Image: Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona
The Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya marked World Photography Day on 19 August by highlighting daguerreotypes from its collection. The museum shared images of the small photographic objects in a post on its social-media account, presenting them as examples of the early history of photography.
The post links the date to Louis Daguerre, who presented the daguerreotype process in Paris on 19 August 1839. According to the museum, the pioneering technique spread rapidly after its presentation and reached Barcelona one month later.
A daguerreotype produces a direct photographic image on a polished metal plate. The museum’s post does not identify the individual works shown, provide their dates or makers, or give further information about their provenance or conservation. It also does not announce an exhibition or a related public programme.
The brief feature places the Barcelona collection within the early international circulation of photography. By pointing to the arrival of the technique in Barcelona only a month after Daguerre’s Paris presentation, MNAC connects the objects to the rapid dissemination of photographic processes during the 19th century.
The museum published the feature on 19 August 2026, using the annual World Photography Day observance to draw attention to the daguerreotypes held in its collection. No additional event dates or venue details were provided.
