Daguerreotypes
The daguerreotype received its moniker from the French inventor Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre.
Introduced around 1839, it amazed the world and became wildly popular during the next two decades.
It started with a polished piece of silver-plated copper, which was then treated to become photosensitive.
The photographer would then use a camera to expose the plate, and then complete the process with a few final steps to create the finished piece.
Daguerreotypes are almost always found held in glass with sealing tape, and typically in a photograph case or frame. This is because they are EXTREMELY fragile, and even the slightest disturbance can harm the image.
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