Daguerreotype-did they process them immediately?

EmBu said:

Hi everyone, I’ve seen videos on how daguerreotypes are made but they have done the whole process in one go. I wondered if it was possible to break up the process by taking a picture on one day, keep the latent print in its holder for a number of days, and then fully process it at a later date? Thanks!

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Donald Qualls said:

Becquerel development involved no mercury -- but did involve a week-long storage of the exposed plate in a cabinet with red glass. Modern workers have shortened this Becquerel development with stronger red light.

This would seem to imply that the latent image is reasonably stable in darkness, but red safelight should be applied only for short periods if you intend to use mercury vapor development (which many modern worker do use safely -- it's all about vapor management). As noted, the resolution is "everything the lens can deliver" -- the sensitive surface ought to have molecular level resolution.

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nosmok said:

My readings about the process have all said that one had to immediately expose the plate to mercury vapor (!) after the (longish) exposure. The whole mercury vapor thing put me off ever wanting to daguerrotype, but the resolution is startling. Google "Cincinnati Panorama" and there are several stories about this state-of-the-art 1849 masterpiece and its restoration and digitization.

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EmBu said:

Thank you!

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