One of the first practical
photographic processes, the daguerreotype was introduced in 1839 at a time when
the miniature painted portrait was enjoying great popularity. The high degree
of definition and the exactness of representation achieved by the daguerreotype
soon resulted in its widespread acceptance by the public, and although the
process was an expensive one, daguerreotypic studios quickly sprang up all over
the world. Hand-tinting the plate to simulate a miniature painting added a degree
of naturalism to the otherwise cold image.