Chicago Photo Industry
Photography began as a medium available only to those who could afford it. The first technological advancement towards practicality was developed and patented in France in 1839 by Louis J.M. Daguerre, and thusly called daguerreotype. Although more efficient than anything previous, the complicated process still only yielded one print that could not be replicated. Nonetheless, in an effort to supplement the literal documentation of the city's growth, some of the earliest known photographs depicting Chicago’s great history were created using daguerreotype, ambrotype and tintype. It wasn’t until paper photographic prints made from glass negatives, over eleven years later, that photographs became more affordable, and hence, more accessible to the masses. The result helped stimulate the growth of the medium, and moreover, professional studios. In the 1850s-1860s, Chicago's commercial photography industry was born to meet the demand for carte-de-visite and cabinet card portraits and then later, picture postcards for the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893.
After the 1890s, further technological innovations in the printing industry made photographic reprints in newspapers, books and magazines more practical, with the introduction of factory-made gelatin dry plates as opposed to the inconvenient wet plate negatives. Another important innovation was the introduction of halftone and other printing methods and high-speed printing presses, which made photographic publishing even cheaper and easier to do. Chicago proudly became the major printing and publishing center in the U.S. during the nineteenth century.
Studio Rental Chicago is pleased to contribute to the proliferation of the industry, by offering our beautiful and convenient daylight studios for all of your photo and video projects.
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