Why is Birmingham's first photographer finally getting the recognition he deserves after 180 years?

Within 48 hours of photography's public announcement in Paris on 19 August 1839, George Shaw had created Birmingham's first daguerreotype. This wasn't luck. While most people were still trying to understand what Daguerre's mysterious process meant, Shaw was already coating silver plates with light-sensitive chemicals in his Queens College laboratory.

His advantage? He knew that great photography begins with great materials.

That insight matters now more than ever. Today's photographers obsess over sensor size, ISO performance, and processing speed. Shaw and his collaborator John Percy were doing exactly the same thing in the 1840s, only their battleground was silver plate quality rather than silicon wafer purity. The principle, though, remains the same.

Overdue recognition

Shaw's story is now being told through a free exhibition at Birmingham's West Midlands Metro Town Hall stop. It reveals a man who understood that technical innovation drives creative possibility. In this light, he wasn't just Birmingham's first photographer, but also its first photography technologist.

Shaw and Percy's 1844 experiments at Queens College focused on one goal: faster exposures. They discovered that electroplated silver, manufactured using Birmingham's revolutionary new galvanic process, produced plates with superior light-sensitive properties compared to traditional clad silver.

For context, early daguerreotypes required three to 15 minutes of stillness. Shaw's work with improved silver plates helped push the boundaries of what could be photographed. His surviving daguerreotypes include street scenes of Birmingham's New Street, capturing horses, carts and shop fronts, as well as portraits of Victorian families.

Any modern photographer who's pushed their camera beyond ISO 6400 to freeze a moment in failing light understands what Shaw was aiming for here. While the technology may change, the fundamental challenge – capturing life as it happens – remains constant.

Manufacturing meets art

Birmingham's metal trades gave Shaw a unique advantage. The city's innovation in electroplating, led by the Elkington company, wasn't intended for photography. But Shaw recognised that better manufacturing processes created better photographic materials. Luckily, as a patent agent, Shaw had direct access to Birmingham's manufacturers. He knew which factories were pushing boundaries in silver plating. He understood the chemical properties of different metal preparations. He could source experimental materials before they reached commercial production.

The new exhibition, researched by artist Jo Gane and curated by the late Pete James, showcases reproductions of Shaw's daguerreotypes. These aren't just historical curiosities. They're proof that technical excellence and artistic vision have always been inseparable.

Above: watch this video to find out more about George Shaw

Shaw taught chemistry, helped establish Birmingham's first free public library, advised the Great Exhibition of 1851, and lectured at the Royal Society. Some of his calotype photographs currently reside in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. Yet in his home city, he remains virtually unknown outside specialist circles.

That's something this free exhibition will hopefully set right. It runs until January 2026 at the West Midlands Metro Town Hall stop in Victoria Square. For modern photographers, it offers a chance to see where our obsession began; when capturing a sharp image required genuine chemical expertise and manufacturing innovation.