Daguerreotypes are the first publicly available and commercially viable type of photograph. Take a look at daguerreotypes in our collection from Royal Daniel Ross and his family, and learn more about daguerreotypes from Photo Archivist Matthew Ely. | State Historical Society of North Dakota

Called Daguerreotypes after their inventor these wonderfully spooky images were popular in the mid 19th century. While other forms of capturing an image were in use, this was the first widespread, for the public method. Well, the rich public anyway. By the 1860’s it began to fall out of favor and be replaced with the cheaper to produce ambrotypes and tin types. Those are cool too but lack the ghost effect of appearing and disappearing so I prefer these ephemeral guys by a smidge 😉 This gang of