Unknoun daguerreotype from the Archive of the St. Petersburg Institute of history, Russian Academy of Sciences

Abstract

Of all the variety of materials that are stored in archival collections, such a photographic document as a daguerreotype occupies a special place. In the art of photography, daguerreotype is the earliest, unique technology for obtaining photographic images. Unveiled by J. L. M. Daguerre in 1839, it lasted less than twenty years and was subsequently replaced by other technologies that were more in demand by society. Extremely rare in archival, museum and library collections, and difficult to store, daguerreotypes are an interesting phenomenon that gives us opportunities to study the art of photography not only in Russia, but also in Europe. The invention of Louis Daguerre opened the way for many masters of domestic and foreign light painting, each of whom contributed to the history of the spread of daguerreotype and the improvement of new technology.
The revealed photographic document is the first daguerreotype discovered in the collection of the Scientific and Historical Archive of the St. Petersburg State Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. This daguerreotype was created by Josef Weninger, one of the masters of early photography who worked in this technique. Weninger’s career began in Europe, but later, since 1843, he worked very productively in St. Petersburg. According to the time of work of his workshop in Bolshaya Morskaya Street, No. 37 (now No. 36), the daguerreotype can be dated between 1845 and 1857. Comparison with other known works by Josef and Heinrich Weninger allows us to presumably attribute the image on the daguerreotype to the person depicted. This is Tatiana Miller (married name Tatiana Tolstaya, born 1788, died 1869), a maternal aunt of the poet Fyodor I. Tyutchev.