Photographs were first made available to the public with the invention of the Daguerreotype process by Louis Daguerre in 1837. The revolutionary process produced an image on a sheet of silvered copper by treating the sheet with iodine, which made it light sensitive, and was then exposed under a lens for several minutes. This technology arrived in the United States in 1839 after the French government purchased the rights to Daguerre's process and gave it freely to the public to use. By 1853 over three million daguerreotype images were produced in America. However, unlike later photographic methods, there were no negatives produced in the process. This meant that each image was unique and the medium was not well suited for producing images to share with family and friends.
Paper photographs, like the one below, became common in the United States by the latter half of the 1850s. By the end of the decade the majority of photographers had begun producing paper photographs, which could be easily reproduced. The significant decrease in exposure time, and relatively low cost, made the new paper photographs available to millions across the nation, including the citizens of Windham. Below is one of the earliest known photographs of a citizen of Windham. Unfortunately, the name of the young girl has been lost to history. The only information recorded was that the photograph was taken on November 10, 1856 and the young girl resided in West Windham. Her age had also been recorded but was permanently obscured by the removal of decades old tape some time ago.
Paper photographs, like the one below, became common in the United States by the latter half of the 1850s. By the end of the decade the majority of photographers had begun producing paper photographs, which could be easily reproduced. The significant decrease in exposure time, and relatively low cost, made the new paper photographs available to millions across the nation, including the citizens of Windham. Below is one of the earliest known photographs of a citizen of Windham. Unfortunately, the name of the young girl has been lost to history. The only information recorded was that the photograph was taken on November 10, 1856 and the young girl resided in West Windham. Her age had also been recorded but was permanently obscured by the removal of decades old tape some time ago.
Photograph taken in 1856 of one of the young citizens of West Windham
Although the girl's identity has been lost forever, the photograph gives modern historians a valuable look at life in Windham during the 1850s. Her clothing was typical of that worn by a young girl living in that period. The girl's hair style, another feature that can be used to date antique photographs, is also indicative of the 1850s, and would have fallen out of style by the 1870s.