da gair', (1789-1851), a French scientist, the inventor of the first photographic process. He was a scene-painter at Paris, and as early as 1814 his attention was directed to the subject of photographic pictures on metal. In 1833, Daguerre succeeded in perfecting the process since called daguerreotype. The new process excited the greatest interest. Daguerre was made an officer of the Legion of Honor, and an annuity of 6000 francs was settled on him. See DAGUERREOTYPE; PHOTOGRAPHY.