Louis Daguerre

Louis Daguerre

• Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre was a French artist and photographer.
• He was recognized for his invention of the daguerreotype process of photography.
• He became known as one of the fathers of photography.

He was born on November 18, 1787 in Cormeilles-en-Parisis, France
He died in July 10, 1851, Bry-sur-Marne, France

His goal was to make a permanent image using light and chemistry.

Daguerre had been looking since the mid-1820s for a way to capture the images he saw briefly in his camera obscura. The camera obscura was an early camera consisting of a wood box with a lens at one end that threw an image onto a frosted sheet of glass at the other.

In 1829, he had formed a partnership with Nicéphore Niépce, who had been also working on how to make a permanent image using light and chemistry. Niépce had achieved some beginning results as early as 1826.

On August 19, 1839, he explained step by step, before a joint session of the Académie des Sciences and the Académie des Beaux-Arts, the .

He discovered that exposing an iodized silver plate in a camera would result in a lasting image if the image on the plate was developed by exposure to fumes of mercury and then fixed by a solution of common salt.

This became known as the daguerreotype process.

People thought that the Daguerrotype process was very exciting and he was known as the Father of photography, especially in the United States.

There were some disadvantages to his invention however, since the image was on highly polished metal, it was heavy. Its surface was delicate and required a protective cover glass and a bulky frame or case. It was difficult to make in larger sizes. Also, it was a unique original--there was no negative from which multiple prints could be made.

is the first candid photograph.

His first photograph entitled "Boulevard du Temple" was considered the first candid photo of a person who is walking along the street

Daguerre was also known for creating Dioramas which were large theaters with photographs and paintings all around a cylindrical room.

The Daguerrotype process was

Daguerre was appointed an officer of the Legion of Honour. In 1839 Daguerre was paid of 6,000 francs in return for his contribution to the photographic process.

Sources Cited
"Louis-Jacques-Mande Daguerre". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 05 Feb. 2015

"Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 5 Feb. 2015.

"Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 05 Feb. 2015. Daniel, Malcolm. "Daguerre (1787–1851) and the Invention of Photography". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dagu/hd_dagu.htm (October 2004)

Nelson, Kenneth. "A Thumbnail History of the Daguerreotype. "Http://daguerre.org/resource/history/history.html. The Daguerreian Society, 1 Jan. 1996. Web.