Talbot invented a paper print system based on negatives but, due to restrictions on its use, photographers chose to utilize the daguerreotype. The camera obscura was a tool used by artists and others. Using a lens, it projected an image that could then be used as an aid in drawing. 3 Americans excelled at daguerreotyping and developed many memorable portraits. See The American Daguerreotype by F. and M. Rinhart.
All dates are approximate.
Many photographers continued working with obsolete processes on their own. 4 American photographers also experimented a great deal with chemicals in order to improve their images. Since it is not always guaranteed that the chemicals used in a process were the ones listed, archivists, curators, and collectors must be extremely careful in attempting to clean or work with older images. 5 You will also see daguerreotypes with tinting. 6 One way to construct a physical support for viewing is to take a piece of form core and wrap it with numerous layers of acid-free tissue.