The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre

by Dominic Smith

  Poe was also a figure of some renown for the general public; as the world received the news of the daguerreo-type invention they looked to important cultural icons for interpretation. Walt Whitman, Edgar Allan Poe, and Samuel Morse were among the first to praise the form.

  I certainly admire Poe’s work, but I think his mission is much more like Baudelaire’s than Daguerre’s. Poe and Baudelaire seem to be interested in the enduring nature of both beauty and evil. The historical Daguerre, it seems to me, was mainly interested in a kind of ultra-realism. He wanted to capture nature in its essence. I don’t think he had much interest in exploring the nature of evil through his work. In the novel, my Daguerre character is actually somewhat blind to squalor and ugliness in his delusions; this was inspired by the way that the historical Daguerre had such an eye for beautiful detail and wanted to render nature in all its perfection.

  Q: If you were to create your own Doomsday List, what would be some of the things you’d photograph?

  A: I’d probably prefer to think of it as a list of images I’d love to look at…since a Doomsday List implies either me going mad or the end of the world approaching.

  Anyway, I would capture: a coastal scene (I grew up from the age of ten by the beach in Australia); mountains and hills (I spent my early years in an area called the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney); a field of wildflowers (Texas has some spectacular wildflowers in the spring); and clouds (I’ve always had a fascination with them); pictures of my family and friends.

  Q: Have you spent a lot of time in Paris? If so, what was your favorite experience?

  A: I lived for a year in Europe and made numerous trips to Paris. My favorite memory was trying to have a quintessentially French gourmet meal in Montmartre. I consulted guide books and asked locals for recommendations. I heard about a restaurant that was tucked away in an alley and which was so small and informal that you had to knock on the kitchen door to be let in.

  I searched for hours. I imagined delicate sauces being ladled out by an old couple from Provence. I pictured a cheese cellar and wine that made your heart jump. After scouring the streets in search of this culinary experience, I finally gave up and bought a chocolate-filled crepe and a cup of espresso at a roadside eatery. I took out a book—I was reading a lot of Hemingway at the time—and enjoyed a great Parisian moment. I never did find the mythical restaurant but that coffee and crepe have lingered on in my mind.

  Enhance Your Book Club

  Enliven your get-together—and your taste buds—by meeting at a local café or bistro. Or serve up your own French-inspired fare with recipes from www.epicurious.com. There are more than 800 delectable choices in the French Cuisine section. Bon appétit!

  Learn more about Louis Daguerre, the daguerreian process, and how it was received in America by visiting www.daguerre.org, the official website of the Daguerreian Society.

  In a nod to Louis Daguerre’s famous invention, appoint one or two members as “official photographers” for the evening. Then have each member select one or two photographs and compile them into an album to commemorate your group’s discussion of The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre.

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Praise

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Author’s Note

  Prologue

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  Twenty-Three

  Twenty-Four

  Twenty-Five

  Twenty-Six

  Twenty-Seven

  Twenty-Eight

  Twenty Nine

  Thirty

  Acknowledgments

  Introduction

  Questions and Topics for Discussion

  A Conversation with Dominic Smith

  Enhance Your Book Club