If the expert in charge of describing this mysterious landscape was able with reason to circumscribe the area around the Channel and the Channel Islands , he ended his report with: no monument allows us to identify precisely the place.
In the port landscape that interests us here, several elements allow us to identify with certainty a forgotten corner of the old Le Havre, which disappeared over the course of the 19th century. After a technical description of the daguerreotype in question, we will specify its dating and will make some hypotheses as to its author. We will then analyze in detail the moving photographic testimony that constitutes this archival piece of rare documentary interest. First of all, it is worth taking a moment to look at the technical characteristics of our daguerreotype.
We have a copper plate lined with silver, 20 cm wide by Note, however, the presence of a margin between the edge of the plate and the recorded image, which brings the dimensions of the view to Despite this, this Daguerrian image remains much superior in size to other daguerreotypes that have been identified as taken in Le Havre around thirteen identified to date.
In a corner of the plate top left of the obverse a discreet hallmark has been affixed fig. In a classic form, it contains the following usual information:. First, the fact that the image does not show a specular inversion reveals to us that the camera was equipped with a rectifier accessory mirror or prism. Second, on the back of the plate, traces of smoke are visible, which suggests the fixing of the image by gold toning. Third, in view of the multiple alterations undergone by our daguerreotype, we can see that it has not always been preserved in the best conditions.
The main damage observed is of a mechanical nature and undoubtedly resulted from improper handling scratches and friction marks. Other damages are probably due to chemical reactions due to atmospheric pollution and humidity.
