By Ron Coddington

On behalf of the Society's Board and Publications Committee, I am excited to announce the launch of a refreshed design for The Daguerreian Society Quarterly. This effort honors our publication’s rich legacy while introducing a cleaner, more contemporary look to better serve our members and mission.

A Brief History

The Daguerreian Society Quarterly traces its origins to shortly after the Society’s incorporation as a nonprofit in 1999. Initially a newsletter published six times a year, it evolved into a quarterly publication in 2007 to balance workload and costs. Under the leadership of dedicated editors – including Mark Johnson and most recently Stephen Perloff – the Quarterly has remained focused on advancing the understanding and appreciation of daguerreotypes and other early photographs, while fostering community among our members.

Design Enhancements

• New Logo & Color Palette: The redesigned cover features our actual Society logo with "Quarterly" enlarged for emphasis and a sophisticated black and gold color scheme drawn from our website, replacing the prior white background for a richer, more distinctive appearance.

• Simplified, Modern Layout: The Quarterly now uses streamlined typefaces and a cleaner layout with less competing text, ensuring images take center stage.

• Updated Tagline: Our cover proudly carries a pithier tagline, "For 19th-Century Photography", underscoring our dedication to all forms of 19th-century photographic art – not solely daguerreotypes.

• Cover Image Presentation: We are committed to presenting cover images as complete objects whenever possible, respecting the integrity of original works. For stereographs, preference will be given to showing a single side of the card mount rather than both halves.

Image Selection and Handling

Throughout this process, we discussed the balance between cropped versus full-frame images and the challenges of horizontal group photographs, including two-page spreads. Our focus remains on preserving image quality and respecting original artworks. As a result, we will refine submission guidelines and encourage higher-resolution scans to maintain the highest standard. We also aim to avoid overprinting text on images whenever possible.

Practical Considerations

Recognizing that our membership largely views the Quarterly in print or on desktop devices rather than phones, we are prioritizing single-page PDF designs for digital readers. We acknowledge the limitations of horizontal images and group photo spreads, and will approach these thoughtfully to ensure clarity and visual appeal.

This redesign marks an exciting step forward in modernizing The Daguerreian Society Quarterly while preserving the spirit that has guided it for over two decades. The Publication Committee's thoughtful discussions brought this vision to life.

We'd love to hear what you think. Please email any feedback to the Publications Committee at info@daguerreiansociety.org.