The daguerreotype is an early example of a photographic process. Specifically, it is a direct-positive photographic process that creates a highly detailed image on a silver-plated copper sheet without the use of a negative. It was invented by Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre and announced in 1839, marking it as the first publicly available photographic process. The process involves polishing a silver-coated copper plate, sensitizing it with iodine vapors, exposing it to light, developing the image with mercury vapor, and fixing it chemically to create a permanent image.

In summary, the daguerreotype is an early example of a photography process using light-sensitive silver-plated metal plates to produce direct positive images.