As with any significant and potentially profitable new technology, there is a storm of treachery, theft, false claims and injustice surrounding it. The Daguerreotype is a prime example. Francois Arago, president of the French Academy of Science, convinced Hyppolyte Bayard to delay publishing his invention of photography, which predated that of Daguerre. Arago did this under the ruse of "protecting" Bayard.
Arago did this because he wanted his friend, Daguerre, to get all the credit, the glory, and the money. It worked. I'll bet this is first any of you have heard of poor Mr. Bayard. Arago's scheme to award Daguerre a pension for making the Daguerreotype process free to the world was a nasty cold-hearted way to eliminate any profits Bayard may have made from patents. In the end, neither Bayard's or Daguerre's processes had any long term practical use, because they both required very long exposures and neither process could be used to make copies. These days, I can't imagine the reaction to a photographic process that requires development in mercury fumes as does the Daguerreotype. --- On Sun, 2/10/13, Harry Veeder <[email protected]> wrote: > From: Harry Veeder <[email protected]> > Subject: [Vo]:OT: Invention of the Daguerreotype > To: [email protected] > Date: Sunday, February 10, 2013, 9:55 AM > This shows it is possible for an > inventor of a culturally significant > technology to receive recognition and compensation without > patent > protection. > Harry > > "It changed everything" > The Daguerreotype: Photographic Processes > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmm90yhhuJM > > ------------- > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daguerreotype > > Since the late Renaissance, artists and inventors had been > looking for > a mechanical method of capturing visual scenes.[17] > Previously, using > the camera obscura, artists would manually trace what they > saw, or use > the optical image in the camera as a basis for solving the > problems of > perspective and parallax, and deciding color values. The > camera > obscura's optical reduction of a real scene in > three-dimensional space > to a flat rendition in two dimensions influenced western > art, so that > at one point, it was thought that images based on optical > geometry > (perspective) belonged to a more advanced civilization. > Later, with > the advent of Modernism, the absence of perspective in > oriental art > from China, Japan and in Persian miniatures was revalued. > > Previous discoveries of photosensitive methods and > substances—including silver nitrate by Albertus Magnus in > the 13th > century,[18] a silver and chalk mixture by Johann Heinrich > Schulze in > 1724,[citation needed] and Joseph Niépce's bitumen-based > heliography[17] in 1822[19]—contributed to development of > the > daguerreotype. In 1829 French artist and chemist Louis J.M. > Daguerre, > contributing a cutting edge camera design, partnered with > Niépce, a > leader in photochemistry, to further develop their > technologies.[17] > > After Niépce's 1833 death, Daguerre continued to research > the > chemistry and mechanics of recording images by coating > copper plates > with iodized silver.[17] Early experiments required hours of > exposure > in the camera to produce visible results. In 1835 Daguerre > discovered—after accidentally breaking a mercury > thermometer, > according to traditional accounts—a method of developing > the faint or > invisible images on plates that had been exposed for only 20 > to 30 > minutes.[17] Further refinement of his process would allow > him to fix > the image—preventing further darkening of the > silver—using a strong > solution of common salt. An 1837 still life of plaster > casts, a > wicker-covered bottle, a framed drawing and a > curtain—titled L'Atelier > de l'artiste—has been claimed to be the first > daguerreotype to > successfully undergo the full process of exposure, > development and > fixation.[17] > > The French Academy of Sciences announced the daguerreotype > process on > January 9, 1839. Later that year William Fox Talbot > announced his > silver chloride "sensitive paper" process.[20] Together, > these > announcements mark 1839 as the year photography was > born.[21] > > Daguerre did not patent and profit from his invention in the > usual > way. Instead, it was arranged that the French government > would acquire > the rights in exchange for a lifetime pension. The > government would > then present the daguerreotype process "free to the world" > as a gift, > which it did on August 19, 1839. However, on August 14, > 1839, a patent > agent acting on Daguerre's behalf filed for a patent in > England. > Consequently, Britain became the only nation in which the > purchase of > a license was legally required to make and sell > daguerreotypes.[22] > > ---------------- > >
