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We’re pleased to introduce the speakers for the 2026 Daguerreian Society Symposium in Washington, D.C., October 15–17.
There is always more to discover about 19th-century photography. This year’s speakers bring fresh research, new discoveries, and unexpected perspectives to the images, people, processes, and stories that continue to shape the field.
Here’s a preview of what you’ll hear:
Wm. B. Becker — What the Magicians Revealed
Two previously unknown photographs of celebrated 19th-century magicians—one by Mathew Brady and another by André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri—lead to new discoveries about the photographers’ final years, including what may be Brady’s last, unintended self-portrait.
Emma Dacey — Looking Through the Glass: Examining the History of Glass and Its Relationship to Early Cased Photographs, With Examples From the SAAM Collections
Drawing on examples from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, photograph conservator Emma Dacey examines an easily overlooked component of cased photographs: the glass that protected daguerreotypes—and could also pose risks to their preservation.
Christina Finlayson — The Spirit of Invention: Patent Office and Patentees
National Portrait Gallery photograph conservator Christina Finlayson introduces an exhibition exploring 19th-century American patent holders and the U.S. Patent Office building, including the conservation of a daguerreotype featured in the show.
Francesco Fragomeni — On Top of the World: Making the First Known Daguerreotype Views From Atop the Dome of the U.S. Capitol Building
In 2025, artist and independent scholar Francesco Fragomeni climbed through the U.S. Capitol dome to make the first known daguerreotype views from its roof. He shares the extraordinary process—and the challenges of working in extreme summer heat and humidity.
Anne Havinga — Boston Literati Go to Freshwater: Cameron’s Legacy in the Athens of America
Former longtime photography curator at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Anne Havinga traces how Julia Margaret Cameron’s photographs crossed the Atlantic through literary figures including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and helped shape Boston’s artistic imagination.
Ross J. Kelbaugh — Sublime Obsessions: Highlights of the Kelbaugh Collection in the National Gallery of Art
Collector and Daguerreian Society charter member Ross J. Kelbaugh explores highlights from the more than 400 photographs acquired by the National Gallery of Art from his collection, including works featured in the exhibition Remember Me: Picturing African Americans in Early Photography.
Theresa Leininger-Miller — The Serpent King Portrait by James Goins, Protégé of J.P. Ball in Cincinnati
A remarkable cabinet card of a snake charmer surrounded by live snakes opens a window onto African American photographer James M. Goins, the 19th-century circus world, and the story behind one unforgettable portrait.
Adrienne Lundgren — The 19th-Century Roots of Instagram: The Amateur Photographic Exchange Club (1861–1863)
Long before social media, photographers were exchanging images with strangers and building networks across great distances. Library of Congress conservator Adrienne Lundgren explores the Amateur Photographic Exchange Club of 1861–1863—and its surprisingly modern parallels.
Scott McMahon — The Clairvoyant Camera: Spirit Photographs from the Lilly Library Collection
Drawing on 325 spirit photographs acquired by Indiana University’s Lilly Library from the archive of magician Ricky Jay, curator Scott McMahon explores photography’s role in conjuring ghosts, spirits, and other mysterious visitors.
Anton Orlov and Dr. Simone Wicca — Daguerreian Storycraft: Practice of two contemporary Daguerreotypists
Two contemporary daguerreotypists explore the medium as a living practice, combining technical experimentation with questions of light, materiality, presence, disappearance, and the continuing creative possibilities of the daguerreotype.
Ariadna Romer — A Spotlight Breaks the Dark: Made by Light, Threatened by Time and Humans
As the bicentennial of photography approaches, Smithsonian American Art Museum conservator Ariadna Romer considers the preservation, stewardship, handling, and long-term survival of the daguerreotype as part of the world’s cultural heritage.
Rachel Wetzel — A Closer Look at Plate Stock: Steps to Solidify a Timeline of Early American Daguerreotypy Through Examination of the Earliest Practitioner’s Working Methods, Materiality Choices, and the Availability of Proper Daguerreotype Plates
What can the metal beneath an image tell us? Library of Congress conservator Rachel Wetzel shares scientific research into some 50 daguerreotypes to better understand how America’s earliest practitioners worked between 1839 and 1843.
Jingxian Wu — Reflections: The Making of Modern Daguerreotypes in China
Jingxian Wu traces the emergence of contemporary daguerreotypy in China, where the Hengli Image Centre in Nanjing has rebuilt a photographic practice in a country where no living tradition of the process remained.
Together, these presentations reveal just how expansive the world of early photography remains—connecting history, collecting, conservation, scientific research, material culture, and contemporary practice.
We hope you’ll join us in Washington for three days devoted to the history, art, science, and continuing life of early photography.
Learn more about the presenters and presentations, register and reserve your hotel room HERE.
Questions? Contact info@daguerreiansociety.org.
The Daguerreian Society welcomes two new members to its Board of Directors.
Edith Cuerrier was elected to the Board last fall and began her three-year term in January.
Allen Phillips joined the Board in February, filling a seat vacated by Terry Alphonse, who recently stepped down. Allen's term will run through next year.
Edith is a French Canadian born near Montreal and now based in Newfoundland and Labrador. She is a retired museum and archives professional who still works part-time at the provincial archives in St John's, NL, and has taught History of Photography courses in local continuing education programs over the years.
As a photography scholar and enthusiast, she served as cataloguer of the Cromer Collection Project at the George Eastman Museum (2017–2019). Earlier in her career, she spent over 20 years as a military photographer in the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Edith earned her MA in Photographic Preservation and Collections Management from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) and a BA in Anthropology from Memorial University of Newfoundland. She has been a member of the Daguerreian Society since 2008 and attended her first Daguerreian Symposium in 2013 (Paris) and several since (New York, Chicago, Kansas City, etc.).
Allen brings decades of experience as a photographer, collector, dealer, and museum professional, along with a longstanding engagement with both historical and contemporary photographic processes.
A lifelong photographer, he began working with 19th-century techniques—including cyanotype, platinum, and salt printing—in the early 1970s. His interest in historic photography soon led him to collecting, and by the mid-1970s he had begun assembling a collection of 19th-century photographs, with a particular focus on the daguerreotype. He later became a full-time photography dealer specializing in the medium.
An early adopter of digital photography in the 1980s, Allen went on to build a distinguished career in museum imaging and publications. He has established digital photography studios at several major institutions, including the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian, and the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, where he has served as Imaging and Publications Manager for more than two decades.
Allen has also contributed to recent scholarship and exhibitions in the field. In 2023, he co-curated I Am Seen … Therefore, I Am: Isaac Julien and Frederick Douglass, which brought together 75 African American daguerreotypes.
More recently, he curated The Scenic Daguerreotype in America, 1840–1860, an exhibition featuring 19th-century outdoor views alongside contemporary works by modern daguerreian artists. The exhibition was a centerpiece of the 2025 Symposium & Photo Fair, hosted by the Wadsworth Atheneum.
In addition to his institutional work, Allen remains an active practitioner of the daguerreotype.
The Society extends its thanks to Terry Alphonse for his service on the Board and looks forward to Edith and Allen's contributions as it continues to strengthen its mission of supporting the study, preservation, and appreciation of 19th-century photography.
Reservations are now open for the Daguerreian Society’s official Symposium hotel for our 2026 Symposium in Washington, D.C. (October 15–17).
We have secured a group room block at:
Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill400 New Jersey Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20001 202-737-1234
Reserve Your Room
We encourage you to book early. Last year, the Symposium hotel reached full capacity and was unable to accommodate late reservations.
Book your room here: https://www.hyatt.com/events/en-US/group-booking/WASRW/G-D4G3
The Society's discounted room rate is $279 per night, plus city tax (15.95%). The hotel has also waived its $20 daily destination fee.
This special rate will be offered through September 15, pending room availabilty.
As always, if your plans change, reservations can be canceled without penalty up to 48 hours before check-in—so there is no downside to reserving early.
Why Stay at the Official Hotel?
Staying at the Hyatt Regency Washington places you at the center of Symposium activity and provides easy access to:
Plan Ahead
The 2026 Symposium is already shaping up to be an exceptional event, with planned visits, exhibitions, and programming tied to major institutional collections and the nation’s semiquincentennial year.
We strongly recommend securing your accommodations now to ensure you can participate fully in the experience.
Register for the Symposium
Registration details for the 2026 Symposium & Photo Fair will be available soon.
Questions?
If you have any questions about accommodations—or are interested in sharing a room—please contact:
Diane Filippi Business Director info@daguerreiansociety.org
This sixth-plate daguerreotype sold for $40,000 (hammer price) at last year’s Daguerreian Society auction.
Have any high-quality images that you're ready to part with? Need some extra cash? Have a treasure that you'd like marketed to a targeted audience of passionate collectors?
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, The Daguerreian Society is here to help!
The Society is seeking consignments and donations for its annual Benefit Auction, to be held on October 17, 2026, in Washington, D.C., during the annual Symposium.
Each year, the auction brings exceptional material before a highly focused audience of collectors, dealers, curators, and scholars of early photography. For consignors, it offers a unique opportunity to place important objects in front of an engaged and knowledgeable market.
A Targeted Market for Exceptional Material
The auction will feature:
Higher-value items—particularly those above $2,000—have historically performed especially well in this setting.
In last year’s auction, a remarkable daguerreotype realized $40,000 (hammer price), underscoring the strength of the market for exceptional works.
Part of a Larger Gathering
The auction takes place during the Society’s three-day Symposium, which brings together a global community of:
The program includes presentations, behind-the-scenes visits to major institutional collections, and a Photo Fair open to the public, creating a dynamic and informed environment for buying and selling.
Supporting the Society’s Mission
Proceeds from the auction support the Daguerreian Society’s nonprofit mission: to inform and inspire members, foster a sense of community, and advance the scholarship and preservation of 19th-century photography.
Whether you have a single important piece or a group of works, the Society welcomes your submission.
Early submission is recommended, particularly for higher-value material.
If you have high-quality material you’re ready to part with—or a work you would like to place with a discerning audience, this is an ideal venue.
Members may access the latest Quarterly from the Quarterly and Newsletter Archive page in the site's members-only section. The "compact" version is suitable for reading on screen or printing at home.
Inside this issue
Join today to explore the full issue and back issues.
Learn more about member benefits: https://daguerreiansociety.org/Join
Join the Society: https://daguerreiansociety.org/Apply
Have a discovery to share? Join us in Washington!
Propose a talk for The Daguerreian Society's 2026 Symposium, October 15–17, in Washington, DC.
Presentations are scheduled for Friday, October 16, as part of the three-day event.
The Symposium brings together collectors, scholars, curators, dealers, and enthusiasts of 19th-century photography for talks, behind-the-scenes tours, and collegial exchange.
We invite proposals on topics such as:
We especially welcome proposals that offer new research, fresh interpretation, or previously unpublished material.
Please keep in mind:
To submit a proposal, please email:
Send materials to speaker-committee@daguerreiansociety.org.
Proposals must be received by May 31, 2026.
We look forward to seeing what you will bring to Washington!
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to attend a Daguerreian Society Symposium?
Each year, collectors and enthusiasts of early photography come together for private visits to institutional collections, expert presentations, lively discussions, social events, and the chance to discover new works for their collections.
To give you a clearer sense of why people from all walks of life—people just like you—look forward to this gathering year after year, we’re pleased to share a special excerpt from the latest Daguerreian Society Quarterly: the richly illustrated cover story on the 2025 Symposium in Hartford, Connecticut.
Read the excerpt here. Full issue here (for members).
This in-depth feature takes you inside the Symposium—from behind-the-scenes museum tours and expert talks to receptions, our 19th-century Photo Fair & Auction, and even a special event featuring contemporary daguerreotypes.
If this exchange of ideas and images appeals to you, mark your calendar for our 2026 Symposium & Photo Fair, October 15–17, in Washington, DC.
While membership is not required to attend, most participants are members, who enjoy discounted registration and additional benefits throughout the year.
P.S. Many first-time attendees discover the Symposium through word of mouth or a preview like this—and tell us it’s what made the experience feel tangible and worth prioritizing.
Inside this issue...
A Showing of Daguerreotypes, ca. 1850, quarter-plate daguerreotype (The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art)
What is a daguerreotype?
A daguerreotype is the earliest widely adopted form of photography, introduced in 1839 by Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre. It produced a highly detailed, one-of-a-kind image on a polished silver-coated copper plate. No negative was involved—each daguerreotype is a unique object.
What were typical subjects?
Why was the invention of the daguerreotype important?
The daguerreotype was revolutionary: It produced images with unprecedented accuracy and detail; made portraiture accessible to the middle class; and led to the rise of a booming photographic industry during the 1840s–1850s, as studios rapidly spread across Europe and the United States.
How can you identify a daguerreotype?
The most reliable way is the mirror test. Hold the image at different angles:
At our recent Symposium in Hartford, Connecticut, Daguerreian Society President Mike Robinson presented longtime member Carl Mautz with the Society's prestigious Fellowship Award. The award recognizes individuals who have advanced scholarship in the field of photo history and generously shared that knowledge with contemporaries and future generations of historians, scholars, and collectors.
Carl is a photo historian, publisher, and dealer best known for his pioneering research on 19th-century Western photographers. Beginning as a collector in the 1970s, he developed an interest in the photographers who documented the settlement and landscapes of the American frontier. His passion for uncovering biographical details and studio locations evolved into one of the most comprehensive reference projects in the field.
To share and preserve this knowledge, Carl — a lawyer by training — founded Carl Mautz Publishing, through which he produced scholarly yet accessible works devoted to early photography. His most acclaimed title, (1997; updated 2018), remains an indispensable reference for curators, collectors, and historians, cataloging thousands of practitioners active west of the Mississippi in the 19th century.
As a longtime dealer and collector, Carl has specialized in daguerreotypes, cartes de visite, stereoviews, and other vintage images depicting Western towns, mining camps, and Native American subjects. His dual role as scholar and dealer helped bridge academic and collecting communities, and his meticulous research has been cited by major institutions, including the Library of Congress.
While we celebrate Carl for this well-deserved honor, it's worth taking a moment to recall all the past recipients who have contributed so much to the Society's mission of advancing the understanding and appreciation of early photography.
We raise a glass to the following individuals who have informed and inspired our members, helped build a sense of community, and made an outsized contribution to the scholarship and preservation of 19th-century photographs.
2025 - Carl Mautz2024 - Malcolm Daniel 2023 - Carlos Vertanessian2022 - Founding Members of the Society Alan Johanson, George Whiteley, Larry Gottheim, Dennis Waters2021 - No Symposium2020 - No Symposium 2019 - Jane Aspinwall and Mike Robinson2018 - Leonard Walle 2017 - Jeremy Rowe2016 - Alex Novak (Achievement Symposium Award) 2015 - Greg French2014 - Margaret Calvarin 2013 - Matthew Isenburg, John Wood2012 - Mark Johnson 2011 - Carol Johnson2010 - Keith Davis 2009 - Jean-Pierre Spilbauer2008 - Grant Romer 2007 - John Craig
The Society regularly organizes educational programs exploring various aspects of the history, technology, art, and preservation of 19th-century photography.
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