Beschreibung:

DAGUERRE, Louis Jacques Mandé (1787-1851). Historique et description des procédés du daguerréotype et du diorama rédigés par Daguerre, ornés du portrait de l'auteur, et augmentés de notes et d'observations par MM. Lerebours et Susse frères . Paris: Lerebours and Susse frères, 1839. 8 o (205 x 132 mm). Half-title, 10 pp. publisher's advertisements at end. 6 engraved plates. (Some occasional pale unobtrusive foxing, slightly heavier on plate 5). Later quarter morocco, original printed yellow wrappers bound in (wrappers mounted and restored). FIRST EDITION, 2nd issue, 3rd imprint (plates from the 2nd imprint) of Daguerre's exposition of his photographic process. Daguerre, a gifted set designer and creator of the famous Diorama, a picture show based on lighting effects, began experimenting in the 1820s with fixing the images of the camera obscura on silver chloride paper. His continued lack of success using this method stimulated his interest in the heliographic method invented by Nicéphore Niépce, who had produced the first successful photographic image in 1826 or 1827 on a pewter plate coated with bitumen of Judea dissolved in oil of lavender, and in 1829 Daguerre succeeeded in persuading the reluctant Niépce to become his partner. It was only after Niépce's death, however, in the spring of 1835, that Daguerre accidentally discovered a quicker method of exposing and developing the Niépcian image through the application of mercuty vapor. Using this method, with common table salt as the fixative, he produced his first successful permanent photographic image in 1837. Still under contract with Niépce's son Isidore, Daguerre agreed to split the profits from the new invention in exchange for calling it by his name alone. He then proceeded to launch a publicity campaign with the goal of attracting 400 subscribers at 1,000 francs each, stipulating that the process of heliography and "daguerréotype" would not be revealed until 100 subscribers were enrolled. This failed, and the resourceful Daguerre turned to other methods, privately approching a number of leading scientists with the goal of interesting the government. "He was fortunate in finding in François Dominique Arago an influential ally, for he was a member of the Chamber of Deputies as well as a distinguished physicist and astronomer. Soon afterwards, Arago gave the discovery official status by a brief announcement at the Académie des Sciences, on 7 January 1839" (Gernsheim, p. 68). Arago energetically promoted the invention and succeeded in obtaining government funding for the two partners, although in the course of his arguments he gradually shifted credit for the invention to Daguerre, at the expense of Niépce's pioneering work. By the summer, Daguerre was finally obliged to divulge the details of "his" process (though not before Fox Talbot, in reaction to the news of Daguerre' invention, had published his own announcement). On August 19 Arago made a full announcement to a packed house at a joint meeting of the Académies des Sciences and des Beaux-Arts at the Institut de France. The excitement was palpable. "Perhaps no other invention ever captured the imagination of the public to such a degree and conquered the world with such lightening rapidity as the daguerreotype" (op. cit., p. 71). Daguerre's manual, published by order of the government, was quickly sold out. A total of 39 reprints, new editions, and translations appeared in the following 18 months. The great demand accounts for the profusion of issues and imprints of the first edition: 7 are recorded, all from the same basic setting of type. Of these the first four differ in the booksellers' names alone. The present copy is of the 2nd issue, 3rd imprint, differing from the preceding only in the position of the publisher's names on the title-page. These issues includes additional material by Lerebours and Susse frères, and the present copy further contains 10 pages of publisher's advertisements announcing works by Ler