Electroplate Daguerreotypes
In 2023, I collaborated with electro-plater and photographer Joaquin Paredes Piris at Analog Inside in Caceres, Spain to remake George Shaw (1818-1904) and Francis Marrian’s (1802 – 1893) early photographs using congruent materials and processes.
We made electroplate silver onto brass as the substrate for the daguerreotypes, experimenting with plating at varied voltages. We found that a relatively low voltage gave an optimum surface quality for the daguerreotype, which was much softer than traditionally manufactured clad plate. This led to an understanding of electro-plating as a fluid process and its benefits to early photography.
Further details of this experimental performance and process are available in a paper I published with Science Museum Group’s journal here.
Jo Gane. “Photography and Electroplate in 1840s Birmingham.” Science Museum Group Journal 20, (2023). doi: 10.15180.232014.