Daguerreotypes: How Fragile Are They?

In this episode of the fine art photography podcast: a quick
followup to my discussion of daguerreotypes from my previous
episode (number 23 Southworth & Hawes) --  just how
fragile were they? There's a common perception, supported by much
early documentation, that daguerreotypes are easily wiped off the
plate. But modern science seems to contradict that.


The Daguerreotype: Nineteenth Century Technology and
Modern Science by M. Susan Barger and William B. White,
(Available new and used on Amazon)


Cover art: Daguerreotype portrait of Louis Daguerre, inventor of
the process, photographed in 1844 by Jean-Baptiste Sabatier-Blot.


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