Showing posts with label 1850's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1850's. Show all posts

Friday, August 15, 2025

Photo of a Ferry Boat With a Settler Family's Covered Wagon on it Crossing the Big Blue River in Kansas (1859)

Photo of a ferry boat with a settler family's covered wagon on it crossing the Big Blue River in Kansas, 1859. Taken by photographers Charles and Edward Bierstadt while members of the Landers Expedition and originally published as a glass stereoview.

Source: National Gallery of Art.

Friday, July 4, 2025

Early Photo of Parsons West Jersey Hotel in Camden, New Jersey (1850)

 


View of Parsons West Jersey Hotel in Camden, New Jersey, c. 1850. The building was constructed 1849-1850, was eventually renamed the Hotel Ridgway during the early 1900s and seems to have finally been demolished during the 1950s. Taken by the Langenheim brothers and originally published as a salted paper print.

Source: J. Paul Getty Museum.

Another early image West Jersey Hotel.

More information.

Friday, June 20, 2025

Early Photo of the Boulder Lodged in Flume Gorge Near Franconia, New Hampshire (1859)

 

Early photo of the boulder lodged in Flume Gorge at the base of Mount Liberty near Franconia, New Hampshire, 1859. Taken by Luther White and originally published as a glass stereoview. The boulder was swept away by a landslide in 1883.

Source: New York Public Library.

Sunday, February 9, 2025

Thursday, February 6, 2025

Photo of a Large House or Mill Possibly Along Rock Creek in Washington DC (1850s)

View of a large house or mill possibly along Rock Creek in Washington, D.C., c. 1855-1860. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale. An outbuilding is prominently visible at center left.

Source: National Museum of American History.

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Engraving of a Lost Mathew Brady Ambrotype Photo of American Arctic Explorer Elisha Kent Kane (1856)


Engraving of a lost Mathew Brady ambrotype of Arctic explorer Elisha Kent Kane, 1856. Published in the August 30, 1856 issue of Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper. The icy decorations along the border of the engraving include two scenes probably based on sketches from the 1853-1855 Second Grinnell Expedition.

Source: Archive.org.

Sunday, February 2, 2025

Photo of a Small Wood and Stone Dam Holding Back a Stream on a Hillside Possibly Along Rock Creek in Washington DC (1850's)


View of a small wood and stone dam holding back a stream on a hillside possibly along Rock Creek (in the foreground) in Washington, D.C., c. 1855-1860. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale.

Source: National Museum of American History.

Monday, January 27, 2025

Photo of Peirce Mill and Peirce Barn Along Rock Creek in Washington DC (1855)

 

View of Peirce Mill (right) and Peirce Barn (building in background) along Rock Creek in Washington, D.C., September 26, 1855. The building between the mill and barn appears to be another barn which is no longer standing today. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale.

Source: National Museum of American History.

Friday, January 17, 2025

Photo of a Group Posing in Front of the Georgetown University Astronomical Observatory in Washington DC (1850s)

 

Portrait of a group posing in front of the Georgetown University Astronomical Observatory in Washington, D.C., c. 1855-1860. What looks like a Jesuit priest wearing a straw top hat is posing at left. This is probably the earliest surviving photo of the observatory. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale.

Source: National Museum of American History.

Thursday, January 16, 2025

View of an Early Wooden Pedestrian Bridge Over the C&O Canal in or Near Washington DC (1850s)

 

View of an early wooden pedestrian bridge over the C&O Canal in or near Washington, D.C., c. 1855-1860. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale. A person appears to be sitting under the bridge on the towpath at left.

Source: National Museum of American History.

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Hand-Colored Photo Portrait of a Group Posing in Front of Natural Bridge in Rockbridge County, Virginia (1859)

 

 Hand-colored portrait of a group posing in front of Natural Bridge in Rockbridge County, Virginia, c. 1859-1860. Attributed to William England. Originally published as a stereoview by London Stereoscopic Company. The man sitting in shadow on a ledge at right might have been a local guide that the photographer had hired while the three posing at the bottom of the gorge might have been tourists.

Source: New York Public Library.

Monday, January 13, 2025

Photo of a Stretch of the C&O Canal Near Little Falls on the Potomac River (1850s)

 

 

View of a stretch of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal near Little Falls on the Potomac River close to the Maryland/Washington, D.C., border line, c. 1855-1860. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale.

Source: National Museum of American History.

Sunday, January 12, 2025

Early Photo of Washington DC Taken From Robert E. Lee's Arlington House Mansion in Arlington, Virginia (1850's/1860's)

 

Early view of Washington, D.C., which looks like it was taken from the area in front of Robert E. Lee's Arlington House mansion in Arlington, Virginia, c. 1855-1865. The uncompleted Washington Monument can be seen across the Potomac River on the right. This might be the earliest known photo of the monument. Possibly taken during the early days of the Civil War after Union soldiers occupied the Arlington House property or else during the years leading up to the war. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale.

Source: National Museum of American History.

Early photo of Arlington House possibly taken on the same day by Peale.

Saturday, January 11, 2025

View of an Unidentified Street With a Park And Houses in the Background in Washington DC (1850s)

 

View of an unidentified street with houses and a what looks like a park in the background in Washington, D.C., c. 1855-1860. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale.

Source: National Museum of American History.

Portrait of a Family Group Posing in Front of George Washington's Mount Vernon Mansion in Fairfax County, Virginia (1859-1860)

 

Portrait of a group posing in front of George Washington's Mount Vernon mansion in Fairfax, Virginia, c. 1859-1860. What looks like a blurry family can be seen sitting on the lawn in front of the second pillar and a man can be seen looking on at far right. At least two ship masts and two wooden planks can be seen holding up the deteriorated left side of the porch. Attributed to either John Wood or Montgomery Meigs.

Source: Library of Congress.

Thursday, January 9, 2025

Portrait of a Man Wearing a Top Hat Posing in Front of H. Burr's House in Washington DC (1857)

Portrait of a man posing in front of H. Burr's house in Washington, D.C., April 1857. An unidentified church is also visible to the left of it in the distance. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale.

Source: National Museum of American History.

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

View of an Unidentified Stretch of Rock Creek in Washington DC (1850s)


View of an unidentified stretch of Rock Creek in Washington D.C., c. 1855-1860. According to the note written at bottom left, the photo was taken at 6:00 PM on May 20 of an unidentified year. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale.

Source.

View of a Dilapidated House and Other Buildings Along G Street in Washington DC (1860)

 

View of a dilapidated house and other buildings along G Street in Washington, D.C., c. 1860. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale. The sign on the business to the right of the house appears to identify it as a possible sign-making business.

Source: National Museum of American History.

Tuesday, January 7, 2025

Two Photographic Portraits of Armed Hunters Posing in Front of a Waterfall Possibly Along Rock Creek in Washington DC (1850s)

 

 

Portrait of two armed hunters posing in front of a waterfall possibly near Peirce Mill along Rock Creek in Washington, D.C., c. 1855-1860. A third man wearing a top hat in the distance at right is also part of the group. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale.

Source: National Museum of American History.


A second photo taken around the same time showing the three men again posing in front of the waterfall.

Source: National Museum of American History.