July 5, 1987
By David M. Buchanan
Vigo County Historical Society
Daguerre’s magic
In the early 1800s, photography long, complicated process
The optical principle used in cameras can be traced to Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), but a use for those principles wasn’t found until many centuries after the philosopher’s death. Even then those uses were primarily from a “curiosity” point of view rather than functional.
Louis Jaques Mande Daguerre was born in France November 18, 1787. He generally is credited as the father of modern photography
In 1829, Daguerre and Nicephoer Niepce began collaborating on a process known as heliography. An image was produced on a polished pewter plate using asphalt exposed for up to eight hours by sunlight, followed by washing away the soluble areas to create the permanent print.
By 1835, Daguerre was producing an image using silver iodide plates exposed to mercury vapor, but the images could not be made permanent. In January 1839, the first announcement was made of Daguerre’s ability to “fix” the image or to make it permanent. This became the first practical system of producing a photograph.
Using Daguerre’s process, a positive image was produced on a sheet of copper clad with a layer of burnished silver. The produced a mirror-like surface. The treated silver, when exposed to light, produced an image, that then was chemically “fixed” for permanency. The image was the reverse of what the camera saw. And the finished image looks more like a mirror. In fact, the photo has to be held at just the right angle for the image to appear.
The drawback to Daguerre’s process was that the photo was the original and could not be reproduced because there was no “negative” print. Within 10 years new processes were developed that allowed for the use of negatives. By the 1850s Daguerre’s system of photography had been replaced by the new technology.
This week’s historical treasured from the museum is a daguerreotype that is unusual simply because of its size. There are six standard sizes, but the most common was the sixth plate, 2 inches by 2 1/2 inches. This daguerreotype is 4 1/2 inches by 5 1/2 inches, known as Half-plate.
Because daguerreotypes are fragile, they usually were placed in an ornate case for protection. Cases were made from a variety of materials including wood, covered with thin embossed leather, papier-mâché, and a material called gutta-percha. This material actually was the first thermoplastic material produced. It was hard, very durable, and looked like hard black rubber. The historical treasure’s case is wood covered with embossed leather.
The interior of the case usually had a cut velvet facing to protect the glass, and an ornately chased gold-colored frame surrounding the photograph. The cases were made to fold together and lock. Opened they were easily displayed. Closed they provided protection and were easily stored.
The only information on this daguerreotype is a small note stuck behind the photograph saying, “Taken by F.D. Corey, 1853.” The man pictured is not identified.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.