Portrait of three grave diggers posing with a recently dug grave in a cemetery, location unknown, c. 1860s. Attributed to Mathew Brady. Note the blanket in the foreground used for collecting dirt from the grave as it is being dug. Also, a possible hearse is seen in the background at the top of the hill at left.
The place for the most fascinating photographs from history specializing in animating stereoscopic images.
Tuesday, December 31, 2024
Monday, December 30, 2024
Portrait of a Large Group Posing in Front of the City Hotel Old Powder Magazine in Williamsburg, Virginia (1870s)
Portrait of a large group posing in front of the City Hotel (right) and Old Powder Magazine (left) in Williamsburg, Virginia, c. 1870s. This could possibly be the earliest surviving photo of the magazine which was the focal point of the 1775 Gunpowder Incident, a very early event in the Revolutionary War which is largely forgotten today. The photo was originally published by photography firm Anderson & Ennis as a stereoview.
Saturday, December 28, 2024
Portrait Photo of Civilian Kitchen Workers Posing in A Dining Hall Taken During the Civil War Probably In Washington DC (1865)
Portrait of a large group of men, probably civilian kitchen workers, posing in a room which might have been a dining hall, c. 1865. The photograph was probably taken in a building in Washington D.C. towards the end of the Civil War or shortly after when Federal government war effort operations in the city were extensively photographed. I have never come across print version of this photo before. Attributed to Mathew Brady.
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Staged Photo of a Group of Young British Soldiers Having a Mock Battle on a Hillside (1850s)
Staged scene of a group of young British soldiers, most probably cadets, having a mock battle on a hillside, c. 1857-1859. An early albumen print.
Friday, December 13, 2024
Cabinet Card Copy of a Daguerreotype of Streaks of Lightning Over St. Louis, Missouri, Taken by Photographer Thomas Easterly (1847)
Cabinet card copy of a daguerreotype of streaks of lightning over St. Louis, Missouri, taken by photographer Thomas Easterly at 9:00 PM on June 18, 1847. The original daguerreotype is said to be lost today and the Missouri Historical Society only has this cabinet card copy in their collections.
Friday, December 6, 2024
Portrait of an Unidentified Man Posing on the Rear Platform of a Train Car (1863)
Portrait of an unidentified man posing on the rear platform of a train car, c. 1863.
Thursday, December 5, 2024
Portrait of a Group of Communard Soldiers Posing With Two Cannon at a Barricade During the Paris Commune (1871)
Portrait of a group of Communard soldiers posing with two cannon at a barricade during the Paris Commune in Paris, France, 1871. Cabinet card-sized albumen print taken by photographer Bruno Braquehais.
Saturday, November 30, 2024
Mystery Daguerreotype View of a Street in an Unidentified Town (1840s/1850s)
Daguerreotype view of a street in an unidentified town, c. 1840s/1850s. There is a sailing ship on a body of water visible at the end of the street, the masts of a few more ships to its right, and a building under construction in the distance at far right. The contour of the hills in the distance might one way the location of this daguerreotype is discovered because the street probably looks much different if this town is still around today. The Library of Congress only states that the daguerreotype was purchased at "Ranch Auction" in Switzerland in 1961.
Update: A viewer of my video on this daguerreotype on Youtube claims to have found the location where the photo was taken. The viewer claims that it was taken in Jamaica and has contacted the Library of Congress about the discovery.
Friday, October 11, 2024
Self-Portrait of Photographer O. M. Perrigo Posing With His Horse-Drawn Photography Wagon With Darkroom Attached to the Back in Medfield, Massachusetts (1860s)
Probable self-portrait of photographer O. M. Perrigo posing with his horse-drawn photography wagon with darkroom attached to the back. The subject appears to be holding a string which would have been attached to the camera lens cover, allowing him to take a self-portrait. Perrigo seems to have taken this stereoview photograph (cropped and edited for clarity) after taking more than two dozen stereoviews of buildings, machinery and employees at the Excelsior Straw Works in Medfield, Massachusetts, sometime during the late 1860s.
Monday, January 15, 2024
Animated Stereoscopic Time-Lapse Daguerreotype Photo Portrait of Swiss Photographer Jean-Gabriel Eynard With Friends And Family (1852)
Animated stereoscopic time-lapse daguerreotype portrait of Jean-Gabriel Eynard (elderly sitting man at center) posing with family and friends probably taken in Switzerland, c. 1852. Attributed to Jean-Gabriel Eynard.