"Good observations and questions. Most lenses have a sweet spot of focus, and usually the lenses were large enough that the soft outer edges would be outside the visible image area. I can't remember where I read it, but I seem to recall that British…"
"Cameras (or camera obscuras as they were still often referred to) were available for purchase in Paris from August 1839. The first were based on Daguerre's design for shooting what became known as whole plate daguerreotypes (6 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches).…"