Ted Shepherd’s replica camera by Ev Roseborough
Toronto. The world was electrified in early 1839 when Louie Daguerre’s amazing process for creating images by the action of sunlight was announced. The new process meant new devices to ‘capture’ these images. Being French, Daguerre’s early cameras were made by his brother-in-law, A Giroux. Until this astonishing invention, opticians used lenses in eye glasses for the most part. European optical houses made eye glasses, binoculars, opera glasses, telescopes, and finally microscopes.
Ted Shepherd was the second president of the Toronto branch of the PHSC (1977-1979). At one point Ted helped manage the camera department of Robert Simpson’s (one of the two great Canadian department stores). His hobbies included creating replicas. One such replica was a full size example of the first Daguerreotype cameras – made by Giroux in Paris with a simple f/19 meniscus lens by the Paris optician and scientific instrument maker, Charles Chevalier.
Replica? Oh, yes, the replica. Well it was carefully made by Mr Shepherd and featured in Photographica Canadiana 12-1. (May-June 1986) A portrait of the camera by Ev Roseborough (shown here) was used on the front cover of that issue. Inside, an article by Bill Belier introduces us to Ted and includes a detailed reprint of how to make a camera.
A Daguerreotype image has very fine detail. Sadly it lacks many things we take for granted these days: It is only monochrome (capturing mainly scenes illuminated by blue light). It is contrasty and slow (later technology and lenses helped with speed). The delicate mirror-like surface means you have to hold it ‘just right’ and reflect a dark background so you can see a positive image (hence the use of cases to house the fragile ‘mirror with a memory’).
A copy of issue 12-1 pdf is included here. To see the entire vol 1 through 40 issues, check out the DVD sent to members. Not a member – see the right-hand sidebar for membership (or the MEMBERSHIP menu item)!
