For a long, long time, people began to think about how to record what they saw.

In ancient times, humans created such a thing as painting. They initially painted on the floor and walls, and sometimes on their bodies. When paper appeared, more of the activity of painting was transferred to paper. With the development of the times, different painting materials have also emerged, such as ink, oil paint, charcoal, etc., countless inventions, all in order to be able to record the real world more realistically and quickly.

And when people stumbled upon a transparent material extracted from sand and gravel, which could not only decorate the windows, but also refract light, people also thought of using it to reflect the outside scenery on the canvas, and then draw the image more conveniently and accurately by copying.

However, those who make a living out of it find it too much trouble. With the development of the Industrial Revolution, they often wonder if they can directly record the picture without the help of hand drawing.

"Bella, have you read the newspaper today?" Elena asked, shaking the Paris Morning Post in her hand.

"Well, I've just read that." Bella replied, "Any questions?"

"I've heard that Mr. Daguerre has opened a new photo studio on West Street." Elena said, "The ad is out."

"Oh, I see, it's the famous painter, right?" Bella said, "I've heard that he's very good at portraiture, and it seems that he opened an exhibition not long ago."

Mr. Louis-Jacques Mand Daguerre, a famous French artist, is not only good at painting, but also has great achievements in scientific research, especially in the field of optics.

"Ah, you're talking about the Mirage Exhibition, right?" "It's an exhibition that uses the change of lighting to create different scenery effects."

(Author's note: This is what the Orientals call the "diorama.") ）

"Well, it seems like that." "But I heard that Mr. Daguerre himself seems to be constantly improving the technique."

"That's right. He often said that he needed to make the footage faster and more accurate."

"Is it faster and more accurate?"

"Yes, I heard that he was inspired by Mr. Joseph Niesephe Nieps to improve the exposure technique."

"It seems that Elena knows a lot about these things, is there such a detailed introduction in the newspaper?"

Bella had just skimmed through it by mistake and hadn't read it too closely.

"Well, it's not what the newspaper introduced! I heard it from Miss Margaret. I heard that this new type of photography technology only takes about half an hour of exposure time to reflect the picture."

"Why, you want to try it again?"

"Of course, the ladies and ladies of Paris are very popular to take pictures! If you can record your beauty when you were young, why don't you keep a souvenir?"

"But isn't that similar to a portrait?"

"How can it be the same? This is the trace imprinted by the optics of science and technology, and it is the most objective and real reaction. Although I also admit that it is true that many portraits of great artists are much clearer and more beautiful than photographs, but in comparison, one is human and the other is material, and it only takes 30 minutes to take a photo, but it may take a long time to paint."

"That makes sense, but I've heard that the current technology can only leave traces of light and dark, and they are all black and white images, which seem to look similar to sketches?"

"Anyway, since it's all trending right now, why don't we give it a try? Idle is idle anyway."

Idle is idle anyway - Elena will sum it up with this sentence every time.

This left Bella speechless.

"However, if it is so popular now, Mr. Daguerre's shop is probably already overcrowded, right? Do I have to make a reservation in advance?"

Surely it won't work today, right?

"Hey, hey, hey——!" Elena smiled slyly.

This made Bella feel an inexplicable chill down her spine. It seems that she has won her full set again.

"Are you supposed to be ......?"

"I've already made an appointment for us through Miss Margaret!" Elena said, holding up two fingers in a triumphant gesture.

This little girl turned out to be premeditated, and she was still talking about "us"?

"Bella and Anna are coming along, too." Elena said, "Let's take a picture."

No wonder when she went out today, she deliberately asked Bella and Anna to dress up a little more gorgeously, and it seems that they are waiting here.

"Well, I'm fine." Bella said, "It's just Elena, is it really okay for you to sit there for so long?"

With Bella's understanding of her, let alone thirty minutes, even if Elena stays where she is for three minutes, she may not be able to stand it.

"No problem!" Elena said confidently, "In order to record my beautiful appearance, I can bear it for a long time."

With that, Elena woke up Anna, who was sleeping on the couch.

Disturbed by her dreams, Anna slowly sat up, rubbed her eyes, and looked blankly at Elena who was eager to try in front of her.

Elena stuffed her with a piece of candy, and she immediately lost her breath of getting up.

So, at the instigation of Elena, the Carlos sisters also went to the Daguerre photo studio on West Street in the city.

Because Miss Margaret had greeted her in advance, Elena and the others walked straight in.

At this time, Mr. Daguerre and Mr. Niepsey were working on a negative that had just been completed.

When he saw Elena and the others enter, Mr. Daguerre immediately stepped forward to greet them.

The three of them were arranged to sit down. Bella and Elena are on either side, and Anna is in the middle.

Mr. Daguerre advised them to adopt a more comfortable position as much as possible, because they had to sit for half an hour and not be able to move.

Bella had no problem, and Anna insisted that she could sit as long as she held a macaron. Elena insisted on striking a pose that she thought was the most beautiful.

In this way, after half an hour, Anna's macarons were a little sticky to her hands. She had to stick out her cute little tongue and lick the remnants of her palm little by little.

Elena had some neck discomfort. But it's also a shame that she can hold on for so long, which is a rare thing.

After the lens was taken, Elena endured the pain in her shoulder and neck and couldn't wait to run over to see the process of developing the photo.

Bella suspects that this is the part that interests her most.

Mr. Daguerre took the copper plate that was used as a negative out of the camera obscura. To the naked eye, there are still no traces on the surface of the yellow copper plate.

Immediately afterwards, Mr. Daguerre placed it in a small box containing mercury, and then turned on the stove to heat it, allowing the steam of mercury to continuously fumigate the surface of the copper plate.

"It may take a long time for the photos to be developed, and a few of you can come back in a few days to pick them up." Mr. Daguerre said.

Elena stared intently at Mr. Nieps as he polished a new silver-plated copper plate.

"Why, Miss Medici is also interested in photography?" Seeing Elena's inquisitive eyes, Mr. Daguerre asked.

"Ah, excuse me, this should be a trade secret, right?" Elena felt a little presumptuous.

"Nothing, if you're interested, I can explain it to you." Daguerre said very generously, "On the contrary, I hope that this technology can be carried forward and the fruits of technology can be enjoyed by more people."

"Huh? Does that really matter?" Elena asked in surprise.

"It's okay." Mr. Daguerre replied, "I'm just looking forward to recording the best moments of my life."

As he spoke, he began to introduce Elena to the various processes.

"Joseph polishing the silver-plated copper plate." Mr. Daguerre explains, "The polishing must be sufficient, otherwise it will affect the effect of the picture."

"How far does that have to be to be considered sufficient?" Elena asked curiously.

"So, you see." "When you point it at a dark room, it should look all black. In other words, there are no flaws that affect the picture."

"So......" Elena nodded knowingly, "but it doesn't seem to be quite the same as what we just used?"

"You're watching carefully." Daguerre continued, "Actually, silver-plated copper plates need to be fumigated with iodine vapor after polishing before they can be used."

As he spoke, Mr. Daguerre picked up another yellow copper plate.

"But why is there no trace of the copper plate taken out of the camera obscura?" Elena asked.

"Well, because the surface is still yellow, nothing will be visible." "In the box of the house, when the mercury is heated, the mist is produced that reacts with the surface of the copper plate to make the image visible," Daguerre said.

At this point, just as one of the photographs had been developed, Mr. Daguerre carefully took it out and showed it to Elena.

"Wow ——!" Elena looked at the picture in disbelief, a lady dressed in fine clothes.

"However, mercury is poisonous, so it's better not to expose it too much." Daguerre said, not letting Elena get too close.

"But won't this copper plate be affected by the light again?" Elena then asked.

"Well, you're rightly worried." Mister Daguerre nodded, then continued, "So, it's not finished yet."

As he spoke, he soaked the photo in another solution.

"This fixer fixes the picture." "Of course, because air can also discolor silver, so when the photo is framed, it should also be placed in a specific box to prevent the copper plate from coming into contact with the air, so that it can be stored for a long time."

Mr. Daguerre then showed Elena a few of the final paintings.

"When the photos of the three of them are developed, they will be packed like this. I hope I can cherish it in the future, after all, this is a precious memory!"