Record prices in excess of $30,000 have been paid for individual daguerreotypes at auction. At a 1988 Sotheby’s auction, a group of 11 daguerreotypes brought more than $50,000. A common portrait (many are found in hand-tinted color) of an unknown individual in clean condition generally fetches about $30.
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What is the difference between a daguerreotype and a photograph?
In contrast to photographic paper, a daguerreotype is not flexible and is rather heavy. The daguerreotype is accurate, detailed and sharp. It has a mirror-like surface and is very fragile. Since the metal plate is extremely vulnerable, most daguerreotypes are presented in a special housing.
How do you take a picture of a daguerreotype?

How do you identify a daguerreotype?
Daguerreotypes are easily identified by a mirror-like, highly polished silver surface and its dually negative/positive appearance when viewed from different angles or in raking light. Daguerreotypes are typically housed in miniature hinged cases made of wood covered with leather, paper, cloth, or mother of pearl.
What makes a daguerreotype valuable?
Collectible and valuable The most collectible daguerrotypes are those which provide information about the sitter or about the time period in which he/she lived. Of course, large scale daguerreotypes, daguerreotypes of famous figures in history, and unique sites command the highest values.
How much did a daguerreotype cost?
The price of a daguerreotype, at the height of its popularity in the early 1850’s, ranged from 25 cents for a sixteenth plate (of 1 5/8 inches by 1 3/8 inches) to 50 cents for a low-quality “picture factory” likeness to $2 for a medium-sized portrait at Matthew Brady’s Broadway studio.
Do daguerreotypes fade?
The image layer remains light sensitive: it will fade completely in extreme cases. Daguerreotypes are also very thin and easily damaged, so for these reasons they were placed in hinged custom cases, often called Union Cases.
What was the disadvantage of daguerreotype?
But the daguerreotype had serious limitations. The mirror-like surface of the image could only be viewed from a narrow angle. Further, the process produced a one-of-a-kind image that did not permit printing duplicates.
When did daguerreotypes stop being used?
Popularity of the daguerreotype declined in the late 1850s when the ambrotype, a faster and less expensive photographic process, became available. A few contemporary photographers have revived the process.
What is the difference between a tintype and a daguerreotype?
Tintypes, patented in 1856, are actually on iron, not tin. Unlike a daguerreotype, tintypes are not reflective. While you can find them in cases (like the previous two image types), most tintypes found in collections aren’t in any type of protective sleeve or case.
Can you scan a daguerreotype?
A scanner uses coaxial light – fine for documents, not so good for 3-D and reflective objects. Daguerreotype images are best viewed with oblique light – the image you see is actually a reflection of the light source.
How long did it take to make a daguerreotype photograph?
Little more than ten years later, his associate Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre devised a way to permanently reproduce an image, and his pictureโa daguerreotypeโneeded just twenty minutes’ exposure. A practical process of photography was born.
Are daguerreotypes on glass?
How old are they? Daguerreotypes (1840-1855) are on polished silver so they are very reflective, like a mirror. Since they are on silver and subject to tarnish, daguerreotypes were put behind glass and sealed with paper tape so air cannot tarnish the plate (there often is some tarnish around the edges of the picture).
Are old metal pictures worth anything?
Collectors typically will pay between $35 to $350 for a good quality antique tintype in good condition. Tintypes are more common photographs of the Victorian era and thus, they are not as valuable as ambrotypes or daguerreotypes which are more rare.
What are daguerreotypes printed on?
The daguerreotype is a direct-positive process, creating a highly detailed image on a sheet of copper plated with a thin coat of silver without the use of a negative.
What was one of the most significant drawbacks of the daguerreotype photographic process?
What was the most serious drawback of the daguerreotype? Each plate was unique, so there was no way of producing copies.
What is a sixth plate daguerreotype?
Sixth-plate daguerreotype. Philadelphia, ca. 1852. The sixth-plate, measuring 2 ยพ by 3 ยผโณ, was the most popular sized plate for customers since its size made it convenient to slip out of a pocket or purse and hold in one’s hand for easy viewing.
How do I find the value of old photos?
- www.artnet.com.
- www.artprice.com.
- www.fineartinfo.com.
- www.artfact.com.
How much did a portrait cost in the 1800s?
Carte de Visite in 1864 were very popular and very inexpensive. The cost ran between 25 cents and 50 cents each plus the 3 cents tax placed to help pay for the was at that time. If you find a stamp for a tax you can now rough figure the date of the photo. That cost would be equal to $3.85 to $7.64 today.
Was the daguerreotype process inexpensive?
The daguerreotype process was inexpensive and easy for just about anyone to use. In the early days of photography, cameras were limited to professional photographers because of the knowledge needed to work the cameras and develop the images with various chemicals.
What tarnishes the silver in a daguerreotype?
High humidity can contribute to tarnishing and other corrosion processes of daguerreotype plates. The major driving forces behind glass corrosion are moisture and fluctuations in relative humidity.
Are daguerreotypes permanent?
The results were not permanent, however; when the developed picture was exposed to light, the unexposed areas of silver darkened until the image was no longer visible.
How do you clean a daguerreotype?
Loose surface dust can be removed with a soft brush or with pressurized air, preferably with air blown from a compressed air can. No other cleaning method can be recommended safely. The unprotected surface of a daguerreotype is sensitive to the slightest touch; such a plate should therefore be handled with utmost care.
Are Daguerreotypes cheaper than Calotypes?
Because of its intense detail and attractive shiny surface, it achieved success as a cheaper alternative to oil painting for portraiture, even though to have a daguerreotype taken, the subject had to sit facing direct light for a minute or longer without blinking or moving.
What is ambrotype photograph?
Ambrotypes were most popular in the mid-1850s to mid-1860s. Cartes de visite and other paper print photographs, easily available in multiple copies, replaced them. An ambrotype is comprised of an underexposed glass negative placed against a dark background. The dark backing material creates a positive image.