The Daguerre Monument Marker

HMdb.org

THE HISTORICAL
MARKER DATABASE “Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”

Home — My Markers — Add A Marker — Marker Series — Links & Books — Forum — About Us

Word or Phrase

Add Photo — Add Link — Add Commentary — Correct this page — Print

Downtown in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

The Daguerre Monument

By Richard E. Miller, July 1, 2008

1. The Daguerre Monument

South side, viewed from the 7th Street fence.

Inscription. [Inscription on Monument's front, 1890]: DAGUERRE
[Inscription on 1890 monument's south side]:
To commemorate the half century in photography 1839 - 1889. Erected by the photographers association of America Aug. 1890.

[Inscription on 1890 monument's north side]:
Photography, the electric telegraph, and the steam engine are the three great discoveries of the age. No five centuries in human progress can show such strides as these.

[Rededication Marker, 1989]:
The Daguerre Monument.

The French artist Louis Mande Daguerre (1787-1851) became interested in the 1820s in trying to capture images photographically. In August 1839 his "Daguerreotype" technique--fixing an image on a light-sensitive, polished silver plate--was announced to the public. This was the first photographic process to be used widely in Europe and the United States.

In 1890 the Professional Photographers of America donated this monument to Daguerre, by the American sculptor Jonathan Scott Hartley, to the American people. The bronze figure was cast by the Henry-Bonnard Bronze Company of New York. Placed in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum Building (now known as the Arts and Industries Building) to celebrate the first half-century of photography,

By Richard E. Miller, July 1, 2008

2. The Daguerre Monument

North side, viewed from the 7th Street fence.

the monument was displayed on the Mall from 1897 to 1969.

The rededication of the Daguerre Monument in 1989 was sponsored by the Professional Photographers of America in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of photography.

Erected 1989 by Professional Photographers of America.

Marker series. This marker is included in the Markers Attached to Sculpture marker series.

Location. 38° 53.857′ N, 77° 1.328′ W. Marker is in Downtown, District of Columbia, in Washington. Marker is at the intersection of 7th Street, NW and F Street, NW, on the right when traveling south on 7th Street, NW. Click for map. The memorial sculpture and marker are on the grounds of the Smithsonian Institution's Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture, near the southeast corner of the National Portrait Gallery. Marker is in this post office area: Washington DC 20001, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Roots of Freedom and Equality (within shouting distance of this marker); Patent Office Building (within shouting distance of this marker); General Post Office (within shouting distance of this marker); Abraham Lincoln Walked Here (within shouting distance of this marker); "Blodgett's Hotel" (about 500 feet away, in a direct line); The Restoration of 800 F Street (about 500 feet away); Missing Soldiers (about 600 feet away); Clara Barton, Angel of the Battlefield at Home (about 600 feet away). Click for a list of all markers in Downtown.

By Richard E. Miller, July 1, 2008

3. "The Daguerre Monument"

The 1989 rededication plaque, in the grass between the monument and the fence on 7th Street.

Also see . . .
1. Louis Daguerre. (Submitted on July 17, 2008, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.)
2. Smithsonian Institution, Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture. (Submitted on July 17, 2008, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.)

Louis Daguerre image, Click for more information

Courtesy of Wikipedia, circa 1844

4. Louis Daguerre

Credits. This page originally submitted on July 17, 2008, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,708 times since then. Last updated on March 12, 2010, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 17, 2008, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. 4. submitted on April 1, 2009, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.