1840                Corner of Lodge Alley and Eighth Streets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1840 July 4.  The Newport Mercury.  (Newport, Rhode Island.)  Vol. LXXIX, No. 4,082, P. 1.

The manner in which daguerreotype miniature likenesses are taken is thus described in the Mechanics’ Magazine.

Mr. Cornelius and Dr. Goodman (sic.) are now occupied at their establishment corner of Lodge Alley and Eighth Sts. Philadelphia, in taking likenesses, which are about seven by five inches in neat metallic gilt frames, and, are taken for five dollars.  As the likenesses are true the owners are, very often, too little flattered by the sun to be pleased with his painting, but as a French artist said to a friend of mine who complained that he had made him look like an assassin, the hellographist might reply “Sir, that is not my fault.”

The mode of proceeding of Dr. Goodman (sic.) and Mr. Cornelius is in this wise: out of the window of their room having a southern exposure, is projected horizontally, and at full length, a large looking glass to receive the rays of the sun, which are thrown up against another large mirror, so slanted, as to throw the light against the person whose likeness is to be taken, sitting at the opposite side of the room with his face to the window.  To soften the intence light thrown on the face by the mirrors, which would otherwise be intolerable, there is, suspended from the ceiling, a circular glass plate about three eights of an inch thick, of a very deep purple tinge, (which had once been used in the laboratory of the distinguished chemist, Dr. Hare,) for exciting electricity.

When the operate is seated on his chair, and subjected to the light transmitted through the purple glass, you would suppose all Mr. Cornelius wished was to make the fellow “look blue” but he will be relieved from such apprehension very soon, as it is only necessary to sit half a minute, or perhaps a minute, till the sun has, by his powerful pencil, trans mixed every lineament of your features with all their beauties and blemishes, in imperishable lines upon the plate of silver.  Before the person, and about four feet in front of him is a bureau, on top of which, is a mahogany tube or box, six or seven inches square and eighteen inches long open at both ends.  I the end next to the person (to be represented) is fixed a double convex lens about the size of a common burning glass, by which the figure of the face and bust is diminished to the proper size for the plate of silver on which the likeness is to be fixed.—When the person is seated, the, strong light is thrown from the mirrors through the purple plate upon the face, and bust and reflected thence through the lens and box and is transmitted to the plate of prepared silver fixed at the other end of the box.  Half a minute or more is sufficient to trace imperishably the delineation of the plate.