Why is a daguerreotype a one-of-a-kind photograph?
A daguerreotype holds its original image on a metal plate. A calotype follows a different route through a negative that can produce multiple prints, changing the relationship between the photograph and a copy of it.
Questions you could explore
- What makes an original plate different from a print made from a negative?
- How could the choice of process affect who could own or share a portrait?
Start reading
- Victoria and Albert MuseumAn A to Z of photographic processes
The Daguerreotype and Calotype entries explain the two historical processes.
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