Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre

By Laurel Massicott1st PeriodPhoto 2

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Background

• Life Time: November 18, 1789-1851• Style: Photographic Inventor and Chemist• Nationality: French• Preferred Medium: Iodized Silver• Originally an opera scene painter• At age 16: worked as an architect’s apprentice• Invented daguerreotype (this achievement was

first announced in the Academy of Science)

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Bio. Facts

• Worked with Nicephore Niepce in his heliographic process until Niepce’s death

• 1835: Discovered silver plate in a camera created a permanent image

• 1837: Learned how to chemically fix latent photos • Francois Argo ( a Politian) helped him have public

exposure• First discovered a lasting image when he had left a

latent image in a cupboard. After a few days it had developed due to a broken thermometer within.

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Inspiration• When he was young, Daguerre was not notably

inspired to come up with permanent photos, much less photography.

• He at first was driven to paint scenes for opera houses.• His inspiration for creating permanent images came

from working with Niepce. • Niepce and he had spent years together working on

developing heliographic images. • When Niepce died, Daguerre had already been

inspired to study photography. His comrade's death was also an emotional trigger to feel responsible and driven to continue their studies.

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Inspiration Continued

• After the discovery of the correct process to create a lasting image, Daguerre had many possible inspirations for photos in his home land.

• France is known for its beauty, and naturally, Daguerre took may of his photos there.

• Many of his photos depicted the fancy architecture of the time.

• He was not so much inspired by the artistic benefits of photography, but helping scientific achievement would have been one of his inspirations.

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Photo #1

• “Still Life”• Silver gelatin print• 1839• Size not given

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Photo #2

• “View of the Boulevard du Temple”• Silver gelatin print• 1839• Size not listed”

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There is a man who stopped to get his shoes polished on

the street. The camera only picked him up because he

was the only person on the street who

was not moving for a long period of

time.04/12/23 10

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Photo #3

• “The Louvre from the Left Bank of the Seine”• Silver gelatin print• 1839• No size listed

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Photo #4

• “View from the Daguerre’s House”• Silver gelatin print• 1839• No size listed

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Photo#5

• “Fossils and Shells”• Silver gelatin print• 1839• No size listed

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The following photos are not taken by Daguerre, but they are daguerreotypes. There are very

few photos taken by Daguerre himself.

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Photo #6

• Silver gelatin print• 1893• Rakhimov• No size listed

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Photo #7

• “L.J.M. Daguere”• Silver gelatin print• 1848• No size listed

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Photo #8

• “Abolitionist Button”• Silver gelatin print• 1840s-1850s• 1.6cm in diameter

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Photo #9

• “Dagurre”• Silver gelatin print• 1848• No size listed

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“Shells and Fossils” 1839

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Description

• Black and white photo• The image has a grainy-ness about it• 3 shelves stacked with assorted sea crustation

remains• Most shells are spiraled shapes, others

resemble jagged rocks

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Analysis

• Rhythm: evenly spaced shells• Texture: Rough• Line: goes in circular directions on the shells• Emphasis: the centermost spiraled shell draws

the viewer’s attention

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Interpretation

• The photographer seems to have taken this picture to display the symmetry and diversity of sea crustacions. However, because the photographer was Daguerre, it is known that it is most likely to have been taken as an aesthetically appealing sample of his new invention: the daguerreotype. At the time, photography was more science than art.

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Judgement

• I like this photo because the centermost fossil shell seems to capture the eye. It almost

appears as if the other fossils could be orbiting around it. The whole collection of fossils is

unified by the one center fossil.

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Where was Daguerre from?

A. England B. Spain C. France D. Italy

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France

What did Daguerre work on with Niepce?

A. Fixing photos B. Heliographic images C. Daguerreotypes

•Heliographic images

What did Daguerre paint for before he started working with photos?

A. Opera B. Politics C. Architecture

Opera