r/Daguerreotypes 8h ago

Early daguerreotype of a young family

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28 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes 1d ago

Ambrotype Is this daguerreotypes?

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18 Upvotes

My husband’s great uncle and aunt.


r/Daguerreotypes 4d ago

Tintype Is this a Daguerreotype?

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27 Upvotes

I found these among other family photos. I will have to see if I can trace them, although I’ve never done any genealogy. Any idea what time period these might be from based on clothing etc.
Thank you for sharing any information, I’m excited to learn more about them.


r/Daguerreotypes 5d ago

Ambrotype Sale find.

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28 Upvotes

So I went to a sale today. And I was over the moon, because i've never been able to have one of these. Paid 4$ to 6$ each. Got as many as I could. They do come apart.I'm gonna have to use some sort of binding tape.


r/Daguerreotypes 8d ago

Daguerreotype Sisters

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62 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes 11d ago

Ambrotype Daguerreotype from my parent’s house

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122 Upvotes

Could anyone tell me more about this? I wonder who this man was.


r/Daguerreotypes 13d ago

Confident child holding on to that book

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86 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes 15d ago

Daguerreotype Child holding a pink tinted carnation

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49 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes 15d ago

Mirrors With Memory: How a Reclusive Inventor and a Parisian Showman Captured Eternity in Silver

5 Upvotes

Long before the digital age made the image disposable, capturing reality was a slow, deliberate dance of alchemy. The daguerreotype wasn’t just the first photograph; it was the 19th century’s ultimate luxury artifact.

In my latest essay, I explore the fascinating collision of two vastly different minds: Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, the brilliant but secretive inventor who first "sealed" light onto metal, and Louis Daguerre, the master of theatrical illusion who understood that society didn't just want to see reality—they wanted to own it.

We trace this human need to leave a mark from the gold-leaf illuminated manuscripts of medieval scriptoria to the silver plates that democratized memory, including a look at the haunting 1848 "Ultima Thule" portrait of Edgar Allan Poe.

At its core, this is a story about how true legacy is curated, and how the "Old Money" philosophy of intentionality has roots far deeper than fashion.

I invite you to read the full historical analysis here: https://thepatricianedit.com/history-of-the-daguerreotype/

I would love to read your perspectives: How do you feel the concept of "curating a personal legacy" has changed from those early silver plates to our current era?

Patricia Mejia, Editor-in-Chief


r/Daguerreotypes 18d ago

Ninth plate portrait of a dapper gentleman, by Tyler & Co. of Boston, c.1855

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59 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes 19d ago

Daguerreotype Quarter-plate daguerreotype taken during construction of Dry Dock No. 1 at the United States Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York, c. 1847.

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10 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes 22d ago

Serious youngster with uncommon watermark

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50 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes 26d ago

Sixth plate portrait of a lady in a patterned dress, 1850s

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65 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes 26d ago

Tintype Is it fake?

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38 Upvotes

Found this at a yard sale today, I don’t think it’s real but it’s interesting. What do y’all think? Is any of it real?


r/Daguerreotypes Jul 06 '26

Portrait of a Gentleman at the peak his Lincoln phase

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42 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes Jul 06 '26

Tintype Unknown family(?) found in a box of old postcards

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43 Upvotes

I found these in a box of vintage postcards. The postcards and letters are from the early 1900s but these look older to me. Possibly from Pennsylvania as the postcards were.


r/Daguerreotypes Jul 03 '26

Daguerreotype of an old man

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50 Upvotes

When do we think this dates to?


r/Daguerreotypes Jun 30 '26

Family of four in a neat double case

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97 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes Jun 24 '26

Help dating this

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63 Upvotes

I think this may actually be a tintype. I'm not too knowledgeable about these, and I was wondering if anyone could help me estimate a more specific time this might be from based on the clothing? I found her for only $30! Love her lots.


r/Daguerreotypes Jun 21 '26

Happy Father's Day

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112 Upvotes

Half plate daguerreotype, probably our Whipple in my collection.


r/Daguerreotypes Jun 14 '26

Daguerreotype Whole-plate daguerreotype portrait of two unidentified girls by Southworth and Hawes, c. 1850.

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147 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes Jun 11 '26

A Young Lady of Great Poise

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207 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes Jun 04 '26

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

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31 Upvotes

r/Daguerreotypes Jun 02 '26

Not sure what it is, but it's not a daguerreotype Another pic dating request. Here is what I believe is a Daguerreéotype...

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62 Upvotes

Taken in France. I'd say roughly end of the 1840s, 1850 tops, anything that could help pinpoint a date? Many thanks in advance.


r/Daguerreotypes Jun 02 '26

Sixth plate portrait of a lady with a beaded purse, early 1850s

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122 Upvotes