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 THE DAGUERREOTYPE: AN ARCHIVE OF SOURCE TEXTS, GRAPHICS, AND EPHEMERA


  The research archive of Gary W. Ewer regarding the history of the daguerreotype

On this day (February 3) in the year 1847, the following news items appeared in "The Sandwich Island News" (Hawaiian Islands): - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . . .The arrival of Senor Le Bleu and his camera seems to have created quite an excitement in our little town, and we congratulate him upon the avidity with which our fellow-residents, naturalized and "unnaturalized" crowd to his rooms to exchange the current coin of the realm for his well executed little specimens of photographic immortality. We understand that he already has engagements for weeks in advance, and there appears a general panic among those at the caudal terminus of his list, on account of a most discouraging report which has gone abroad, that the artists' plates are not likely to satisfy all the demands made upon them. For the peace of the community, we would fain hope that this may prove untrue, yet should it unfortunately be the fact, we trust there may still be found some inventive genius among us, who will undertake to supple a substitute for this deficiency. Though we have no copper here, brass abounds, and it would certainly be a great blessing to have it worked up onto any other shape than that in which it is at present found. We understand that the Senor has been very successful in his likenesses, producing pictures as accurate as possible and beautiful as may be; and it is certain that the Daguerreotype mania is at present that most prevalent among us. Instead of the ordinary greetings of the day, people enquire whether you have "been taken yet?" or when you are going "to be taken?. . ." (Cited from the research of Bruce T. Erickson) -------------------------------------------------------------- 02-03-97

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