Daguerreotypes

 

Tintypes and ambrotypes were born from the daguerreotype process, which were popular between 1839-early 1850's . Daguerreotypes are much more fragile and are different from tintypes in that they are silver-plated, usually are contained in Union cases, they often are more detailed, and they give off a mirror-like reflection.

In 1827, Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre, a talented French artist, chemist, and theatre designer who had previously invented the Diorama,  partnered with the inventor of the heliograph, the world’s first permanent photoraph, Joseph Niépce. After years of experimentation, and with the help of secretary of the French Academy of Sciences François Arago who lobbied the French Parliment to fund them, Louis Daguerre formally announced and patented the complicated but revolutionary photographic process known as daguerreotypy in 1839.

 

The daguerreotype is a negative image on a silver plate or silver-coated copper plate that cannot be duplicated. The plate is cleaned and polished into a mirror surface that reflects the image and makes it appear positive. The daguerreotype process was the foundation for tintypes and ambrotypes and the process is a complicated one. Plates are first carefully prepared and then placed into the camera for exposure. When exposed the plate is then developed, fixed, and treated.

 

Iodine, bromine, or chlorine vapors are mixed onto a plate to form silver halide, a chemical compound used in photographic film and paper. The plate sets into a lightproof holder and is placed into the camera. The plate is then exposed to the light from anywhere between several seconds to minutes depending on the lighting and other factors, and forms a latent image of the subject being photographed. The plate is then developed inside a developing box containing a yellow glass window for inspection by placing the plate over a slightly heated cup of mercury. The plate is then “fixed” by dipping it in a solution of hyposulphite of soda, now known as sodium thiosulphate. Treating the plate with heated gold chloride was also found to strengthen and tone the image. The cameras themselves had sliding components which held the plates, lenses, and on occasion reversing mirrors (to make true nonreversed images). Moving the boxes forwards and backwards adjusted the focus.

 

Daguerreotypes are very fragile and should be placed into a glass-fronted case. They need to be protected from touch, extreme temperatures, and too much light. The best-preserved are airvacuumed with nitrogen and can last for centuries.

 

Daguerreotypes were much more popular in the United States, where they were unhindered by English patent law. Samuel Morse, invented of the telegraph and mentor to Mathew Brady, was introducing the process in America. Matthew Brady contributed greatly to the popularity of daguerreotypes, taking thousands of influential politicians, celebrities, high society, and more. The invention of the dag was revolutionary in that for the first time in history it was no longer necessary to commission an expensive artist to have your image captured. With daguerreotypy now an exact likeness could be made and bought for a reasonable price (tintypes were even cheaper later).

 

Daguerreotypes came in different sizes, sixth plates being the most common. They were classified as whole plate (between 6 1/2 to 8 1/2 inches), half plate or 1/2 plate (between 4 1/4 to 5 1/2 inches), quarter plate or 1/4 plate (between 3 1/4 to 4 1/4 inches), sixth plate or 1/6 plate (between 2 3/4 to 3 1/4 inches), ninth plate or 1/9 plate (between 2 to 2 1/2 inches), and sixteenth plate or 1/16 plate (between 1 3/8 to 1 5/8 inches).