The other day in photo class we had a lecture in Old College about some of the first types of photography. Some of the very first types were ambrotype and daguerreotype which were first popularized in the 1830's. These types of photography were less expensive than having a painted picture so many families choose this option to adorned their houses with. The daguerreotype process was the first practicable method of obtaining permanent images with a camera. The man who gave his name to the process and perfected the method of producing direct positive images was Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre. He did this on a silver-coated copper plate.
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