His journey had not been
very successful. He had found London in the excitement of the
ceremonies of the coronation of Queen Victoria, and the British
Attorney-General had refused him a patent on the ground that
American newspapers had published his invention, making it public
property. In France he had done better. But the most interesting
result of the journey was something not related to the telegraph
at all. In Paris he had met Daguerre, the celebrated Frenchman
who had discovered a process of making pictures by sunlight, and
Daguerre had given Morse the secret. This led to the first
pictures taken by sunlight in the United States and to the first
photographs of the human face taken anywhere. Daguerre had never
attempted to photograph living objects and did not think it could
be done, as rigidity of position was required for a long
exposure. Morse, however, and his associate, John W. Draper, were
very soon taking portraits successfully.
Meanwhile the affairs of the telegraph at Washington had not
prospered. Congress had done nothing towards the grant which
Morse had requested, notwithstanding the favorable report of its
committee, and Morse was in desperate straits for money even to
live on. He appealed to the Vails to assist him further, but they
could not, since the panic of 1837 had impaired their resources.
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