DATING EARLY PHOTOGRAPHS

The invention of the first photographic process, the ‘daguerreotype’, was announced in 1839. This ‘direct positive’ process produced a unique image that was often kept in a case, like a precious jewel. Later that year William Henry Fox Talbot introduced his negative-to-positive paper technique. The ‘calotype’ would become the basis of almost all of the photography of the future, up until the shift to digital processes in the late 20th century.

As photography developed over the decades after its invention, so did its role in society and culture. Photography quickly became an important part of family life; a tool for creating memories, legacies and identities. And with the rise of popular photography from the turn of the century and a world in flux from global conflicts and imperial missions, photography cemented its place as purveyor of social change. As such, considering