Louis Daguerre (1787–1851), artist and chemist who is recognized for his invention of the Daguerreotype process of photography
November 18 – Louis Daguerre, French artist and chemist, recognized for his invention of the daguerreotype process of photography (died 1851)
The sensitivity of silver halides to light is the underlying principle behind most types of 19th century photographic processes (Daguerreotypes, Ambrotypes, Calotypes that use paper negatives, and wet and dry plates) as well as modern 20th century photographic film processes.
Born in 1838 in York County, Maine, Mitchell began his photographic career as an errand boy in a daguerreotype gallery in Maine at the age of nine.
Bayard was persuaded to postpone announcing his process to the French Academy of Sciences by François Arago, a friend of Louis Daguerre, who invented the rival daguerreotype process.
He became so well renowned for his work, that shortly after, Cornelius was approached by Joseph Saxton to create a silver plate for his daguerreotype of Central High School in Philadelphia.
Bemis's interest in photography began in March 1840 when he attended a series of lectures and demonstration of the daguerreotype process given by François Fauvel-Gouraud, a pupil of Louis-Jacques Mandé Daguerre and an agent for Alphonse Giroux & Cie.
On the 19th of August 1839 at the French Academy of Sciences, François Arago publicly unveiled the previously secret details of the daguerreotype process, the first publicly announced photographic process.
His brother Ezra Greenleaf Weld, a famous daguerreotype photographer, was also involved with abolitionism.
He was brought back to Missouri by John Ostrander, founder of the first daguerreotype gallery in St. Louis, in early 1848.