Daguerrotype – the first ever practically used photographic technique Daguerrotype – the first ever practically used photographic technique

The study summarises the basic information on daguerreotype, the first ever practically used photographic process, which was used mainly in the period 1840 - 1860. Daguerrotype takes advantage of a photosensitive layer of silver halides on a silver layer to capture an image, it uses a reaction of silver with mercury vapours to develop the image. The production process via daguerreotype as described hasn’t changed since its deployment and stabilisation in the middle of 19th century. The properties of a daguerreotype image are given by its soft microstructure, which could have only been described after introduction of the electron microscopy. The susceptibility of daguerrotypes to damage and degradations stems not only from their low mechanical resistance but also from unsuitable conservation interventions and archiving conditions.