from his window — the “ point de vue du Gras ”— fixed on a tin plate coated with “ bitumen of Judea ” ( or Syrian asphalt ). According to present day specialists , that first picture required an exposure of several days ! From that moment , research focused on improvements to the light-sensitive material and to the fixing agent . Rapid progress was made . Niepce died suddenly in 1833 ; however , he had established a partnership with Louis Daguerre , a painter who went on improving the process . In 1837 , by using silver , iodine and mercury , he managed to reduce exposure time by several hours and to obtain a precise and nuanced picture ; daguerreotype was born . Daguerre was an enterprising man . After having presented his method to the Academy of Sciences , he promoted it to the public . Enthusiasm was immediate and as soon as the 1840s the technique was commercialised and “ daguerreotype studios ”, the first photographic studios , proliferated . At first , they only reached a well-off clientele because of the high cost of the process ; however , over the years , it became affordable for the middle class . Yet , the brilliant success of the daguerreotype was shortlived . As early as 1850 it was replaced by photographs on paper which were produced by cheaper and more efficient techniques . The glory of the daguerreotype was the portrait . Contemporaries were fascinated by a technique which could capture a realistic likeness of them for their families , their friends and for posterity .
Indeed , our masonic daguerreotype belongs to the category of the portrait , even though it is a very special one
Ritual , Secrecy , and Civil Society
30 as the model had just died . As is the case for all daguerreotypes , it may not very much exceed 1850 . For all that , its chief interest is in the precious mention on its back “ Benjamin Louis Tailliez , born in Planques lès Douai ; 1774 + 1850 ” ( in the absence of any identification , most early photos have sunk forever into anonymity ). The masonic historian then has recourse to his tools , beginning with the files of the “ fichier Bossu ” in the French National Library ( BNF ). Luckily , it contains a file card in the name of Tailliez and informs us that the brother in question belonged to the Lodge “ La Franche Cordialité ” in Saint-Omer in 1830 . Is he the character on our daguerreotype ? At least , this is a first clue , a track to follow .
The assumption is confirmed by the archives of the correspondence of “ La Franche Cordialité ” with the Grand Orient of France . On the list of the Lodge members there is one Benjamin Tailliez , born in Douai on 20 X bre ( December 20 th ) 1776 . 1776 or 1774 — an approximate date was usual practice in the documents of the time . However , the similarity of the places of birth confirms that Brother Tailliez , of “ La Franche Cordialité ”, was indeed the model of our daguerreotype . This identity once confirmed , further research informs us that Benjamin Tailliez , often called Tailliez-Dereudre , residing “ Rue du Soleil ”, was a person of note in Saint Omer . He was the owner of an important juniper distillery , a prosperous merchant , the secretary of the “ consultative chamber of commerce ”, until massive bankruptcy made him a social outcast and brought about the closing down of “ La Franche Cordialité ” of