Abstract
Daguerre's Discovery Described ON August 19, 1839, Arago at a meeting of the Paris Academy of Sciences “in the presence of a crowded audience, which had besieged the doors of the Institute three hours before the commencement of the sitting, divulged the secret of M. Daguerre's invention, which has now, as you are all aware, become public property. Three drawings having been exhibited by way of Specimens, M. Arago began by capitulating the discoveries—or rather hints towards discoveries, of former chemists; he afterwards dwelt upon the progressive experiments of M. Niepce since carried out by M. Daguerre. . . .” After dealing with Daguerre's process Arago proceeded “to speculate upon the improvements which this beautiful application of optics was capable. . . . The question arose, too, whether it will be possible to take portraits by this method. M. Arago was disposed to answer in the affirmative.
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Science News a Century Ago. Nature 144, 341–342 (1939). https://doi.org/10.1038/144341b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/144341b0