Daguerre

Louis Daguerre was a French artist and chemist known to have discovered the Photograph process. He was noted to be a “man of extreme modesty and great personal worth, and devoted to his profession, that of an artist.”

Daguerre, before the invention of the Daguerrotype, was known for his attempts to improve panoramic painting, and the production of dioramic effects, were crowned with the most eminent success. At the age of 16, he was an assistant stage designer in a Paris theater, gaining a reputation for his use of light. Before long, he was lighting director for several theaters. He also painted scenes for Opera productions. After years of experimentation, in 1839 he announced the latest perfection of the Daguerreotype, with the French Academy of Sciences announcing the process on January 9 of that year. Daguerre's patent was acquired by the French Government, and, on August 19, 1839, the French Government announced the invention was a gift "Free to the World." For his invention, Daguerre was awarded an annual pension of 10,000 francs by the French government. The Daguerreotype works by exposing images directly onto a mirror-polished, copper plate coated with silver halide particles deposited by iodine vapor. The Daguerreotype was widely used in the United States, where the first photographic image of Abraham Lincoln was a Daguerreotype. The following pictures attracted much attention at the times of their exhibition:—"The Midnight Mass," "Land-slip in the valley of Goldau," "The Temple of Solomon," and the "Cathedral of Sainte Marie de Montreal." In these pictures, the alternate effects of night and day—of storm and sunshine—were beautifully produced. Daguerre was awarded the French Legion of Honor in 1839. Daguerre died in 1851 at age 62 in Paris. Cricket