[Portrait of a Military Man] - Victorian era public domain image

William Edward Kilburn (1818-1891) was a British photographer known for his pioneering work in daguerreotype photography. Born in Ireland in 1818, Kilburn moved to London and became associated with the Royal Polytechnic Institution, where he worked as a lecturer and demonstrated the principles of photography. Kilburn's significant contributions were made in the early days of photography, when the daguerreotype process was the primary method. The daguerreotype was an early photographic process developed by Louis Daguerre in the 1830s, in which an image was exposed on a silvered copper plate coated with a light-sensitive silver halide emulsion. Kilburn gained recognition for his skill in producing high quality daguerreotype portraits. His work often focused on capturing the likenesses of notable individuals, including members of the British Royal Family. He gained popularity for his portraits of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, contributing to the growing interest in photography in the mid-19th century. While Kilburn is remembered for his achievements in daguerreotype photography, it's important to note that the daguerreotype process eventually gave way to other photographic techniques such as wet plate collodion and, later, dry plate processes. These developments marked the evolution of photography, leading to more accessible and versatile methods. William Edward Kilburn died in 1891, leaving a legacy as one of the early pioneers of photography, particularly in the daguerreotype era. His contributions helped shape the development of photography as a widely practiced and influential art form.