On This Day
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First photograph of a total solar eclipse is captured on a daguerreotype by Johann Julius Friedrich Berkowski at the Roy

First photograph of a total solar eclipse is captured on a daguerreotype by Johann Julius Friedrich Berkowski at the Royal Observatory in Königsberg, Prussia

Daguerreotype was the first publicly available photographic process, widely used from the 1830s to 1850s. "Daguerreotype" also refers to an image created through this process.

Invented by Louis Daguerre and introduced worldwide in 1839, the daguerreotype was almost completely superseded by 1856 with new, less expensive processes, such as ambrotype (collodion process), that yield more readily viewable images. There has been a revival of the daguerreotype since the late 20th century by a small number of photographers interested in making artistic use of early photographic processes.

Historical Significance

Daguerreotype was the first publicly available photographic process, widely used from the 1830s to 1850s.

Events Before

  1. Senator Henry Clay drafts the Compromise of 1850 to defuse tensions between slave states and free states over territorie

    Senator Henry Clay drafts the Compromise of 1850 to defuse tensions between slave states and free states over territories won during the Mexican–American War

  2. French writer and playwright Honoré de Balzac marries Ewelina Hańska in Berdyczów, Ukraine

    French writer and playwright Honoré de Balzac marries Ewelina Hańska in Berdyczów, Ukraine

  3. American Union Army General William Tecumseh Sherman (30) weds Eleanor Boyle Ewing in Washington, D.C., until her death

    American Union Army General William Tecumseh Sherman (30) weds Eleanor Boyle Ewing in Washington, D.C., until her death in 1888

  4. Poet Alfred Tennyson (40) weds Emily Sellwood (36)

    Poet Alfred Tennyson (40) weds Emily Sellwood (36)

  5. First public demonstration of ice made via refrigeration by Florida physician John Gorrie

    First public demonstration of ice made via refrigeration by Florida physician John Gorrie

Events After

  1. National debt of Britain and Ireland is £765,126,582

    National debt of Britain and Ireland is £765,126,582

  2. Fugitive slave Frederick Douglass delivers his 'What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?' speech to the Ladies' Anti-Sla

    Fugitive slave Frederick Douglass delivers his 'What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?' speech to the Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society in Rochester, condemning the celebration as a hypocritical sham

  3. Future US President Rutherford B. Hayes (30) weds teetotaler and abolitionist Lucy Webb (21)

    Future US President Rutherford B. Hayes (30) weds teetotaler and abolitionist Lucy Webb (21)

  4. First Chinese immigrants arrive in Hawaii

    First Chinese immigrants arrive in Hawaii

  5. British recognize independence of Transvaal (in South Africa)

    British recognize independence of Transvaal (in South Africa)

More from the 1850s

birth

Alice Mary Robertson is born

Alice Mary Robertson, American politician, known for american politician, was born on 1854-01-02.

birth

Tim Keefe is born

Tim Keefe, American athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1857-01-01.

City of Glasgow steamer inaugurates Philadelphia-Liverpool line

City of Glasgow steamer inaugurates Philadelphia-Liverpool line

National debt of Britain and Ireland is £765,126,582

National debt of Britain and Ireland is £765,126,582

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on July 28, 1851?
Daguerreotype was the first publicly available photographic process, widely used from the 1830s to 1850s. "Daguerreotype" also refers to an image created through this process. Invented by Louis Daguerre and introduced worldwide in 1839, the daguerreotype was almost completely superseded by 1856 with new, less expensive processes, such as ambrotype (collodion process), that yield more readily viewable images.
Why is First photograph of a total solar eclipse is captured on a daguerreotype by J... significant?
Daguerreotype was the first publicly available photographic process, widely used from the 1830s to 1850s.

Explore More

July 28 in HistoryYear 1851