Spagnoli, Jerry. Daguerreotypes, 1990–2004 by Jerry Spagnoli.

Steidl, 2006. First edition in wraps. Unpaginated. Like new with minute signs of shelf wear.  A large collection of daguerreotypes by one of the foremost contemporary practitioners.  Essay in English by the daguerreotypist.  Summary:

Daguerreotypes, 1990–2004, published in 2006 by Steidl, is the definitive monograph of Jerry Spagnoli, a central figure in the modern revival of the world’s oldest photographic process. The book chronicles fifteen years of Spagnoli’s experimentation with the complex, labor-intensive method invented by Louis Daguerre in 1839.

The Modern Daguerreotype

Spagnoli’s work is not a nostalgic recreation of the past; instead, he uses the 19th-century medium to document the 21st-century world. The book showcases his technical mastery in creating "the mirror with a memory"—highly polished silver plates that produce images of extreme resolution and depth.

Key Series and Themes

• The "Historical" Series: Spagnoli treats contemporary scenes as future history. By using a medium traditionally associated with the 1800s to capture modern skyscrapers, crowds, and technology, he forces the viewer to consider the passage of time and the permanence of the image.

• The "Photomicrographs": The book includes his extreme close-ups of the human body (eyes, skin, hair). On a daguerreotype plate, these biological details take on a cosmic, topographical quality, revealing textures invisible to the naked eye.

• Urban Landscapes: Spagnoli often focuses on New York City, capturing the light and architecture with a level of clarity that modern film or digital sensors struggle to replicate.

• 9/11 Documentation: Notably, the book includes his haunting images of the World Trade Center attacks. Captured on daguerreotype, these moments are rendered with a stark, archival permanence that contrasts with the fleeting nature of digital news media.

Visual and Material Quality

• Reflective Nature: The book attempts to translate the unique physical property of the daguerreotype—the way the image shifts from positive to negative depending on the angle of light—into a printed format.

• Extreme Detail: The plates are famous for their lack of "grain," and the monograph highlights Spagnoli's ability to capture infinite detail, from individual leaves on a tree to threads in a garment.

Significance

Spagnoli’s Daguerreotypes, 1990–2004 is a landmark in contemporary alternative process photography. It proves that the daguerreotype is not a dead relic, but a vital, high-resolution tool capable of capturing the complexity and "visual noise" of modern life with a physical presence that digital media cannot match.

"The daguerreotype is a medium of the present tense, even though we associate it with the past." — Jerry Spagnoli