Beecher family photograph collection, approximately 1856-1880s

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Summary

Abstract:
A group of five 19th century photographs of the Beecher family of New England, and an album of the Bullard family, the family of Henry Ward Beecher's wife, Eunice (Bullard) Beecher.
Extent:
3.5 Linear Feet (4 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Beecher family photograph collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

A collection of five photographs of various Beecher family members in five different photographic formats: ambrotype, albumen print, carte-de-visite, cabinet photograph, and a hand-colored salted paper print. A portrait of Lyman Beecher produced by Mathew Brady in 1856 is a combination of watercolor, ink, and pencil added to the surface of a salted paper print. There are two variants of a Beecher family group portrait taken in 1859 depicting Lyman Beecher and nine of his adult children; one is a large albumen print and the other an ambrotype. Also included are an autographed cabinet photograph of an older Harriet Beecher Stowe; and a hand-colored Augustus Morand print based on a miniature of a young Eunice White (Bullard) Beecher, author and wife of Henry Ward Beecher. This carte-de-visite portrait is within a Bullard family album containing 45 additional cartes-de-visite and cabinet photographs. Only a few portraits in the album are identified, including some cousins of Eunice Bullard.

Biographical / historical:

The Beecher family was at the center of major 19th century social movements and events, including women's rights, abolition, and the Civil War. Residing throughout New England, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and later Brooklyn, Maine, and Florida, several Beechers achieved wide acclaim. Lyman Beecher was a prominent preacher, Henry Ward Beecher a dynamic clergyman and social reformer, Catharine Beecher a pioneer in education and careers for women, and Harriet Beecher Stowe the author of the book Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852).

Acquisition information:
Purchased for the Huntington from Luxury Catalogs Inc. - 19th Century Rare Book Photograph Shop by the Library Collectors' Council, March 19, 2022
Processing information:

Processed by Suzanne Oatey in November 2022.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information. RESTRICTED: Box 1 (Lyman Beecher portrait) is fragile and only available with curatorial approval.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Beecher family photograph collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2129
reference@huntington.org
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