Final answer:
The daguerreotype absorbed much of the demand for portrait painting, offering an affordable and popular alternative to oil painting for the growing middle class of the early 1900s.
Step-by-step explanation:
The demand for portrait painting was significantly absorbed by the daguerreotype, which emerged as the most popular and affordable method for portraits in the early 1900s. The Daguerreotype met the growing desire amongst the burgeoning middle class for portraiture during the Industrial Revolution, offering a solution that traditional oil painting couldn't match in terms of volume and cost. However, despite its popularity, daguerreotypes had their downsides; they were fragile, difficult to copy, and lacked convenience due to the necessity of transporting plates and toxic chemicals required for the development process. This advancement in photography marked a shift from classical art and was embraced by the public, fulfilling the middle class's aspiration for personal memorialization.