daguerreótýpa

The daguerreotype was an early photographic process discovered by Louis Daguerre in 1839. It involved exposing a silver-plated copper sheet, treated with iodine vapor, to light. The resulting latent image was then developed by exposing it to mercury vapor and fixing it with a solution of sodium thiosulfate or salt.

Daguerreotypes produced a unique, one-of-a-kind positive image. They were characterized by their sharp detail and delicate, metallic sheen. The exposure times were initially quite long, often several minutes, which made capturing moving subjects difficult. However, as the process was refined, exposure times were reduced.

This process was incredibly popular in the mid-19th century, particularly for portraiture. The direct positive nature of the daguerreotype meant that no further reproduction was possible from the original plate, making each daguerreotype a unique artifact. It was a significant advancement in photography, offering a more detailed and accessible way to capture likenesses than previous methods.

Despite its popularity, the daguerreotype was eventually superseded by more practical and reproducible photographic processes, such as the calotype and later the wet collodion process. By the 1860s, the daguerreotype had largely fallen out of favor due to its cost, fragility, and lack of reproducibility. However, it remains an important milestone in the history of photography.