Past Processes of Photography

An exceptionally valuable section consists of daguerreotype, the oldest photography technology used in practice. The collection features a daguerreotype by the inventor himself, Louis Daguerre, from 1840; especially valuable is the micro-daguerreotype by F. I. Stašek from 1840 (the oldest preserved photograph of Czech origin) and a daguerreotype of the solar spectrum. Early colour photography is represented by Lippmann’s photographs and by a collection of autochrome plates, the most in the Czech Republic, predominantly by Karel Šmirous. Tri-coloured photographs constitute an interesting and little known chapter. There are samples in the collection of all techniques used for 3D photography. The collection of stereoscopic cards from the 19th century is vast.
Even though the collection of photographs contains some major works of famous photographers, it’s not aimed at presenting the work of photography artists, but documents the development of photography technology as such. The collection therefore features representative samples of practically all technology used for photography, including a number of curiosities.
Learn more through the Reconstruction of past photographic technology programme
 

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