Daguerreotypes

The daguerreotype is an early photographic process using silver-plated copper and mercury fumes (doesn’t that sound safe?), which results in a mirror-like image, similar to a hologram. While the use of negatives in photography would eventually become the norm, in 1840s and 50s America, the daguerreotype had little competition, especially in the area of private portraiture. Until the daguerreotype, portraits and miniatures were considered luxuries for the rich.

I first became familiar with daguerreotypes in my early days as a freelance writer specializing in antiques, and my fascination with them increased with every article written. Later, as the Senior Editor of New England Antiques Journal, I would interview Keith F. Davis, a renowned expert in the field, as well as members of the Daguerreian Society. One of those members was kind enough to send me a copy of The Daguerreian Annual 1998: The Official Yearbook of the Daguerreian Society. Inside, there’s an article on Reading Daguerreotypes written by Keith F. Davis, and while it took a few years, it eventually inspired one of the plot points in Where There’s A Will, the third and final book in my Glass Dolphin Mystery series. Here are a couple of brief excerpts:

[The Set-up: The beneficiary of the old Hadley house estate, Faye Everett, asks Arabella Carpenter, owner of the Glass Dolphin, to appraise a reading daguerreotype found hidden inside the house.]

Arabella went to a packed bookcase at the back of the store and pulled out a gold-covered book titled The Daguerreian Annual 1998: The Official Yearbook of the Daguerreian Society, and flipped to page 19.

“This article was written by Keith F. Davis, the author of several books on photography, though he is probably best known as the man who built the Hallmark Photographic Collection, which spans the history of American photography. The article is well researched and thorough, and he writes that daguerreotypes with people holding or reading a book are far from rare.” Arabella passed the yearbook to Faye and stayed silent as she studied the images, among them, a preacher with a bible, a man with chin whiskers reading, a young girl clutching an open book.

And later…

Arabella studied the daguerreotype from every angle. As was customary, it was housed in a leather case, somewhat worn but still intact, the delicate mirrored surface further protected by glass.

The portrait was of an attractive young woman, an enigmatic smile on her face. Her hair had been parted in the center, then carefully braided and twisted into small buns on either side of her head, not quite Star Wars Princess Leia, but close. The dress was clearly a “Sunday best” with a lace collar and black velvet ribbon at the neck, and scalloped edges on the sleeves. She held a half-open book on her lap, the title too tiny to make out.