daguerreotypes
Silver plate images
Daguerreotypes are photographs made by an early process that produced images on silver-coated copper plates.
Developed in the 1830s, they were the first commercially practical form of photography.
Each daguerreotype is unique—a one-of-a-kind image that cannot be reproduced from a negative: The museum's collection includes daguerreotypes of Civil War soldiers.
Photograph on metal sheet
Vaporized liquid metal
- iodineAntiseptic element, atomic fifty-three
- exposureState of being unprotected
- copper plateMetal sheet for engraving
- sensitizationIncreased responsiveness to stimuli
fixing · chemical process · polishing · buffing · fuming · developing · latent image · gilding
Daguerreotype process creator
- photographyCreating images from light
- inventionNew device or method
- ParisFrance's chief city
- patentObvious; inventor's monopoly
Morse · Brady · Victorian era · Industrial Revolution · early photography · 19th century
Art of depicting people
- portraitArtistic depiction of someone
- sitterTemporary child caretaker
- likenessVisual similarity or representation
- memorialThing preserving remembrance
postmortem · occupational · family · celebrity · landscape · cityscape · still life · architectural
Perfectly reflective surface
- monochromeSingle-color rendering
- sharpnessKeenness of edge, mind, or image
- detailSingle small element
- luminosityIntrinsic brightness of source
shimmer · reflective · delicate · ethereal · clarity · miniature · ornate frame · leather case
Uncommon occurrence
- auctionCompetitive public sale
- appraisalEstimation of worth
- provenanceRecord of ownership
- conditionState or stipulation
conservation · restoration · preservation · tarnish · oxidation · haze · cataloging · authentication
tintype
Photograph on metal sheet
mercury vapor
Vaporized liquid metal
- iodineAntiseptic element, atomic fifty-three
- exposureState of being unprotected
- copper plateMetal sheet for engraving
sensitization · fixing · chemical process · polishing · buffing · fuming · developing · latent image · gilding · coating
Louis Daguerre
Daguerreotype process creator
- photographyCreating images from light
- inventionNew device or method
- ParisFrance's chief city
patent · Morse · Brady · Victorian era · Industrial Revolution · early photography · 19th century
portraiture
Art of depicting people
- portraitArtistic depiction of someone
- sitterTemporary child caretaker
- likenessVisual similarity or representation
memorial · postmortem · occupational · family · celebrity · landscape · cityscape · still life · architectural · documentary
mirror finish
Perfectly reflective surface
- monochromeSingle-color rendering
- sharpnessKeenness of edge, mind, or image
- detailSingle small element
luminosity · shimmer · reflective · delicate · ethereal · clarity · miniature · ornate frame · leather case
rarity
Uncommon occurrence
- auctionCompetitive public sale
- appraisalEstimation of worth
- provenanceRecord of ownership
condition · conservation · restoration · preservation · tarnish · oxidation · haze · cataloging · authentication · attribution
- 1800s AmericaOregon Trail, Trail of Tears, transcontinental railroad, Civil War, Abraham Lincoln
- photographycamera, photo, flash, lens, shooting
- Victorianaseances, Dickens, spiritualism, Sherlock Holmes, phrenology
- historical imageshistorical portraits, old photos, archival footage, black and white, sepia photos
- obsolete media8-track, Betamax, cassette tapes, floppy disks, gramophones
- old photographstintypes, sepia photos, vintage prints, old photos