Daguerreotype "couple" In Its Pinchbeck-set Union Case

Daguerreotype, mature couple, man with book and woman with handkerchief. Sixth plate in its leather Union Case with Pinchbeck. The book held by the man represents the knowledge and the lace handkerchief of the woman, by its grandeur and the richness of the details, the opulence of the household. Union Case format 8x9 cm Image format 5.5x7 cm The daguerreotype is the first photographic process developed by Nicéphore Niépce then Louis Daguerre and offered to the whole world (except in the United Kingdom) by France in 1839. It is both a negative and a positive hence this characteristic mirror effect. In the 19th century they were also poetically called “the mirrors that remember”. Given the cost and technical difficulties, it will only be used for around ten years in France and will be replaced by other processes. However, there are late daguerreotypes, particularly American or Anglo-Saxon. Union case This is a case which protects the daguerreotype from any form of oxidation. It can be made of leather in Europe or of thermoplastic material, the result of the pressure of a mixture of wood fibers and shellac in a steel mold, many of which were produced in the USA, hence their generic name "Union Case". ". Pinchbeck Pinchbeck is a durable yellow metal that resembles gold, but is made with a combination of copper and zinc…The formula was developed by Christopher Pinchbeck, a London watchmaker who lived from 1670 to 1732. Over time, The term Pinchbeck has often been used generically to refer to all types of gold substitutes.
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