The fine art modern photography market has always seemed a bit curious to me where a 1999 print of the original film by Gursky sells for over $4.3 million. Daguerreotypes on the other hand are still vastly underrated and under-priced creating an ideal environment for investment. They really do have so much going for them:

1. Historically important – The first form of permanent true photography with origins in the
1820’s and public release in 1839. When they were first released, people could not believe
their eyes thinking instead it was magic. They provide a social and costume commentary of
early Victorian times.

2. They are not prints but true pieces of one-off art, capturing fleeting ancient moments &
heartbeats from the long lost past.

3. The image quality still cannot be beaten – even with today’s modern equipment. With
daguerreotypes, the image sits on a highly polished pure silver surface resulting in an
unbelievably high resolution image. No matter how high the quality of modern digital
photography, once printed on paper, the ink sinks down into the microstructure and spreads
out causing blurring. As you stare into the holographic high res eyes of a daguerreotype
portrait, you feel you know that person and that they are preparing to engage in
conversation. Indeed, they are a silver shadow into the past preserved for posterity.

4. There are now many daguerreotype societies, exhibitions and institutions that have been set
up that are actively pushing this underrated art form. More publicity will mean escalating
prices, proving daguerreotype’s sound investment potential.