Three quarter portrait of two young girls by Kilburn, William Edward (1818-1891), Public Domain, via Europeana.

The Daguerreotype, invented by Louis Daguerre in the late 1830s, is often associated with the Victorian era. Indeed, most daguerreotype portraits have a somewhat static, ‘frozen’, detached quality about them. Much of this goes back to the techniques and processes used, necessitating an exposure of several seconds even on the brightest of days. This selection for the new Pinterest board of Photoconsortium, however, shows a higher degree of tactility, proximity and sometimes even a spot of spontaneity: view the board: https://www.pinterest.it/PHOTOCONSORTIUMnet/

Find more daguerreotypes on europeana.eu!