Victorian Photography Began with the invention of the

Victorian Photography

Began with the invention of the Dag -Invented by Louis-Jacques-Mande Daguerre In Paris France 1837. -”First commercially viable process” -His process used copper plates coated in Silver iodide to copy an image. -”First adopters turned out to be erotic photography. ”

Some Interesting Facts -Photography came to the United States in the fall of 1839 -Photographic technologies evolved rapidly in the mid-nineteenth century (Shortened exposure time, better quality, less expensive) -Invention of the Kodak Camera in 1888 -The Civil War was the first major conflict to be extensively photographed

The invention of the body stan - created to assist photographers because Exposure time was between 15 and 30 minutes -Would help hold a person in position so the photograph would not be blurry Body stands were used for both the living and the dead.

An example of a daylight portrait studio. -studios were normally in sky lit attics

A Popular Career for Women “Between 1861 and 1871, the number of female photographers quadrupled”. -It was considered socially acceptable -Women usually had more patience And were better suited for taking Family portraits

Hidden Mother -Mothers would have to hold their baby or small Child still during the session because exposure Took so long -Some magazines of the time even recommended A dose of opium to help make the child more Co-operative.

Post-mortem Photograph Reason’s - very popular during the 19 th century. -High infant mortality rate. (only half of all babies born reached their first birthdays) -A post-mortem photograph may have been the only image of their child or loved one they Owned -a photograph to send to relatives who could not make the funeral.

Babies and young children were often portrayed as sleeping or in their coffins.

-Adults were often portrayed propped up to seem life like and sometimes posed With family members

Works Cited https: //www. theguardian. com/artanddesign/2013/dec/02/hidden-mothers-victorian-photography http: //www. huffingtonpost. com/2013/01/31/victorian-death-portraits_n_2591312. html http: //www. daguerre. org/? page=Dag. FAQ http: //www. history. com/news/history-lists/8 -crucial-innovations-in-the-invention-of-photography http: //www. neatorama. com/2006/08/29/the-wonderful-world-of-early-photography/ http: //sleepinggardens. blogspot. com/2013/04/infant-mortality-in-victorian-era. html http: //www. post-mortem-photography. com/post-mortem-photography-history. html https: //www. gilderlehrman. org/history-by-era/art-music-and-film/essays/photography -nineteenth-century-america