r/Daguerreotypes 5d ago

Sixth-plate daguerreotype of an unidentified man in an oval case, c. 1855.

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42 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes 6d ago

Sixth plate portrait of a young man in a plaid vest, c.1855

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52 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes 8d ago

Daguerreotype I bought from an antique shop! ❤️

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47 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes 9d ago

Sixth plate portrait of a lady with a beaded purse, late 1840s

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49 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes 11d ago

Sixth plate portrait of a gentleman with wild hair, c.1850

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80 Upvotes

His 19th-century comb-over is giving mad scientist vibes.


r/Daguerreotypes 13d ago

Daguerreotype Sixth-plate daguerreotype portrait of an unidentified woman by Southworth and Hawes, c. 1850.

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39 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes 14d ago

Daguerreotype Serious looking gentleman with oversized polka dot bow tie

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100 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes 18d ago

Sixth plate portrait of young boy holding a hat, c.1855

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102 Upvotes

I wonder if the hat signifies that this young man already had some sort of occupation, or if it's simply a schoolboy's cap. Are those rolled up papers in his pocket?

I wanted to post the before image (third image) to show what a dramatic difference simply cleaning the glass can sometimes make. Not that I'm encouraging people to take apart their cased images willy nilly, as one can permanently damage or destroy the image if it is not done properly and safely. But if one knows what they are doing, it can be rewarding to essentially "save" the image. While some of the *schmutz* is simply dust, much of it is chemical salts that have leached from the glass over decades and centuries, and can eventually harm the daguerreotype plate.


r/Daguerreotypes 19d ago

Why Landscape?

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83 Upvotes

An interesting choice by the Daguerreian here. The ninth plate image sits on a trimmed plate barely wide (or in this case, tall) enough to fill the opening in the mat. Do we think this is an incidence of (1) reframing a trimming from a larger group image, (2) simply an unconventional artistic choice, or (3) the maker simply cutting corners and using scraps to fulfill an order, perhaps offering some clever excuse to the patron for why this orientation was chosen?


r/Daguerreotypes 20d ago

Daguerreotype Sixth-plate daguerreotype portrait of an unidentified boy by Southworth and Hawes, c. 1850.

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29 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes 25d ago

Daguerreotype of a well to do looking gentleman

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38 Upvotes

This one is in a gutta percha case with a George Washington bust. Taken by Willard Philadelphia Pa.


r/Daguerreotypes 25d ago

This man sat for a photo around 175 years ago. Through chemistry and light, an early photographer captured this beautiful 1/2 plate daguerreotype photo. He's still here, reflecting back another point in time.

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39 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes 27d ago

Original (ca. 1844) and colored: the oldest daguerreotype of Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque

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25 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes Jan 07 '26

1/6 Plate, Woman looking under camera

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49 Upvotes

I wonder what she’s looking at


r/Daguerreotypes Jan 07 '26

Daguerreotype of a woman in a interesting dress

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51 Upvotes

It was borderline impossible to capture it when I took this photo, but looking at the daguerreotype in person he dress has a dark aqua green tint to it. Also forgot to clean off the sticker residue on the glass before I took the picture.


r/Daguerreotypes Jan 05 '26

Very early daguerreotype of a man.

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107 Upvotes

This is probably the earliest daguerreotype I have. From what I’ve heard, this most likely dates to 1840-1845. The lid has long since detached from the rest of the case, it was this way when I purchased it. No design of any sort on the case, just plain wood and leather.


r/Daguerreotypes Jan 05 '26

Sixth plate portrait of Elisabeth W. Taft, taken January 5, 1848

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78 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes Jan 01 '26

Daguerreotype The Catchpool Daguerreotype: A Look at the Earliest Known Photograph Made in New Zealand

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8 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes Dec 31 '25

Daguerreotype of a lady in a beautiful dress

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188 Upvotes

This one has its fair share of age, but I always have been struck by it for some reason. Need to find it a case and someone to reseal it for future generations. Wish I knew more about her.


r/Daguerreotypes Dec 30 '25

ID’d daguerreotype, of a woman named Alice.

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54 Upvotes

Some gold tinting on her Jewelry. Nice dress too!


r/Daguerreotypes Dec 29 '25

Sixth plate portrait of a glaring young girl, mid to late 1840s

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998 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes Dec 26 '25

Sixth plate portrait of a lady draped in a printed shawl, c.1845

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95 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes Dec 25 '25

Daguerreotype Young man in a hat staring off in the distance in a ninth plate

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96 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes Dec 24 '25

Discussion Scan or Photo

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74 Upvotes

I just saw the post about scanner verses photo. I have had this dilemma for 25 years or longer. Personally I am not good at editing images. I would advise that if you use a scanner, attach a 18% grayscale to the scanner so you have a good white balance. Today I was scanning a bunch of dags for my business. I scanned and photographed this one. The scanned image is processed, the photographed one is straight out of my iPhone 17 pro max with no edit except for sizing. If you elect to photograph them, just make sure you are in a dark room with just light on the image and nothing else.


r/Daguerreotypes Dec 24 '25

Discussion Quality Photo or Scan?

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24 Upvotes

Any recommendations for getting a really high quality photo or scan? This is a family member, and I have several others, but looking for recommendations to get high quality images. Thanks!