Monument Monday - Photography Pioneer
The Daguerre Moment sculpture on the grounds of the Reynolds Center is a tribute to the inventor of daguerreotype photography by French chemist and artist Louis J.M. Daguerre. Created in in 1839 it was the first photographic process that was commercially viable for portraits. The technique allowed photographers to permanently record an image on polished silver glass plates, using shorter exposure times.
The labor-intensive process was quickly adopted by traveling American portraits photographers who moved from town to town, selling people the opportunity to have an image of themselves without having to sit for a painter or incur the associated high cost.
The technique was used to take the earliest photo of Abraham Lincoln, when he was still a Congressman at 37 years old, 15 years before he was elected President. It is also thought that the first erotic photograph used the daguerreotype technique.
The technique is rarely used today and it’s estimated that just a few hundred photographers still use it.
For soem great photography tips, check out Digital Photography School, another great b5 blog.
The Daguerre Moment
Reynolds Center - American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery
801 Pennsylvania Ave NW (8th and F Streets, NW)
Washington, D.C. (map it)
202-633-1000
Nearest Metro Subway Station - Gallery Place-Chinatown, Red, Yellow and Green lines, the station is located below the museum, or use the DC Circulator.
Parking - Metered street and garage parking is available in the area.
Images - Seamstrees - LOC public domain, Lincoln - Public domain
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