Permanent gleamAt a time when photography has become self-evident and ubiquitous, to behold a daguerreotype is a breathtaking experience. It offers a flawless and unique picture of 150 years ago. The Frenchman Louis Daguerre’s invention in 1839 unleashed a genuine revolution. A new medium was born: for the first time everyone could capture a photographic image. For this reason his process was called a gift to mankind.
difficult to discern
The appearance of a daguerreotype is difficult to discern in a reproduction. Anyone who has never seen an original easily forms a mistaken impression of it. In this dossier you will find an extensive description of the construction and composition of a daguerreotype. The dossier also includes information about how to produce and preserve daguerreotypes.
unanswered
Three letters to Daguerre’s teacher Niépce go more deeply into the genesis of the daguerreotype, a history that leaves a number of questions still unanswered. Finally, the dossier includes a summary of references to literature and websites that the Nederlands Fotomuseum regards as authoritative.
Portrait of P.J. Buyskes in a typical European daguerreotype housing, ca. 1848-1860 | Photographer unknown | Private collection
Web articles
Description of a daguerreotype
What exactly does a daguerreotype look like and how can you recognise one?
Looking at daguerreotypes from all sides
What does the back of a daguerreotype look like?
The inseparable housing
Two typical
examples are used to show the construction of a daguerreotype piece by piece.
About the process
An interpretation of Daguerre’s illustrated manual and what happened after the announcement of his invention.
Daguerre’s manual
A summary of Daguerre’s manual with a short description of the making of daguerreotypes.
Preservation and accessing daguerreotypes
Restoring a daguerreotype not only requires considerable knowledge, but also generates a great deal of information. How does the Nederlands Fotomuseum deal with this source of information?
Literature on daguerreotypes
Suggested reading for those who wish to know more about daguerreotypes.
Letters to Niépce
In this personal contribution by Nickel van Duijvenboden the history of the daguerreotype is presented to Nicéphore Niépce, according to Nickel the sole real ‘father’ of photography.
Portrait of Daguerre
“The enclosed portrait of Daguerre will indeed amaze you. You see not only him, but also the invention that made him famous.”
An inventor of genius?
‘When I imagine an inventor, I see an inspired person, obsessed by his ideas, who at a certain moment gets a brilliant brainwave. Was Louis Daguerre indeed such a figure, a true genius?’
Luxury vehicle
“The daguerreotype was a luxury vehicle that only conveyed the well-to-do and cultivated on its silver bearer.”
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