In a talk based on her new book, The Early American Daguerreotype: Cross-Currents in Art and Technology, author Sarah Kate Gillespie recounts the activities of the unexpected mix of fine artists, inventors, scientists, and mechanical tinkerers who transformed the daguerreotype into a new way to see the world.
A production of the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center. Video and production by Chris J Gauthier. Originally recorded on May 27, 2016.