NEWS /
|
A discovery in a dusty attic may change the history of commercial photography. Westlicht, a private photo gallery and auction house in Vienna, plans to auction off on May 26 what is most likely the world's oldest commercially manufactured camera. Up to now, experts said that apart from some documents there was no proof that the so-called "Daguerreotype," a wooden sliding box camera produced by the Paris company Susse Freres in 1839, really existed. Discovered as part of an inheritance in Germany, the antique piece will allow photography enthusiasts rewrite history. Peter Coeln, owner of Westlicht, is convinced of the camera's authenticity. "We showed images of the camera to leading experts in the field, who all confirmed its authenticity," he told DPA. "Also, the provenance is clear." He admitted the story sounded improbable, but said he would not risk his company's reputation for a fake. "We know the ice is very thin in such cases," Coeln said. Invented by French chemist Lois Daguerre, a daguerreotype is an early type of photograph. It produces a direct image on a polished silver surface that bears a coating of silver halide particles, deposited by iodine bromide or chlorine vapours. As there was no negative original like in modern photography, no copies of pictures could be made. The process was widespread in Europe and the US for about one decade after its initial development before it was supplanted by different techniques. The camera on auction in Vienna was first advertised for sale Sep 5, 1839, weeks before another Daguerreotype, produced by Daguerre's brother-in-law, Alphonse Giroux was commercially available. The Giroux Daguerreotype is widely regarded as the first commercially produced camera. Around 10 of those cameras still exist in museums worldwide. Westlicht said the Vienna camera has never been restored. It is currently owned by a US-based scholar, who inherited it from his father, who taught technical photography at Munich University in Germany. The starting bid for the camera is 100,000 euros ($132,900)—"a symbolic price," Coeln says. The auction house expects it will fetch around 1 million euros, one of the highest prices ever for antique camera equipment, Westlicht said. A Giroux Daguerreotype in a collection recently acquired by a photography museum in Qatar was estimated to be worth 1.5 million euros. |
Tags: Camera
Mixx
Facebook
Twitter
Digg
delicious
reddit
MySpace
StumbleUpon
LinkedIn
First, unique view of moon's far side captured by NASA
Just as the world welcomed 2012, NASA revealed its ambitious mission of studying and exploring the moon in a way, ...
NASA's GRAIL reaches lunar orbit, prepares to study moon
FUJIFILM launches FinePix T 200 for the Indian market
Glimpses of Nokia 801 caught on video
Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR digital camera
Olympus' mini PEN (E-PM1) gets a price tag
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS Camera
Leaked Images, Availability, Pricing,
Specs, Pre-order
How time flies. A few weeks ago the BlackBerry world was mad at RIM for a massive 3-day outage. Now,...
Logitech ZAAG iPad2 Keyboard Case
11 Feb, 2012, 03:59 PM IST
Apple device accessories are, if anything, numerous and that’s an understatement. But that is one the more ...
Camera update for the Nokia Lumia 800 coming soon
11 Feb, 2012, 04:06 PM IST
The Nokia Lumia 800 is a great device and it fares well in reviews the world over. Nokia spent the better part of November in launching campaign after campaign
Stylish Galaxy S III concept makes us wish it was true
Google expands Chromium Security Rewards Program
Windows 8 Consumer Preview arriving on Feb 29
Top smartphones under Rs. 15,000
The 15K budget has been a sweet deal for those not wanting to spend extra...
By Karan Shah
Mobile phones have become an integral part of our lives and have...
Five 3D monitors for your gaming rig
As the industry shifts its focus to 3D gaming, a number of things are...
626 views
More from this Author
_011517074205_160x90.jpg "Epson Stylus Photo R3000")
Camera update for the Nokia Lumia 800...
Stylish Galaxy S III concept makes us wish
Apple to announce 7-inch iPad?
Apple rushing to finalize apps for iPad 3...
About Us | Site Profile | Tech2 Team | IBNLive News | IBNLive Hindi News | Cricket News | Indian Stock Market | Policy | T & C
Copyright © 2011, Tech2.com India - A Network 18 India Venture
