Posted on 11/07/2014 2:22:28 PM PST by zeestephen
This picture, the earliest known photograph to include a recognizable human form, was taken in Paris, France, in 1838 by Louis Daguerre. The human in question is standing in the bottom-left of the photograph, on the pavement by the curve in the road. He is having his boots shined.
(Excerpt) Read more at retronaut.com ...
Thanks for that. What’s the shoeshine guy? Chopped liver?
a PVUFO? [pronounced “VOO-FOE”]
Was this taken before or after sliced bread?
As I recall, this process, old as it is, is also one of the most permanent - that is, the images will last an extremely long time. I’ve been shocked at how the 1950’s and early 60’s color photos that I have in my family album, always stored in a very cool and dark place, have deteriorated.
Doubt the sky looked blue given all the coal that was burned, for not just heat but cooking. It would have looked overcast at best. Cities then had a gloom about them as a result, it wasn’t just Dickens taking creative license.
Breezy that day, the leaves on the trees are blurred.
#67 I cannot read any of the text. It is using that Windows white text with drop shadow instead of black text.
Related to the article.
Oct. / Nov. 1839
The first “selfie”
Robert Cornelius’ daguerreotype is believed to be the earliest photographic self-portrait in existence
http://mashable.com/2014/11/07/first-selfie/
Seems to me this picture was taken on a Sunday morning, so there is little street or pedestrian traffic, as stores would be closed.
Traffic in the street would have shown up as a blur, as the exposure said to be seven minutes.
The text is not all that interesting, but in Windows you can probably read it by zooming in on the image. Right click the image, left click View Image, then hold down the CTRL key and tap the "+" key or rotate the scroll wheel on your mouse to zoom in.
Traffic in the street would have shown up as a blur
Your explanation makes sense. Street traffic would show up as blurry areas in the middles of the lanes. The cobblestones are not blurry.
The photographer might have chosen a Sunday for exactly that reason. He wanted a sharp photo despite the long exposure time.
Did you colorize this?
That’s extraordinary.
Re: Shadows
Daguerre’s camera creates a mirror image.
The guy getting his boots cleaned is actually on the right side of the photo in the real world, and, presumably the shadows would be pointing to the right also.
My Dad's great grandfather fought in the Civil War, and my Dad just died at 92.
My Dad had a picture of himself and my uncle and their great grandfather marching in a Civil War 60th Anniversary parade in Chicago in 1925.
Great link.
When I saw the date, first thing I thought was, “They took the pictures from a slave state.”
Daguerreotypes should last for centuries! I have collected dozens of Daguerreotypes and examined them under a microscope. The image consists of tiny beads of mercury condensed onto a silvered surface. Even when tarnished, as most have, the mercury image remains and can be revealed by chemical processes. Never attempt to clean one, the images smear! Hundreds of Daguerreotype are for sale on eBay any given day.
My great-grandfather was 42 when he married for the first time and 49 when my grandfather was born. My grandfather was in his thirties when my father was born and my father was in his thirties when I was born.
My great-great-grandfather lived to 64, my great-grandfather to 85, my grandfather to 93, and my father to 94. I like the direction the numbers are going.
On my mother's side, I had two great-great-grandfathers who were in the Civil War. I have a photo of one of them, who lived to 1904. That man's great-grandfather fought in the Revolutionary War. On my direct paternal line the ancestor who was old enough to fight in the Revolutionary War (but lived in Europe) was two generations closer to me.
My condolences on the loss of your father.
No. It came from the link below, which unfortunately goes to NPR:
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