On World Photography Day, we recall the technique that started it all – the daguerreotype, the first method of permanent image recording, officially announced on 19 August 1839. Its creators were Joseph Nicéphore Niépce and Louis Jacques Daguerre, from whose name the technique derives its name.
We encourage you to get familiar with the photographic reproductions of daguerreotypes found in the Polish Music Library’s collection. It is a unique opportunity to see what images created directly on metal plates looked like; unique because it was impossible to reproduce them.
Our collection also includes a rich set of photographs from the 19th and early 20th centuries, featuring portraits, group photos, theatre photographs, and documentation of everyday life. The resources can be browsed by theme (e.g. portrait photography – 19th century; children’s portraits) or by country of origin (e.g. French photography – 20th century; Polish photographers).
In the era of mass production of digital images, it is worth returning to the sources – to a single frame that is a unique testimony to its era and technology. You will find many such unique shots in our Pictures.
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