window at Le Gras” is the world’s first photograph. [online] Available at: https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/07/23/43278-3/ [Accessed 7 Nov. 2019].
5. Pinterest. (2019). UNKNOWN PHOTOGRAPHER (American). Dead Child, c. 1850. Daguerreotype. Collection Richard Rudisill, Santa Fe, N.M. | History | Post mortem pictures, Death pics, Post mortem. [online] Available at: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/297730225335350257 [Accessed 7 Nov. 2019].