The Process The daguerreotype is a direct-positive process, creating a highly detailed image on a sheet of copper plated with a thin coat of silver without the use of a negative. To fix the image, the plate was immersed in a solution of sodium thiosulfate or salt and then toned with gold chloride.

How do you make daguerreotypes?

To make your own 35mm Daguerreotype will require a short list of ingredients: a small silver or silver-plated copper plate, a 35mm camera, orange or red glass, iodine fuming material and a vessel to hold it, a polishing and buffing block, polishing and buffing abrasives, olive oil, and distilled water.

What is true of a daguerreotype?

Named after the inventor, Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre, each daguerreotype is a unique image on a silvered copper plate. In contrast to photographic paper, a daguerreotype is not flexible and is rather heavy. The daguerreotype is accurate, detailed and sharp. It has a mirror-like surface and is very fragile.

What is the difference between daguerreotype and ambrotype?

Ambrotypes were created through a similar process, using glass coated in certain chemicals, then placed into decorative cases. The difference is that while a daguerreotype produced a positive image seen under glass, ambrotypes produced a negative image that became visible when the glass was backed by black material.