Louis Daguerre Statue

Across the street from the Verizon Center stands a tribute to a visionary. The Louis Daguerre Statue immortalizes the man who gifted the world with the magic of photography. This eleven-foot bronze figure of Louis Daguerre resides on the grounds of the Old Patent Office Building. It’s now home to the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. The statue, crafted by Jonathan Scott Hartley, first graced the rotunda of the Arts and Industries Building. It was unveiled in 1890 during a photographers’ convention. The Louis Daguerre Statue has had a journey of its own. It was moved outside in 1897, then briefly vanished into storage in 1969. It reappeared two decades later, re-dedicated in 1989 to celebrate 150 years of photography. Louis Daguerre, born in 1787, was more than just a photography pioneer. He was a skilled painter and a developer of the diorama theatre. His partnership with Nicéphore Niépce in the 1820s proved pivotal. Together they refined the process of capturing images with light, leading to the daguerreotype. This groundbreaking process, requiring mere minutes of light exposure, revolutionized image capturing. The daguerreotype involved fixing an image onto a polished silver plate. The process was then chemically refined to create a usable image. The French government, recognizing its significance, acquired the rights and shared it with the world in 1839. This generous act cemented Daguerre’s legacy as a father of photography. The Louis Daguerre Statue’s base bears inscriptions. They speak of photography’s impact, alongside the electric telegraph and the steam engine, as one of the age’s greatest discoveries. Another inscription commemorates the first half-century of photography, from 1839 to 1889. It’s a fitting tribute to the man who helped us freeze moments in time.