Have you ever wondered what the name “Dagtype” means? It’s short for “daguerreotype,” the earliest form of photograph, introduced in 1839.
A daguerreotype is an image in polished silver, on a thin copper plate. This image can shift from positive to negative, depending on the way the light hits the surface. Because it’s so highly reflective, the daguerreotype came to be known as “the mirror with a memory.”
Steve and I had been collecting daguerreotypes for several years when we formed our film production company. At the time, digital cameras were making independent filmmaking affordable for everyone, and we felt we were part of a pioneering age in technology, akin to the daguerrean era. By naming our company “Dagtype Films,” we also linked the silver surface of the daguerreotype with the “silver screen” of cinema.
With our Oh Crappy Day feature, we’ll be introducing a new company logo that incorporates one of our favorite daguerreotypes. A stereoscopic image from the 1850s, it depicts a beautiful young Frenchwoman who seems to be dreaming. And what is a movie, after all, but a dream you remember well?
— Jon Lance Bacon
For more information about daguerreotypes, check out the Daguerreian Society, a group dedicated to the history, art, and science of early photography.