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daguerreotypist

daguerreotypist

1 9.9
A person who makes very early photographs on shiny metal plates
  • noun
  • /dəˈɡɛrəˌtaɪpɪst/
  • Archaic
: daguerrotipista
  • In 1850, Louis Agassiz, a distinguished Harvard professor of natural science, commissioned J. T. Zealy, a South Carolina daguerreotypist, to take pictures of the faces and bodies of black slaves.

Examples

  • Cook began his travels as an itinerant daguerreotypist throughout the South in late 1845.

    Academic text (2008)
  • For a time, no one was present, so I examined the many examples of the daguerreotypist's art, and they were frankly amazing.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The quandary facing the potential daguerreotypist is that there is no guarantee of even the most ordinary results without considerable experimentation.

    Academic text (1996)
  • The hands-on instruction by Ken Nelson and Grant Romer would save the would-be daguerreotypist months, perhaps years of trial and error.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Only a few days before John Mifflin offered his daguerreotypes in Augusta, another artist-daguerreotypist and his partner announced their services in a Savannah, Georgia, newspaper.

    Academic text (2008)
  • A daguerreotypist named A.D. Gale practiced as a photographer in Camden, South Carolina, in March 1850, then worked as an operator for Cook in his Charleston studio, probably early in 1851.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The daguerreotypist set up his equipment in the park to capture portraits of passersby.

  • Becoming a daguerreotypist requires a deep understanding of chemistry and lighting techniques.

  • In the 19th century, a skilled daguerreotypist could create stunning portraits that showcased the detail of his subjects.

Synonyms

photographer
vsdaguerreotypist
578 2.5

A person who takes pictures with a camera, often as a job

is a specialist using an early, specific photographic process

How Specialized

daguerreotypist
  • Archaic
1 9.9
photographer
578 2.5

Surface Forms

Morphology

daguerreotypist = daguerreotype (transparent) = daguerreotype + ist

The productive agentive suffix '-ist' straightforwardly yields 'a person who makes or practices daguerreotypes'.

Etymology

Daguerreotypist comes from the name of the French inventor Daguerre and the part type (from a word meaning 'image' or 'impression'), plus -ist for a person who does something. So a daguerreotypist is literally a person who makes daguerreotype images — an early kind of photographer.