110. Still Life in Studio

 

Still Life in Studio Louis-Jacques Mandé Daguerre. 1837 C.E. Daguerreotype. 1837 C.E. France. Daguerreotype He developed the daguerreotype process, produced pictures remarkable for the perfection of their details and for the richness and harmony of their general effect. Description: Louis Daguerre, The Artist's Studio, 1837, daguerreotype

Content:  Anatomy of a daguerrotype  One-of-a-kind image on a highly polished, silver-plated sheet of copper Handful of still lifes, Parisian views, and portraits from the dawn of photography Images of other works of art Sculpture, painting, photography, etc.

Context:  Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre (1787–1851) Daguerrotypes accompanied the invention of photography  Less than 25 of his photos survive the devastating fire on March 8, 1839

Form: "Each daguerreotype is a remarkably detailed, one-of-a-kind photographic image on a highly polished, silver-plated sheet of copper, sensitized with iodine vapors, exposed in a large box camera, developed in mercury fumes, and stabilized (or fixed) with salt water or “hypo” (sodium thiosulphate)."  Black and white; no usage of color, only grey areas in between

Function: Duality Medium of artistic expression Powerful scientific tool Artists feared photography would eventually supplant painting Photography was in itself an art form; even if not considered such at the time

Khanacademy

• Essay - https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/later-europe-and-americas/enlightenment-revolution/a/early-photography-nipce-talbot-and-muybridge
• "Photographers after Niépce experimented with a variety of techniques. Louis Daguerre invented a new process he dubbed a daguerrotype in 1839, which significantly reduced exposure time and created a lasting result, but only produced a single image." 
• Metropolitan Museum - http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dagu/hd_dagu.htm