By Deborah Threadgill Today, taking a picture and sending it across town or across the world is as easy as pulling out your cell phone, tapping on the camera icon, focusing and snapping the picture. With almost instantaneous results your photograph travels at lightning speed to its destination. But taking photos wasn’t always this easy. To appreciate the technological and scientific advances in photography to bring us to where we are today one needs to travel back in time, nearly 150 years ago, to when it all began. Frenchman Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre, a painter and stage designer by trade, is credited as being the inventor of the world’s first permanent photographic process in 1839. Known as the daguerreotype (in honor of its inventor) it is a permanent image, a photograph if you will, on a copper coated silver plate. Upon learning of Daguerres invention the French government voted to give Daguerre a yearly pension in exchange for full disclosure of the daguerreotype process — it was to be Frances’ gift to the world. On Aug. 21, 1839, a 79-page booklet, written by Daguerre, was published. In it were detailed, how-to instructions along with scale drawings of the required equipment — everything an aspiring daguerreotypist (the name given to a daguerreotype photographer) needed to know to duplicate the process that Daguerre had successfully achieved. According to the October 1839 issue of American Journal of Science and Arts, the pamphlet arrived on Americas shores in September 1839 aboard the steamer British Queen. Once news of this extraordinary invention became known people from all walks of life tried their hands at daguerreotypes. Galleries, as photography studios were called back then, sprung up all across the country with Boston, Philadelphia, and New York being hub cities for the daguerreotype industry. Unfortunately, while many succeeded, most failed in their endeavor to replicate the process. The earliest documented daguerreotype in America was taken in mid October 1839, just weeks after news of Daguerre’s invention broke. Taken by John Saxton of Philadelphia, it shows a very primitive image of the Central High School. This poorly detailed, diminutive image measured a mere 1¾ by 2 3/8 inches. It is recorded that Saxton did not use Daguerre’s instructions; rather he built a homemade box which utilized a magnifying glass. Another of these early daguerreotype examples resides in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. Taken in late 1839 at the studio of Alexander Wolcott and John Johnson in New York, it shows a portrait of a closed-eye Henry Fitz Jr., a telescope maker by trade, who was assisting Wolcott and Johnson in developing a larger camera than Daguerre’s that utilized a concave mirror rather than a lens. Both images by Saxton and Wolcott & Johnson are of great historical photography importance as they exemplify daguerreotypes in their infancy stage — a stage that roughly spanned from 1839-1842. During this time there was much trial and error, experimentation with new processes and a whole lot of American ingenuity at play. To say that Daguerre’s invention would set the world afire would be an understatement. Whereas before only the wealthy could commission artists to render a true-to-life image of themselves via a portrait on canvas, this invention allowed the “commoner” to hold in their hands a mini-portrait of themselves which they could take with them upon leaving the studio; albeit after a long and grueling period of standing or sitting still while the lengthy process unfolded. Once completed the developed plate was assembled together with a mat of paper or brass, cover glass and (if used) a preserver which was a thin frame of brass with flaps that folded over to the back to hold all elements together. A thin strip of paper or tape known as a seal held the plate to its cover glass. This image packet, if you will, was then placed inside a double-sided, book-like case with a strip of leather that served as a hinge. A basic case made of thin pieces of pine called rails was then covered in embossed paper to create a faux leather look, heavy cloth or genuine leather with some sort of clasp to keep the case closed. One side held the image; the other held a cushioned silk or velvet pad to protect the cover glass. A type of molded plastic image case made by combining wood fibers or coal dust with shellac and color was introduced in 1854. Called a Union case, these thermoplastic embossed cases, which often feature scenes from art or mythology, are, in and of themselves, miniature works of art. They are often mistakenly referred to as gutta-percha. It is important to note that no gutta-percha was ever used in the manufacture of photographic cases as it was much too brittle. Depending on size, rarity and condition, Union cases are highly prized by collectors who actively seek out even empty Union cases, often paying hundreds of dollars in the process. As the daguerreotype business flourished many galleries hired painters to hand-color daguerreotypes. In order to apply the color, the plate was coated with a thin film of gum Arabic and allowed to dry. After drying the colorist would breathe on the plate. This caused the plate to become sticky so that powdered, colored pigments could be applied. It has been recorded that many colored daguerreotypes done at the hand of a master colorist rivaled the look of a miniature portrait painting. And speaking of portrait paintings many daguerreotypes made were copies of original oil paintings. Such daguerreotypes are considered rare by collectors with sales of known subjects reaching into the thousands of dollars. Age will cause many flaws in the daguerreotypes such as tarnish rings; white or beige mold spiders seen as small “blobs” with tiny tendril offshoots; light buff marks from the polishing process which are seen as vertical marks on a horiontal plate and horizontal marks on a vertical plate; small green spots on the plate called salting which is a chemical reaction to air and moisture; and blurring, especially in children and animals due to their inability to remain still during the lengthy process photo taking process. Most collectors will overlook these naturally occurring “flaws” unless they significantly impact the image. These imperfections are weighed against size, plate maker, photographer, provenance, year made and subject matter when making their buying decision. However, man-made defects such as fingerprints and wipe marks, often seen as “c” shaped marks or circular rubs made during an attempt by someone to “clean” the plate dramatically decreases the value. Many collectors will opt out of purchasing an image with these defects unless the subject matter is so exceptional or of such historical importance that the damage, which is irreparable, can be overlooked. While many photographers continued to offer daguerreotypes well into the 1860s they were last produced in 1865. One place to start is to join The Daguerreian Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to the education, appreciation, and preservation of daguerreotypes and all other early photographic mediums. You can find them online at www.daguerre.org. |