The Beginning of Photography: The Drama of 1839

The drama of ‘39 'The Open Door' William Henry Fox Talbot. About 1843. Print from paper negative. On January 6, 1839, François Arago, Secretary of the French Academy of Sciences, announced Daguerre’s invention and spoke of his accomplishment publicly, although he said nothing of the specific methods involved. By the middle of January, news of Daguerre’s invention had spread everywhere. Today, when imaging is so common and taken for granted, it’s hard to imagine how amazing...