A Father of Photography DAGUERRE A Father of Photography

Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre 18 November 1787 – 10 July 1851 French Artist, physicist, Theatrical Designer, and most known for inventing the “daguerrotype” process of photography

BIO Daguerre was born in Cormeilles-en-Parisis, Val-d'Oise, France He apprenticed under Pierre Prévost (the first French panorama painter.) He studied architecture, theatre design, and panoramic painting He was skilled at theatrical illusion and later became a celebrated designer in the theatre

Diorama Daguerre invented the “diorama” Large Scale model depicting an event and its environment First Diorama was in Paris, France in 1822

Daguerrotype In 1829, Daguerre partnered with Nicéphore Niépce, an inventor who had produced the world's first heliograph in 1822 Niépce died suddenly in 1833 but Daguerre continued experimenting 1837 He created the Daguerrotype Process and looked for investors 1839 He went public with the invention.

Daguerrotype took exposure time from hours to ten minutes in bright sunlight Any movement was not captured and city scapes often looked deserted Landscapes were rarely photographed Portraits were very common Over a million daguerrotypes were sold

Daguerre and France On January 7, 1839 At a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences, the invention was announced and described in general terms, but all specific details were withheld. Under assurances of strict confidentiality, Daguerre demonstrated the process only to the Academy's secretary François Arago, who advocated support for Daguerre Members of the Academy and other select individuals were allowed to examine specimens at Daguerre's studio. Arrangements were made for Daguerre's rights to be acquired by the French Government in exchange for lifetime pensions for himself and Niépce's son Isidore On August 19, 1839, the French Government presented the invention as a gift from France "free to the world" and complete working instructions were published.

ENGLAND HAS TO PAY Unbeknownst to either inventor, Daguerre's developmental work in the mid-1830s coincided with photographic experiments being conducted by Henry Fox Talbot in England. When the first reports of the French Academy of Sciences announcement of Daguerre's invention reached Talbot, with no details, he assumed that methods similar to his own must have been used and promptly wrote an open letter to the Academy claiming priority of invention. Daguerre's agent in England applied for a British patent just days before France declared the invention "free to the world". Great Britain was thereby uniquely denied France's free gift and became the only country where the payment of license fees was required. This had the effect of inhibiting the spread of the process there

Legacy Antoine François Jean Claudet was an artist and dagguerrotypist Was one of the few given rights to produce Daguerrotypes in England He helped improve the processes time Was the first to use painted back drops Created the Red Dark Room Safe Light First to suggest using a series of photos to suggest movement