Digital Photography Technology

The inventor of the first camera, or Daguerreotype,  was Louis J.M. Daguerre. Daguerreotype was the process for producing the first camera image on a metal plate. It was regarded as the most important of scientific invention of the 19th century.

A plate of silver plated copper receives a very high polished finish by a process using a steatitic calcareous stone contain equal parts of steatite and carbonate of lime. It is then iodized by placing the plate over a container of iodine until it turns a pale yellow color.

The plate is now placed in the camera for the picture to be taken. The time it takes to expose the plate to light is from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the time of day and the available light.

The plate was developed by placing it over a container of slightly heated mercury. The plated was then dipped in a solution of hyposulphite of soda to fix it or stop it from developing. This same basic process in still used today.

The images are extremely delicate, and must be covered with a piece of glass to protect it from any damage from handling or oxidation.

Daguerre’s patent August 19, 1839, was acquired by the French government, but Daguerre went to England and obtained a patent and anyone using the process had to pay a licensing fee. The French then announced that the patent for the Daguerreotype  was free for the world to use.

In the United States, the invention was first shown by Samuel Morse, the inventor of the telegraph. It spread across the country, people wanted their pictures taken, and photography was here to stay.

Cameras were made by opticians and instruments makers, and also by the photographers. The plate sizes were 6 1/2 by 8 1/2 and a direct positive picture. Smaller sizes were also available. By 1850, this process had declined, and was replaced by the ambrotype or tintypes, which was faster and less expensive.