History and Techniques:
Photography was born in France at the hands of Nicéphore Niépce and Louis Daguerre between 1820 and 1830. The latter would give his name to the ancestor of the camera: the daguerreotype. The principle? Fixing a positive light image onto a copper plate coated with silver and iodine, developed through the optical effect produced inside a dark chamber (camera obscura).

Luxury in a Box:
By the mid-19th century, photographers began traveling the world armed with their heavy equipment, and in the United States, they started documenting the landscapes and lives of pioneers.
But technical work came at a cost. Between the price of a daguerreotype, the time required to develop the photographs, and sometimes the fame of the photographer, offering a keepsake was expensive and often reserved for the upper classes.
There was even a popular saying at the time that only the rich and the dead managed to get photographed.

The Price of Immortality:
Well, believe it or not, sometimes the two went hand in hand. In fact, photography back then was far less safe than it is today, and “capturing” someone could truly be deadly. The chemical components used—such as mercury or potassium cyanide—were extremely toxic and could even explode.
One also had to remain perfectly still for several minutes to ensure a sharp image. And that’s without mentioning the superstitions that claimed having your photo taken meant losing your soul.