Erected at the instigation of the Photographers Association of America, a worldwide trade association of professional photographers, the Daguerre Memorial was dedicated on 15 August 1890 at the Arts and Industries Building.

It was later moved outside, where it remained from 1897 to 1969, when it was removed and placed in storage to allow for the construction of the Hirshhorn Museum.

[2] The 11-foot-tall (3.4 m) memorial was relocated and was rededicated in 1989, the 150th anniversary year of photography.

[3][4] It is outside the Old Patent Office Building, now home to the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, on 7th Street N.W., near F Street, in Washington.

[5] The figure was cast by the Henry-Bonnard Bronze Company of New York.