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One of the first practical photographic processes, the daguerreotype was introduced in 1839 at a time when the miniature painted portrait was enjoying great popularity. The high degree of definition and the exactness of representation achieved by the daguerreotype soon resulted in its widespread acceptance by the public, and although the process was an expensive one, daguerreotypic studios quickly sprang up all over the world. Hand-tinting the plate to simulate a miniature painting added a degree of naturalism to the otherwise cold image.