The Daguerreotype - November 1839
SOLD April 2009 |
A period bound copy of Le Magasin Pittoresque, volumes 7 & 8 (1839-1840), containing the very early November 1839 illustrated daguerreian notice "La Photographie, ou Le Daguerréotype." Dimensions including binding 8 x 12 inches (21x30 cm).
This three-page article on the newfound daguerreian process comes only months after its first public announcement in January 1839 and is one of the earliest published notices of the daguerreotype to be illustrated with plates. The article, published November 1839, begins: "Among the inventions which have excited a universal interest since the beginning of this decade [1830s], that of the Daguerreotype is certainly the most extraordinary. For a long time it was surrounded with a mystery that favored incredulity, but now admiration alone is permissible..." The article proceeds to present the daguerreotype in the context of the camera obscura and to detail the methods for preparing, exposing and developing daguerreotype plates (pp. 374-6).
This bound copy of the Magasin is well-preserved and in excellent condition. Pages clean, spine solid. Covers with normal shelf wear and bumps, some discoloration.
