World Photography Day - August 19

World Photography Day originates from the invention of the Daguerreotype, a photographic processes developed by Joseph Nicèphore Nièpce and Louis Daguerre. On January 9, 1839, The French Academy of Sciences announced the daguerreotype process. A few months later, on August 19, 1839, the French government announced the invention as a gift "Free to the World".

Another photographic processes, the Calotype, was also invented in 1839 by William Fox Talbot (it was announced in 1841). Together, the invention of both the Daguerreotype and Calotype mark 1839 as the year that photography was invented.

Louis Daguerre is considered as the inventor of  the first practical process of photography. He formed a partnership with Joseph Nicephore in 1829, to improve the process developed by Niepce. After several years of experimentation Daguerre developed a convenient and practical method of photography.

According to Daguerre's process, the images will be fixed onto a sheet of silver-platted copper. The sheet will be polished and coated in iodine  to convert it into a surface that will be sensitive to light.  The plate will be put on to the camera and will be exposed for a few minutes. Once the image is captured, the plate will be washed with silver chloride.This will make the image not changeable by exposing to light. This technology  was called 'daguerreotype', named after the inventor.

Louis Daguerre presented the process before public on August 19, 1839 at a meeting of the French Academy of Science in Paris.  The process was widely accepted and it gained popularity quickly. By 1850, within 11 years there where over seventy daguerreotype studios in the City of Newyork itself. This marked the beginning of modern era of photography. August 19, The day the daguerreotype went public is  considered as the World Photography Day.

  

Reference Link : http://www.worldphotoday.org/about