Daguerreotype thumbnail 1
Daguerreotype thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level C , Case DAG, Shelf 4

Daguerreotype

ca. 1850s (photographed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The daguerreotype process was introduced to the public in 1839 by Frenchman Louis Daguerre, and was hugely popular as a medium for portraiture until the middle of the 1850s. To create a daguerreotype, a silver plated sheet was given a light sensitive surface coating of iodine vapour. After a long exposure in the camera, the image was developed over heated mercury and fixed in a common salt solution. The image lies on a mirror-like surface and is best seen from an angle to minimise reflections. The surface of daguerreotypes is delicate and easily damaged, so professionally finished images were presented in a protective case or frame.



Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Daguerreotype, glass, copper, tinted, gilt mount, leather and velvet case.
Brief description
Daguerreotype photographic portrait of a young man, hand tinted, probably made in Britain, c.1850
Physical description
Cased photograph of a young man seated with his right arm resting on a table with hand-tinted details.
Dimensions
  • Case height: 12cm
  • Case width: 9.5cm
  • Image height: 9cm
  • Image width: 6.6cm
Production typeUnique
Summary
The daguerreotype process was introduced to the public in 1839 by Frenchman Louis Daguerre, and was hugely popular as a medium for portraiture until the middle of the 1850s. To create a daguerreotype, a silver plated sheet was given a light sensitive surface coating of iodine vapour. After a long exposure in the camera, the image was developed over heated mercury and fixed in a common salt solution. The image lies on a mirror-like surface and is best seen from an angle to minimise reflections. The surface of daguerreotypes is delicate and easily damaged, so professionally finished images were presented in a protective case or frame.

Collection
Accession number
335-1961

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Record createdMay 28, 2004
Record URL
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