The History of Photography Q&A

Q1. Who is Louis Daguerre and why is he so special?  How did he become independently wealthy?

A1. Louis Daguerre is known as the father of photography, he created the first camera and negotiated a contract to sell the rights to his invention to the country of France vast sums of money.

Q2. What types of photos did people take when photography was first invented?  What were some of the difficulties they had to endure?

A2.  Many early photographs were portraits and the subject(s) had to sit in a seat(s) with neck braces that prevented them from moving so the picture would not develop a blur.

Q3. Name three different types of early photographs. What did they look like?  Why were they called what they were called?

A3. I. Daguerreotype, this method of photography got its name for its French create Louis Daguerre.

 II. Ambrotype, this particular photograph does not have a unique name, however its creator James Cutting changed his middle name to Ambrose to more closely associate himself with it.

 

III. Tintype, this method of photography received its name from the fact test in the development process this type of photograph is placed on a metal surface rather than a glass or paper surface.

 

Q4. What is a Kodak Brownie.  How did it work?  What made it so popular?  Can you buy one today?

A4. The Kodak Brownie was a small inexpensive camera developed by Eastman Kodak in the late nineteenth century, this camera had two fixed lenses on either side of a film roll that would burn the image upon the film. The camera was popular due to its low price point and is still available today.

Q5. Who were the Dadaists?  What was their photographic work like? Why are they considered "important" in the history of photography?

A5.The Dadaists were followers of the Dada movement which was basically a protest against the events that lead up to World War One, the artists that made up this movement became non-artists and produced non-art due to their belief that art and everything else in the world have no meaning anyway. Their photographic work often times displayed shock art or mild obscenities and humorous images. This is considered to have been the first photographic protest and would later receive some credit for  the creation of the satirical branch of photography.