Collection of cased photographs and related images, approximately 1840s-1900s, 1992-2012, bulk 1840s-1860s

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Summary

Abstract:
A collection of chiefly 19th-century photographs mounted in their original cases, and some related images. The majority are daguerreotypes and ambrotypes, 1840s-1860s, and are primarily portraits with some outdoor views including Gold Rush miners.
Extent:
14 Linear Feet (154 boxes and 4 folders)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Collection of cased photographs and related images, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

A collection of chiefly 19th-century cased photographs representing some of the earliest photography formats: daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, and tintypes. These early photographs, made on glass or metal plates, were typically placed in small, hinged wooden cases, often covered with leather and lined in velvet, with a brass mat and piece of protective glass placed over the image. The collection contains 72 daguerreotypes and 46 ambrotypes (approximately 1840s-1860s), and 58 early tintypes (approximately mid-1850-1900s). Some items in the collection are not in cases or are in frames.

The Huntington Library assembled these 185 items into a collection from various sources over a period of many years, and some related formats were added: a miniature tintype album with 22 portraits; two opalotypes; two miniature paintings; and six photographic prints placed in cases or frames; and one stereoscopic daguerreotype in a fold-out viewing case. Also in the collection are two modern daguerreotypes, made in 1992 and 2003 by photographer Robert Shlaer, and three ambrotypes made in 2012 by Barret Oliver, of the mausoleum of Henry E. Huntington and his wife, Arabella Huntington, on the grounds of the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. Most cased items were cleaned and housed in individual, custom-sized boxes by the Conservation Department in the late 1980s. The majority of photographs are studio portraits of men, women, and children, made approximately 1840s-1865 (daguerreotypes and ambrotypes), or approximately mid-1850s-1900s (tintypes). Many are pioneers of the American West, or ancestors of families who came West, and others are unidentified or of unknown provenance. Notable portraits are: Edgar Allan Poe; Jane Thoreau (aunt of Henry David Thoreau); John B. Colton (Jayhawker of 1849); a postmortem view of a young daughter of B.D. Wilson; Theodore D. Judah; a whole plate ambrotype of a group of San Francisco businessmen; and a Civil War drummer boy and his mother. There are a few reproduction images of Abraham Lincoln, including two circular images that were campaign badges. Also in the collection are several outdoor scenes: California Gold Rush miners posed with tools at work sites; the First Baptist Church, San Francisco, 1849; a street scene in the frontier town of Orleans, California; and the locomotive "Sam Cruse," named for an executive of the Memphis & Charleston Railroad. Photographers are largely uncredited, though three have the imprint of Robert H. Vance, San Francisco, and date from 1853-1856. A whole plate daguerreotype of Lyman Beecher is by Southworth & Hawes of Boston, Massachusetts, approximately 1850.

Most of the images are undated, which is common with cased photographs. If a date can be determined from writing or other material with the image, or by the image content, that date is given. When dates cannot be determined from any other source, estimated dates have been given based on dates of major usage of daguerreotypes (1840s-1850s) and ambrotypes (1855-1865). Tintypes were produced mid-1850s to early-20th century, though tintypes in this collection are estimated to date no later than 1900s.

Acquisition information:
Acquired from various sources. Items were either acquired individually through gift or purchase, or were transferred from manuscript collections. See container list for sources of individual items.
Processing information:

Titles were assigned by the cataloger unless otherwise noted. Dates estimated by the cataloger are in square brackets. The images were assigned numbers by Library staff over a period of many years, circa mid-20th century-2013, and these numbers have been retained. There are no items for numbers 4 and 24; item 106 is missing as of 2009. The cataloger has intellectually rearranged the items in this finding aid to group together items with shared provenance, and provide an alphabetical listing of identified persons.

Arrangement:

Organized in three series:

  • Series 1. Portraits, approximately 1840s-1900s
  • Series 2. Mining scenes, buildings, and other subjects, approximately 1849-1900s
  • Series 3. Modern ambrotypes and daguerreotypes, 1992-2012

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

RESTRICTED. Items are fragile. Available with curatorial approval. Please view digital surrogates.

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 copyright for daguerreotypes by Robert Shlaer (photDAG 116, photDAG 154) is held by Shlaer. For the rest of the collection, the responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining permission rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Collection of cased photographs and related images, 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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