Name/Title
DaguerreotypeContext
An intriguing book-like case placed on the bedside table of the 1855 bedroom reveals the monochrome portrait of two unidentified boys. The image enclosed is a daguerreotype, the first-ever widely accessible form of photography which was used mainly in the period between 1840 and 1860. Named after his French inventor, Louis Daguerre (1787–1851), the method consisted of treating silver-plated copper sheets with iodine to make them sensitive to light. These sheets were then exposed in a “camera obscura” (Latin for “dark room”) that admitted outside illumination only through a single small aperture covered by a lens.
This medium, featuring light on polished metal, attracted clients away from the soft, fluid strokes present in watercolor on ivory miniatures. In the first few years following the invention of the daguerreotype, some miniaturists colored the monochrome photographs, while others tried to produce both miniatures and daguerreotypes in their studios.
Daguerreotype plates are known to be very fragile. Therefore, the delicate image is covered by a cover glass and sealed inside the frame. On the opposite side of the portrait a velvet casing ensures supplemental protection. The book-like case is a so-called “Union Case” which prevented daguerreotypes from shattering and are an example of thermoplastic technology. This process created plastic-like products, like the Neill-Cochran case, made from a mixture of wood and shellac that was pressed into a mold.
In contrast to photographic paper, a daguerreotype is not flexible and has a mirror-like surface. In fact, the daguerreotype must be displayed at the right angle for the image to be visible. Otherwise, it disappears and the silver plate reverts to a mirror. The intriguing eeriness and duality of mirror and image implicates the viewer in a way common to no other medium and gives the daguerreotype an almost magical quality.
Though invented in France, the mystique of Daguerre’s portraiture enjoyed its greatest popularity in the United States. The colorless medium gave the American people the ability to preserve their collective history and to immortalize moments.Acquisition
Accession
nd.200Source or Donor
UnknownAcquisition Method
Gift