Daguerreotype, da-ger'o-tip, a picture produced by the earliest process of photography. The method was described in 1837 by Daguerre of Paris, for whom the process was named. The lights and shadows of a figure were fixed by light rays on a copper plate, thinly coated with silver. The plate was first placed in a bath of iodine vapor to render it sensitive. Old-fashioned daguerreotypes may be found among family treasures. They differ from photographs in that each exposure yielded one picture--a positive which could not be multiplied. To obtain six picture it was necessary to sit six times. Daguerre was rewarded by the French government by membership in the Legion of Honor and a pension of $1,200. See PHOTOGRAPHY.