Technologies

Daguerreotype

dah-GAIR-oh-type

Photography

Citation Formats

General Reference

Film and Media Atlas. "Daguerreotype." Accessed August 29, 2026. https://dev-media.interactiveatlas.org/technologies/daguerreotype.

APA Style

Film and Media Atlas. (n.d.). Daguerreotype. Retrieved August 29, 2026, from https://dev-media.interactiveatlas.org/technologies/daguerreotype

BibTeX

@misc{filmandmediaatlas-daguerreotype,
  author = {Film and Media Atlas},
  title = {Daguerreotype},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://dev-media.interactiveatlas.org/technologies/daguerreotype},
  note = {Accessed August 29, 2026}
}

The first practical photographic process: a silvered copper plate sensitized with iodine, exposed in a camera, developed in mercury vapor and fixed with salt, producing a single finely detailed positive. Announced by the French government in 1839 as a gift to the world, it made portrait studios a global business within a decade.

Facts

Introduced Year

1839 1

Origin

Developed by Louis Daguerre from his partnership with Nicephore Niepce; announced publicly in Paris, 1839. William Henry Fox Talbot announced his rival paper negative process the same year. 1

Cross-Tradition Connections

Developed By

Louis Daguerre

Built on the earlier experiments of his partner Nicephore Niepce.

Source National Science and Media Museum Official Site

In Medium

Photography

Source National Science and Media Museum Official Site

Sources

1. National Science and Media Museum Official Site

National Science and Media Museum, Science Museum GroupView the Source

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