Showing posts with label 1870's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1870's. Show all posts

Thursday, October 8, 2026

Photomontage of Various Soldiers, Firemen and Celebrities Titled "Ben Gurney's Dream" (1870's)


Photomontage of a collection of various unidentified soldiers, firemen and celebrities titled "Ben Gurney's Dream," c. 1870s. Some of the soldiers appear to be German while most look like they are American militiamen or cadets. Other photos of soldiers look like they might be from the Civil War era. Identified celebrities in the photomontage include Ulysses S. Grant, Edwin Booth, Mark Twain, and Horace Greeley. Originally published as a stereoview by photography firm J. Gurney & Son. Ben Gurney almost certainly refers to Jeremiah Gurney's son Benjamin who was also a photographer and presumably was the creator of this photomontage. The man with the camera at bottom right of the photomontage has a passing resemblance to this double exposure CDV of Benjamin Gurney at the National Portrait Gallery.

Source: Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Sunday, June 7, 2026

Photo of People Posing on and Around an Observation Tower in the Abandoned Ruins of Fort Holmes on Mackinac Island, Michigan (1870's)


Photo of people, possibly tourists, posing on and around an observation tower in the abandoned ruins of Fort Holmes on Mackinac Island, Michigan, c. 1870s. The fort was occupied by British soldiers and presumably their Native American allies during the 1814 Battle of Mackinac Island, part of the War of 1812. Fort Holmes is the highest point on the island. Taken by photographer James Jenney and originally published as a stereoview.

Source: Library of Congress.

Thursday, February 5, 2026

Photo of a Crowd Watching a Parade on a Street in Carthage, Missouri (1870's)


"Public square, north side." Photo of a crowd probably watching a parade go by on a street in Carthage, Missouri, c. 1870s. Tracking down the location of the J. M. Whitsett Dry Goods store was how I was able to identify where this was taken.

Source: Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site.

Friday, January 16, 2026

Early Photo of Cattle in a Stockyard in Chicago, Illinois (1870's)

 

"Chicago Stock Yards No. 1." Early photo of cattle in a stockyard in Chicago, Illinois, c. 1870s. Taken by photographer Louis Magnus Melander and originally published as a stereoview.

Source: Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site.

Friday, January 9, 2026

Monday, December 1, 2025

Photo of a Scattered Group of Bison Bones Taken in a Field Somewhere in Colorado Territory (1870)


Photo of a scattered group of buffalo bones taken somewhere in Colorado Territory, c. 1870. Taken by photographer William Henry Jackson and created using a scan of the original glass negative.

Source: National Archives and Records Administration.

Friday, November 21, 2025

Photo of a Man Posing With What is Said to be a Bronze Dome From the Porcelain Pagoda Tower in Nanjing, China (1871)

 

Photo of a man posing with what is said to be a bronze dome from the Porcelain Pagoda tower in Nanjing, China, 1871. The tower had been destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion in 1856. Note the graffiti written on the dome and also the building rubble presumably from the tower scattered around it. Taken by Scottish photographer John Thomson. From a scan of the original glass negative.

Source: Wellcome Collection.

Thursday, November 13, 2025

Sunday, July 20, 2025

Photo of a Group of Mostly Teenagers Posing in a Street in the Five Points Neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, New York (1870's)


Portrait of a group of mostly teenagers posing with a bakery wagon and what might be carts in a street of the Five Points neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, New York, c. 1870s. Originally published as a stereoview by L. D. & Co.

Source: Library of Congress.

Thursday, July 10, 2025

Photo of a Mormon Settler Covered Wagon Train in Echo Canyon, Utah Territory (1870's)


Photo of a Mormon settler covered wagon train in Echo Canyon, Utah Territory, c. 1870s. A mounted US Army officer is visible in the front of the group at left. A telegraph line is visible in the background. Taken by photographer Charles Carter and originally published as a stereoview.

Source: J. Paul Getty Museum.

 

Thursday, June 26, 2025

Early Photo of the Colonial Courthouse Building in Williamsburg, Virginia (1870's)

 

Portrait of a group posing in front of the colonial Courthouse building in Williamsburg, Virginia, c. 1870s. Another group appears to be practicing their baseball skills in the background at right. Taken by photographer D. H. Anderson and originally published as a stereoview.

Source: New York Public Library.

Thursday, June 12, 2025

Photo of Businesses Along a Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania (1870's)

 

View of businesses along a street in Allentown, Pennsylvania, c. 1870s. Probably taken by photographer W. H. S. Gross. Originally published as a stereoview.

Source: Library of Congress.

Saturday, April 26, 2025

Photo of Inmate Members of the Prison Choir in the Chapel at Auburn Prison in Auburn, New York (1870's)

 


Portrait of inmate members of the prison choir in the chapel at Auburn Prison in Auburn, New York, c. 1870s. The man standing at the lectern at far right might be the prison's chaplain. Originally published as a stereoview by L. E. Walker.

Source: Library of Congress.

Friday, April 11, 2025

Photo of a Group of Baseball Players as Another Group Poses As If Playing a Baseball Game Behind Them in St. Charles, Missouri (1870's/1880's)

 

Portrait of a group of baseball players as another group poses behind them as if playing a game in St. Charles, Missouri, c. 1870-1890. Taken by photographer Rudolph Goebel and originally published as a stereoview.

Source: Missouri Historical Society.

Thursday, April 3, 2025

Photo of a Group of French Soldiers Posing in Front of a Building, Location Unknown (1860's)

 


Portrait of a group of French soldiers posing in front of a building, possibly a large stable, location unknown, c. 1860s/1870's. Originally published as a stereoview.

Source: Missouri Historical Society.

Saturday, March 29, 2025

Photo of Wall Street Including the Old United States Custom House in the Distance in New York City, New York (1870's)

View of Wall Street with the old United States Custom House visible in the distance at far left in New York City, New York, c. 1870s. Today, the renovated US Custom House building is known as 55 Wall Street. Originally published as a stereoview.

Source: Rijksmuseum.

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Photo of a Group of Women Eating a Meal at a Table in Front of a House (1870's)

 

Portrait of a group of women eating a meal at a table in front of a house, location unknown, c. 1870s. Note the blurry dog or cat at bottom right. Originally published as a stereoview.

Source: Library of Congress.

Friday, March 14, 2025

Photo of a Man Approaching a Frog With a Stick Probably in a Park in Baltimore, Maryland (1870's)

 

Portrait of a man approaching a frog with a stick probably in a park in Baltimore, Maryland, as two women in a rowboat in the background look on, c. 1870s. The frog might be a taxidermied example or else a model. The man might be a groundskeeper in the park. Taken by William Chase and originally published as a stereoview.

Source: Library of Congress.

Sunday, March 9, 2025

Friday, March 7, 2025

Photo of a Group of Children Posing With Croquet Mallets, a Rope Swing and Dolls in Mazomanie, Wisconsin (1870s)

 

Portrait of  a group of children posing with croquet mallets, a rope swing and dolls probably in Mazomanie, Wisconsin, c. 1870s. A man, probably their father, is posing behind them. Originally published as a stereoview by the Superior Viewing Company.

Source: Library of Congress.