Louis Daguerre

FRENCH PAINTER AND PHYSICIST

WRITTEN BY: 

• The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

LAST UPDATED: Nov 14, 2019 See Article History

Alternative Title: Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre

Louis Daguerre, in full Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre, (born November 18, 1787, Cormeilles, near Paris, France—died July 10, 1851, Bry-sur-Marne), French painter and physicist who invented the first practical process of photography, known as the daguerreotype. Though the first permanent photograph from nature was made in 1826/27 by Nicéphore Niépce of France, it was of poor quality and required about eight hours’ exposure time. The process that Daguerre developed required only 20 to 30 minutes.