Jacques Louis Daguerre. Boulevard du Temple, 1838
Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Captured by Jacques Louis Daguerre, “Boulevard du Temple” is a landmark in photography history. It showcases the first humans ever to be photographed: a man getting his shoes shined and the shoe-shiner. This achievement required meticulous scientific processes and an in-depth understanding of chemicals and exposure.

Daguerre and his contemporary, Henry Fox Talbot, were pioneers in creating the first practical photography methods. Ironically, Daguerre’s process yielded sharp, unique images on metal sheets, making each daguerreotype a one-of-a-kind piece. In contrast, Talbot, a more introverted individual, developed the Calotype, a process that enabled mass production and thus democratised photography.

Techniques and Background
The Daguerreotype process used a silver-plated copper sheet coated with iodine, forming a light-sensitive surface. Mercury vapour exposure developed the image, which was then sealed under glass. The exposure time, approximately 10 minutes, was both a limitation and a hallmark of these early techniques.

Interesting Facts
The prolonged exposure resulted in an almost empty scene, save for the man and the shoe-shiner. Their stillness allowed them to be captured, making them the first humans to appear in a photograph.

#PhotoDigest
#JacquesLouisDaguerre
#Daguerreotype
#HistoricalPhotography