Daguerreotypes. The Arrival of the Daguerreotype in New York by R. Derek Wood.

American Photographic Historical Society, 1995. Wraps, 14 pages. [A detailed analysis of when and by whom news of the daguerreotype reached New York, including roles of D.W. Seager and Francois Gouroud. Wood discusses mistakes in Beaumont Newhall's The Daguerreotype in America but was apparently was unaware of camera maker George Prosch's claim in Anthony’s Photographic Bulletin, April 24, 1886, that he made a test daguerreotype before providing the first daguerreotype camera to Seager, who is usually credited with making the first daguerreotype in the U.S. Includes biography of Wood and two-page bibliography of his publications.] Like new. Summary:

he Arrival of the Daguerreotype in New York by photohistorian R. Derek Wood (published by the American Photographic Historical Society, 1995) provides a detailed scholarly account of how Louis Daguerre’s photographic invention first reached the United States in late 1839.

Key Summary & Findings

• Correcting Historical Timelines: Wood re-examines the chronological sequence of news and apparatus traveling across the Atlantic following the official public disclosure of Daguerre's process in Paris on August 19, 1839. He critically addresses errors in earlier foundational accounts—most notably by historian Beaumont Newhall—regarding steamship schedules and transit dates.

• The Role of D. W. Seager: The monograph highlights English-born amateur D. W. Seager as one of the very first to successfully produce and publicly exhibit a daguerreotype in New York, likely by late September 1839, using imported instructions shortly after returning from Europe.

• François Gouraud as Daguerre’s Agent: Wood tracks the key arrival of François Fauvel Gouraud—acting as the official agent for Daguerre and camera manufacturer Alphonse Giroux—who landed in New York on the steamship British Queen on November 23, 1839.

• Exhibitions and Commercial Rollout: The study details Gouraud's first public demonstration at a Broadway hotel on December 4, 1839. Gouraud brought official Giroux apparatus, exhibited original French daguerreotypes, and offered public instruction, sparking a rapid wave of American innovation and studio commercialization.