SNIPPET: The following are excerpts from a featured article in a 1996 "Ancestry" magazine published in Salt Lake City, UT, which should be of interest to those with ancestors who were involved with early photography either commercially or as a past-time. Per the article - American daguerreotypists entered works in many art competitions in the United States and in Europe, especially England. By 1851, American daguerreotypes were deemed to be of a higher quality than those found in England. English critics felt this was due to the clean air found in America (compared to London's smoggy atmosphere) and the resultant brighter lighting. However, part of the difference might also be the high-quality silvered plates used in America. Daguerreotypes were doomed to a short life - about 20 years. By 1860, they were being replaced by less expensive forms of photography: the ambrotype and the ferrotype. Another factor may have been the demise of many daguerreotypists. Daguerreotypes were developed by immersing the plates in a mercury solution and then heating them. Mercury vapor was a by-product of the process, and many daguerreotypists suffered from mercury poisoning. By the Civil War era, Americans had moved on to other forms of photography. Some fortunate family historians have a treasured early image of their ancestor. Produced on a highly polished, silvered copperplate, a daguerreotype image is difficult to see in certain positions, moving the cased photograph around at different angles causes the image to disappear or be difficult to discern. If there is a mirror-like quality, it is probably a daguerreotype and taken between 1840 and 1860. A magnet placed at the back of the case section should demonstrate an attraction in the case of a daguerreotype or ferrotype (tintype), but an ambrotype, which is made of glass, will not. Additionally, daguerreotypes have a very detailed image when compared to other cased photographs. More precise dating can be done by checking the costumes, etc., found in the photograph. Most American daguerreotypes are found in cases, which usually look like miniature books. Jewel cases were also used in the early days before special daguerreotype cases were manufactured. Th! e early cases were made of wood, papier mache, and, later, plastic. The right or bottom side of the case was used for the daguerreotype which was protected by a gold-colored matting and then covered with glass. The three layers were bound together by a protector, which was a thin brass frame which wrapped around the whole. This was then pressed into the frame of the case. The left or top side of the case was padded with silk, satin, or velvet. When closed the case was latched with a small hook. The most common size in America was called "the sixth size" - 2-3/4 x 3-1/4 in. It should be remembered that the date of the case may not be the date of the photograph on the inside, for the daguerreotype cases were often reused for later forms of photography like ambrotypes and even tintypes. The daguerreotype was first introduced in the United States via booklets outlining Louis DAGUERRE's process in reproducing an image on a silvered copperplate. Many early American daguerreotypists learned through these booklets; however, later ones trained in the studios of the first artists/daguerreotypists like Samuel F. B. MORSE. MORSE, along with chemistry professor John W. DRAPER, worked on the process to improve the quality and capabilities of the daguerreotype. DAGUERRE's process could be done only with outside light and involved an exposure time of 10-15 minutes. MORSE, an accomplished artist, felt this medium would be ideal, with improvements, for portraits. The first obstacle was the copperplate: Americans began producing higher quality and more highly polished silvered copperplates, which was necessary for clear, acceptable portraits. Secondly, the exposure time had to be lowered: by 1840, the exposure time was cut from 15 minutes to mere seconds, thus ma! king it feasible for people to sit for a daguerreotype portrait. Cleveland's J. F. JENKINS advertised in 1844 that it took only a minute and a half to obtain a perfect likeness. In the spring of 1839, some type of photographic prints were displayed in a Cincinnati bookstore produced by John LOCKE, professor of chemistry and pharmacy at the Medical College of OH. Sign painter Ezekial C. HAWKINS is believed to have been established the second daguerreotype gallery in the United States, in Cincinnati in 1840. By 1851, Cincinnatians had a choice of 32 daguerreotype photographers. They sold $80,000 worth of pictures in 1851. This new artistic medium was first shown in Cleveland in 1842. Four of DAGUERRE"s "Chemical Pictures" were shown at the courthouse on three evenings in August for the admission price of 50 cents. A letter to the editor extolled this exhibit -- "a sight of them is worth a score of concerts...." That fall the first advertisement appeared in the Cl! eveland newspapers for a daguerreotype studio, E. DIBBLE's, in the Franklin building. Many of the better practitioners were accomplished artists, especially of portraiture experienced in lighting, proportions, and posing. The best results indoors demanded a large skylight or a large window facing northwest. The importance of light is evidenced by advertisements of early daguerreian galleries. In 1852, the Forest City Daguerreian Rooms of Cleveland announced they had "the largest and best skylight in the city." By the mid-1850s, the daguerreian galleries advertised that they could make daguerreotypes in any type of weather. Daguerreotypists were proficient in disguising or minimizing flaws of the portrait sitters including placement of the camera and rubbing the skin of a freckled face until it was red, in order to disguise the spots. Positioning sitters, especially in the early years, reflected the artistic background of the daguerreotypists. Positions, props, and backgrounds all were reminiscent of 18th-century painting. Some practitioners knowledge! able in chemistry experimented with various chemicals which would tint the daguerreotype green, brown, or gold. In 1842 a method of coloring was patented. A painting could be of the entire figure, or simply rosy cheeks. Early fading images could be retouched. Many early daguerreotypists were itinerants, wandering from town to town with their wagons filled with their equipment and chemicals, offering to take pictures of homes and buildings, as well as portraits. The itinerants would stay a month or two in one town and then move on to the next. Landscape daguerreotypes also found an audience. Another popular use of daguerreotypes was for photographing the dead and also for mounting on tombstones. Often one of the first persons called in the event of a death, especially of a child, was a daguerreotypist, so the parents would have a remembrance of the lost child. It was not uncommon in the early days for photography to be a sideline. Cleveland photographer James F. RYDER wrote in his memoirs that it was common "to find watch repairers, dentists, and other styles of business folk to carry daguerreotype 'on the side.' It is possible to have a horse shod, your boots tapped, a tooth pulled or a likeness taken by the same man..." Daguerreotypes were not inexpensive. A quarter plate, 3-1/4 in x 4-1/4 in could cost 4 or 5 dollars -- not a small amount in the 1840s. Nevertheless, it was estimated that Americans spent about eight to twelve million dollars annually on daguerreotypes in the 1840s. On a humerous note -- "The Chicago Inter-Ocean" in 1877 carried an article regarding sitting for pictures: If a lady wanted to present a serene expression, she should say 'Bosom,' while a distinguished look could be obtained by saying "Brush." Saying "Cabbage" would make the mouth appear larger, "Flip," smaller. "Kerchunk" was suggested for those wishing a mournful look. -- Excerpts, Diane VanSkiver Gagle, "Ancestry" magazine, pub. Salt Lake City, UT/ Nov-Dec 1996. Toledo/Lucas County Public Library archivist, she was soon to publish her book, "Nineteenth Century Ohio Photographers." --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.690 / Virus Database: 451 - Release Date: 5/23/2004