The Daguerreian Society Announcements

Edith Cuerrier and Allen Phillips Join Daguerreian Society Board of Directors

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 20:32:32 GMT

The Daguerreian Society welcomes two new members to its Board of Directors.

Edith Cuerrier was elected to the Board last fall and began her three-year term in January.

Allen Phillips joined the Board in February, filling a seat vacated by Terry Alphonse, who recently stepped down. Allen's term will run through next year.

Edith is a French Canadian born near Montreal and now based in Newfoundland and Labrador. She is a retired museum and archives professional who still works part-time at the provincial archives in St John's, NL, and has taught History of Photography courses in local continuing education programs over the years.

As a photography scholar and enthusiast, she served as cataloguer of the Cromer Collection Project at the George Eastman Museum (2017–2019). Earlier in her career, she spent over 20 years as a military photographer in the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Edith earned her MA in Photographic Preservation and Collections Management from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) and a BA in Anthropology from Memorial University of Newfoundland. She has been a member of the Daguerreian Society since 2008 and attended her first Daguerreian Symposium in 2013 (Paris) and several since (New York, Chicago, Kansas City, etc.).

Allen brings decades of experience as a photographer, collector, dealer, and museum professional, along with a longstanding engagement with both historical and contemporary photographic processes.

A lifelong photographer, he began working with 19th-century techniques—including cyanotype, platinum, and salt printing—in the early 1970s. His interest in historic photography soon led him to collecting, and by the mid-1970s he had begun assembling a collection of 19th-century photographs, with a particular focus on the daguerreotype. He later became a full-time photography dealer specializing in the medium.

An early adopter of digital photography in the 1980s, Allen went on to build a distinguished career in museum imaging and publications. He has established digital photography studios at several major institutions, including the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian, and the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, where he has served as Imaging and Publications Manager for more than two decades.

Allen has also contributed to recent scholarship and exhibitions in the field. In 2023, he co-curated I Am Seen … Therefore, I Am: Isaac Julien and Frederick Douglass, which brought together 75 African American daguerreotypes.

More recently, he curated The Scenic Daguerreotype in America, 1840–1860, an exhibition featuring 19th-century outdoor views alongside contemporary works by modern daguerreian artists. The exhibition was a centerpiece of the 2025 Symposium & Photo Fair, hosted by the Wadsworth Atheneum.

In addition to his institutional work, Allen remains an active practitioner of the daguerreotype.

The Society extends its thanks to Terry Alphonse for his service on the Board and looks forward to Edith and Allen's contributions as it continues to strengthen its mission of supporting the study, preservation, and appreciation of 19th-century photography.

Room Reservations Now Open for 2026 Washington, DC Symposium

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 19:47:08 GMT

Reservations are now open for the Daguerreian Society’s official Symposium hotel for our 2026 Symposium in Washington, D.C. (October 15–17).

We have secured a group room block at:

Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill
400 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
202-737-1234

Reserve Your Room

We encourage you to book early. Last year, the Symposium hotel reached full capacity and was unable to accommodate late reservations.

Book your room here:
https://www.hyatt.com/events/en-US/group-booking/WASRW/G-D4G3

The Society's discounted room rate is $279 per night, plus city tax (15.95%). The hotel has also waived its $20 daily destination fee.

This special rate will be offered through September 15, pending room availabilty.

As always, if your plans change, reservations can be canceled without penalty up to 48 hours before check-in—so there is no downside to reserving early.

Why Stay at the Official Hotel?

Staying at the Hyatt Regency Washington places you at the center of Symposium activity and provides easy access to:

Receptions, room hopping, the Makers Salon, Photo Fair, banquet, and Benefit Auction
The National Gallery of Art, where Friday's presentations will be (a 5-minute drive or 15-minute walk from hotel).
Other nearby museums and cultural sites, such as the U.S. Capitol, Library of Congress, and several Smithsonian museums

Plan Ahead

The 2026 Symposium is already shaping up to be an exceptional event, with planned visits, exhibitions, and programming tied to major institutional collections and the nation’s semiquincentennial year.

We strongly recommend securing your accommodations now to ensure you can participate fully in the experience.

Register for the Symposium

Registration details for the 2026 Symposium & Photo Fair will be available soon.

Questions?

If you have any questions about accommodations—or are interested in sharing a room—please contact:

Diane Filippi
Business Director
info@daguerreiansociety.org

Seeking Consignments and Donations for 2026 Benefit Auction

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 18:52:39 GMT

This sixth-plate daguerreotype sold for $40,000 (hammer price) at last year’s Daguerreian Society auction.

Have any high-quality images that you're ready to part with? Need some extra cash? Have a treasure that you'd like marketed to a targeted audience of passionate collectors?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, The Daguerreian Society is here to help!

The Society is seeking consignments and donations for its annual Benefit Auction, to be held on October 17, 2026, in Washington, D.C., during the annual Symposium.

Each year, the auction brings exceptional material before a highly focused audience of collectors, dealers, curators, and scholars of early photography. For consignors, it offers a unique opportunity to place important objects in front of an engaged and knowledgeable market.

A Targeted Market for Exceptional Material

The auction will feature:

Daguerreotypes
Ambrotypes and tintypes
Early paper photographs
Fine contemporary daguerreotypes
Related material connected to the history of photography

Higher-value items—particularly those above $2,000—have historically performed especially well in this setting.

In last year’s auction, a remarkable daguerreotype realized $40,000 (hammer price), underscoring the strength of the market for exceptional works.

Part of a Larger Gathering

The auction takes place during the Society’s three-day Symposium, which brings together a global community of:

Collectors and dealers
Museum professionals and curators
Conservators and scholars
Artists working in historical processes

The program includes presentations, behind-the-scenes visits to major institutional collections, and a Photo Fair open to the public, creating a dynamic and informed environment for buying and selling.

Supporting the Society’s Mission

Proceeds from the auction support the Daguerreian Society’s nonprofit mission: to inform and inspire members, foster a sense of community, and advance the scholarship and preservation of 19th-century photography.

Whether you have a single important piece or a group of works, the Society welcomes your submission.

Early submission is recommended, particularly for higher-value material.

Consignment deadline: July 15
Submit online: www.daguerreiansociety.org/Auction
Email inquiries: auction@daguerreiansociety.org

If you have high-quality material you’re ready to part with—or a work you would like to place with a discerning audience, this is an ideal venue.

January–March 2026 Quarterly Published

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 12:29:46 GMT

Members may access the latest Quarterly from the Quarterly and Newsletter Archive page in the site's members-only section. The "compact" version is suitable for reading on screen or printing at home.

Inside this issue

A remarkable acquisition: Member Tim Lindholm and his wife, Lucy Gaylord, help secure three daguerreotypes of Ada Lovelace for the National Portrait Gallery

Texas’s first photographer: the story of “Mrs. Davis,” a pioneering woman on the 1843 frontier

A tantalizing mystery: a manuscript notation raises new questions about a New York daguerreotype

The 2026 Symposium in Washington, DC: early details on venues, exhibitions, and plans now underway

Join today to explore the full issue and back issues.

Learn more about member benefits:
https://daguerreiansociety.org/Join

Join the Society:
https://daguerreiansociety.org/Apply

Call for Speakers: 2026 Symposium in Washington, DC

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 15:01:01 GMT

Have a discovery to share? Join us in Washington!

Propose a talk for The Daguerreian Society's 2026 Symposium, October 15–17, in Washington, DC.

Presentations are scheduled for Friday, October 16, as part of the three-day event.

The Symposium brings together collectors, scholars, curators, dealers, and enthusiasts of 19th-century photography for talks, behind-the-scenes tours, and collegial exchange.

We invite proposals on topics such as:

Overviews of institutional holdings
Collections management — including conservation, archival storage, cataloguing, appraisals, insurance, and estate planning
Pivotal figures and studios in daguerreotypy and 19th-century photography
Hidden gems, overlooked collections, and new research discoveries — including those outside the U.S. and Canada
Themes that cross formats, such as spirit photography
The stories behind the making of modern daguerreotypes
Topics of particular importance to Washington, DC, and the surrounding region

We especially welcome proposals that offer new research, fresh interpretation, or previously unpublished material.

Please keep in mind:

All talks must be richly illustrated.
Shorter talks will receive preference. Presentation slots are typically 15, 30, or 45 minutes, including Q&A.
Academic credentials are not required. Our speakers include collectors, dealers, independent researchers, curators, conservators, and historians.
Selected presenters will be asked to adapt their talks into an article for the Daguerreian Society Annual.

To submit a proposal, please email:

A brief summary
Your estimated running time
Three to five representative images

Send materials to speaker-committee@daguerreiansociety.org.

Proposals must be received by May 31, 2026.

We look forward to seeing what you will bring to Washington!

A Closer Look at the Daguerreian Society Symposium

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 00:15:34 GMT

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to attend a Daguerreian Society Symposium?

Each year, collectors and enthusiasts of early photography come together for private visits to institutional collections, expert presentations, lively discussions, social events, and the chance to discover new works for their collections.

To give you a clearer sense of why people from all walks of life—people just like you—look forward to this gathering year after year, we’re pleased to share a special excerpt from the latest Daguerreian Society Quarterly: the richly illustrated cover story on the 2025 Symposium in Hartford, Connecticut.

Read the excerpt here.
Full issue here (for members).

This in-depth feature takes you inside the Symposium—from behind-the-scenes museum tours and expert talks to receptions, our 19th-century Photo Fair & Auction, and even a special event featuring contemporary daguerreotypes.

If this exchange of ideas and images appeals to you, mark your calendar for our 2026 Symposium & Photo Fair, October 15–17, in Washington, DC.

While membership is not required to attend, most participants are members, who enjoy discounted registration and additional benefits throughout the year.

P.S. Many first-time attendees discover the Symposium through word of mouth or a preview like this—and tell us it’s what made the experience feel tangible and worth prioritizing.

October–December 2025 Quarterly Published

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 18:03:04 GMT

Inside this issue...

Complete coverage of the Hartford Symposium & Photo Fair, including the talks, tours, Maker Salon, Benefit Auction, and Virtual Symposium Experience
A landmark acquisition: Britain's National Portrait Gallery secures the only known daguerreotype portraits of computer-programming pioneer Ada Lovelace
An iconic image: a carte de visite of Gordon, a formerly enslaved man bearing severe whipping scars, sells for $17,220 at Michael Lehr's fall auction

Daguerreotypes: The Basics

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 22:45:17 GMT

A Showing of Daguerreotypes, ca. 1850, quarter-plate
daguerreotype (The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art)

What is a daguerreotype?

A daguerreotype is the earliest widely adopted form of photography, introduced in 1839 by Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre. It produced a highly detailed, one-of-a-kind image on a polished silver-coated copper plate. No negative was involved—each daguerreotype is a unique object.

What were typical subjects?

Portraits (adults, children, couples)
Views of streets, architecture, and landmarks
Occupational portraits
Occasionally postmortem images
Outdoor landscapes (less common)

Why was the invention of the daguerreotype important?

The daguerreotype was revolutionary: It produced images with unprecedented accuracy and detail; made portraiture accessible to the middle class; and led to the rise of a booming photographic industry during the 1840s–1850s, as studios rapidly spread across Europe and the United States.

How can you identify a daguerreotype?

The most reliable way is the mirror test. Hold the image at different angles:

A daguerreotype looks mirrorlike—you’ll see your reflection.
The image flips between positive and negative depending on how light hits it.

For more information on daguerreotypes, including how they differ from ambrotypes and tintypes, visit our FAQ page.

Carl Mautz Receives Fellowship Award for Outstanding Contribution to Photographic History

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 20:00:00 GMT

At our recent Symposium in Hartford, Connecticut, Daguerreian Society President Mike Robinson presented longtime member Carl Mautz with the Society's prestigious Fellowship Award. The award recognizes individuals who have advanced scholarship in the field of photo history and generously shared that knowledge with contemporaries and future generations of historians, scholars, and collectors.

Carl is a photo historian, publisher, and dealer best known for his pioneering research on 19th-century Western photographers. Beginning as a collector in the 1970s, he developed an interest in the photographers who documented the settlement and landscapes of the American frontier. His passion for uncovering biographical details and studio locations evolved into one of the most comprehensive reference projects in the field.

To share and preserve this knowledge, Carl — a lawyer by training — founded Carl Mautz Publishing, through which he produced scholarly yet accessible works devoted to early photography. His most acclaimed title, (1997; updated 2018), remains an indispensable reference for curators, collectors, and historians, cataloging thousands of practitioners active west of the Mississippi in the 19th century.

As a longtime dealer and collector, Carl has specialized in daguerreotypes, cartes de visite, stereoviews, and other vintage images depicting Western towns, mining camps, and Native American subjects. His dual role as scholar and dealer helped bridge academic and collecting communities, and his meticulous research has been cited by major institutions, including the Library of Congress.

While we celebrate Carl for this well-deserved honor, it's worth taking a moment to recall all the past recipients who have contributed so much to the Society's mission of advancing the understanding and appreciation of early photography.

We raise a glass to the following individuals who have informed and inspired our members, helped build a sense of community, and made an outsized contribution to the scholarship and preservation of 19th-century photographs.

2025 - Carl Mautz
2024 - Malcolm Daniel
2023 - Carlos Vertanessian
2022 - Founding Members of the Society Alan Johanson, George Whiteley, Larry Gottheim, Dennis Waters
2021 - No Symposium
2020 - No Symposium
2019 - Jane Aspinwall and Mike Robinson
2018 - Leonard Walle
2017 - Jeremy Rowe
2016 - Alex Novak (Achievement Symposium Award)
2015 - Greg French
2014 - Margaret Calvarin
2013 - Matthew Isenburg, John Wood
2012 - Mark Johnson
2011 - Carol Johnson
2010 - Keith Davis
2009 - Jean-Pierre Spilbauer
2008 - Grant Romer
2007 - John Craig

In-Person and Virtual Symposium Programs Posted

Fri, 19 Sep 2025 14:26:04 GMT

Below please find links to the program for the In-Person Symposium and Virtual Symposium. We look forward to seeing you in Hartford and online!

In-Person program

Virtual program

And if you haven't registered yet, there's still time!

July–September Quarterly Published

Sat, 13 Sep 2025 13:09:37 GMT

Inside this issue...

Latest details on the Sept. 25–27 Symposium & Photo Fair, including the Virtual Symposium
Highlights of the upcoming Benefit Auction (and how YOU can bid!)
Commentary on Christie's sale of the Maillet Daguerreotype Collection
A collector finds a rare treasure: five consecutive years of daguerreotypes of the same girl

News Release: Hartford Photo Fair Offers Chance to Hold History in Your Hand

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 11:07:00 GMT

HARTFORD, Conn., Sept. 11, 2025 — For three days this month — starting Thursday, Sept. 25 — Hartford will be the center of the universe for people who love the world’s first photographs. Collectors, dealers, artists, museum professionals and just plain fans of these early camera images will gather from across the globe for the annual meeting of The Daguerreian Society, the leading organization dedicated to the history, technology, art and preservation of early photographs.

Clockwise from top left: Tinted daguerreotype of a woman holding a letter, circa late 1840s to early 1850s. Original paper photograph of Sergeant John Simms of Stamford, Connecticut, circa 1862, that will be for sale at the Photo Fair. View at Armsmear, the residence of Mrs. Samuel Colt, Hartford, Connecticut, by R. S. De Lamater (stereoview), circa 1869. Exceptional daguerreotype of an African American woman holding her young daughter (in auction).

A highlight of the three-day gathering will be the society’s Photo Fair, which is open to the public and taking place Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Hartford Marriott Downtown hotel (Ballrooms A, B and C, third floor). From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET (9 a.m. for Symposium attendees), the fair will feature rare and historically important images —most one-of-a-kind. You will have a chance to not only browse through the past but also buy an authentic piece of history to hold in your hand ... for as little as $10.

Thousands of antique photos from as far back as 1840 through the Civil War and up to 1900 will be on display for purchase. The images will include vintage daguerreotypes (the earliest practical form of photography) as well as modern daguerreotypes made by contemporary artists; tintypes; ambrotypes; and pioneering paper photographs. You can even glimpse the past in lifelike 3D, thanks to stereoscopic views. General admission is $10.

If that immersion in early photography isn’t enough, you’ll have another opportunity to hunt for photographic treasures later that day: The society will hold its annual Benefit Auction starting at 8 p.m. ET Saturday. Nearly 80 lots will be offered. In-person bidding (for Symposium registrants) will take place at the Hartford Marriott Downtown, with online bidding available through Freeman’s | Hindman.

This will be the first time The Daguerreian Society, an international nonprofit, has held its annual Symposium in Hartford. For those who can’t attend in person, the society is also offering a Virtual Symposium Experience.

To learn more about the Photo Fair, Benefit Auction and Symposium, visit DaguerreianSociety.org/Symposium.

To download the photos above which will be offered at the Photo Fair and Auction, as well as photos and a video clip from past society fairs, click here.

About The Daguerreian Society

The Daguerreian Society is the leading organization dedicated to the history, technology, art, and preservation of 19th-century photography. Our international membership brings together photography collectors and dealers, museum professionals, historians, scientists, students, educators, photographers, and artists. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1988, The Daguerreian Society welcomes all who share an interest in early photography. For more information, please visit DaguerreianSociety.org.

Click here for PDF version

Media contact: Dave Fondiller, media@daguerreiansociety.org

Nominees for Open Board Seats Announced – Members Asked to Vote

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 20:14:02 GMT

The Daguerreian Society’s bylaws outline a process for nominating and electing members of its Board of Directors, who serve three-year terms. The process requires a vote of the members.

Except for our Business Director, Diane Filippi, Society Board members are all volunteers. Individuals may serve for up to three consecutive terms with a two-year hiatus before being eligible to run again.

Each year, seats on the Board open. This year, there are three open Board positions for the 2026–2028 term. The Board's Nominating Committee has put forward the following slate of nominees:

Susan Meyer has been a member of The Daguerreian Society since 2012 and a daguerreotype collector since that time. A graduate of the University of Minnesota, Duluth (History), she notes that her interest in daguerreotypes is connected to her love of history: they show what people did, how they lived, and, in some cases, how they died. In addition to daguerreotypes, Susan and her husband collect American industrial art, including WPA paintings and black-and-white photography from the 1930s and 40s. Susan worked for 3M for 42 years before retiring in 2017 as a global supply chain manager. She has served on the board since 2020 as Treasurer, Board Chair, and a member of the Strategic Planning Committee. She has agreed to serve a third term on the Board.

Dave Fondiller has served on the Board since 2023 and is running for his second term. Based in New York, he first joined the Society around 1995 after writing a feature story on Matthew Isenburg’s extraordinary collection for Forbes, where he worked as a staff writer. After a hiatus of several years, he rejoined in 2013 and has been active ever since. Board leadership roles include co-chairing the Marketing & Communications Committee, serving on the Membership and Publications Committees, and participating on various Symposium-related teams. He is also one of the Society’s social media administrators. A passionate collector of daguerreotypes and other early images, Dave brings more than 25 years of marketing and communications experience to the Society. A graduate of Columbia College and Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, he currently works as a communications and editorial consultant.

Edith Cuerrier (first-term nominee) is a French Canadian born near Montreal and now based in Newfoundland and Labrador. She works as an archives technician at The Rooms Provincial Archives in St John's, NL. A photography scholar and enthusiast, she will be teaching a History of Photography course at her local community college this fall. She served as project cataloguer of the Cromer Collection at the George Eastman Museum (2017–2019). Earlier in her career, she spent more than 20-years as a military photographer in the Royal Canadian Air Force (1980–2001). Edith earned her MA in Photographic Preservation and Collections Management from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) in 2009 and a BA in Anthropology from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 2006. She has been a member of the Daguerreian Society ever since 2008, when Nick Graver introduced her to the organization and she acquired her first daguerreotype. She attended her first Daguerreian Symposium in Paris in 2013, and several others since. She looks forward to attending more in the future, and especially to meeting everyone in Hartford, Connecticut, this year.

Members will vote to fill the three positions from the proposed slate and may also write in candidates. The three individuals receiving the most votes will fill the open Board positions.

Members will receive a ballot link by email on September 5. Results will be announced at the annual business meeting on September 26 in Hartford.

Register Now for the Virtual Symposium!

Sat, 23 Aug 2025 11:35:57 GMT

Can’t make it to Hartford? Be part of the Symposium from wherever you are!

Join us online for the

Virtual Symposium Experience!

The world’s biggest conference
on 19th-century photography

September 25–27, 2025

As close as your computer (or tablet or smartphone) and available worldwide, you’ll enjoy:

ALL of the 2025 Symposium Presentations livestreamed from the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, CT

An exclusive guided tour of the Wadsworth’s exhibition The Scenic Daguerreotype in America 1840–1860, presented by curator Allen Phillips and collector Greg French (sneak peak here)

Meet and greet attendees during the opening reception with special host Wes Cowan — auctioneer, historian, and Daguerreian Society VP

Interact LIVE with your fellow Virtual Symposium attendees in EXCLUSIVE online sessions hosted by Smithsonian museum professional (and former Daguerreian Society Chair) Michelle Delaney and artist and photo educator Colleen Woolpert

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW!

Virtual Program

Tips for Registering

For our international community and
those unable to watch the livestream in
real time, Symposium events will be
recorded and available to registrants for
convenient on-demand viewing.

Online conference fee: USD $150.
Daguerreian Society membership not required.

Unveiling More on Our Symposium Talks and Speakers

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 16:54:50 GMT

The countdown is on! The Daguerreian Society Symposium & Photo Fair is just weeks away, and we're excited to share more details on the featured speakers and presentations that will be among the highlights of this year's program.

These talks will take place on Friday, September 26 — the second day of our three-day conference, to be held September 25–27 in Hartford, CT.

For those unable to attend in person, registration for the Virtual Symposium Experience is available HERE.

EXPERT TALKS

Whirlwind Tour of 19th-Century Photography at the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library

Presenter: Matthew Daniel Mason

This presentation offers a fast-paced survey of the rich 19th-century photographic holdings at the library, with an emphasis on the Peter Palmquist and Meserve-Kunhardt collections. It explores rare and significant works, from Mexican War daguerreotypes to Yosemite Valley stereographs, portraits by pioneering women photographers, and images capturing the disruption of the American Civil War and national expansion in the Trans-Mississippi West. By tracing photographic materials across formats, regions, and creators, this talk highlights how these collections illuminate both the artistry and historical narratives of photography’s formative century.

Matthew Daniel Mason, PhD, has served as the Processing Archivist of Visual Resources at Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library since 2004. He oversees the arrangement, description, and preservation of cornerstone photographic holdings including the expansive Meserve-Kunhardt Collection, the rich collections of Peter Palmquist, and visual legacies of Carl Van Vechten and Gordon Parks. Dr. Mason also develops access strategies and cultivates partnerships with creators, information specialists, educators, scholars, and patrons to advance access to and the discovery of the library’s visual holdings. A historian of visual records in context, Dr. Mason earned his doctorate in United States history from the University of Memphis and a Master of Arts in Library and Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. An adjunct faculty member at Quinnipiac University since 2007, he has guided students through the history of photography and United States cultural history. His award-winning co-authored books include People of the Big Voice: Photographs of Ho-Chunk Families (2011) and Through a Woman’s Eye: The Early 20th-Century Photography of Alabama’s Edith Morgan (2015). Dr. Mason also lectures nationally on visual culture, archival ethics, and best practices for managing image collections.

* * *

Portraits in the Stream of Time: Images of “Indians” Henry David Thoreau Encountered in New England

Presenter: Jane Turano-Thompson

Henry David Thoreau’s long-standing interest in Native Americans was profound, complicated, and evolved significantly over time. His passion for immersing himself in the “Indian” life was well-known to his friends, including Nathaniel Hawthorne and Ralph Waldo Emerson, and led to his travels and encounters with indigenous peoples in New England and beyond, from the 1840s on. This presentation will explore the images of some of the native inhabitants he encountered and described in his writings, and occasionally mentioned by other travelers. These portraits from public and private collections are not only relics of contact between Thoreau and the real lives of people he met but also documents of interaction between Native and non-Native cultures of sitters and artist/photographers in the greater multi-cultural community in which they were made. The fruits of these portrait sessions can be seen as assertions of self, documents of conflict, and, most importantly, as expressions of identity and survival in what was a rapidly changing landscape.

Jane Turano-Thompson, a graduate of Smith College, is an independent scholar and art historian, specializing in 19th-century American art, culture, and photography. Formerly Editor of The American Art Journal and Consulting Editor of that magazine, she has written for numerous art publications and has lectured at the Dublin Seminar for New England Folklife, the American Antiquarian Society, the New England American Studies Association, Smith College, Middlebury College, the New Bedford Whaling Museum, the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center in Pennsylvania, and numerous other institutions throughout the Northeast. Several images from her collection were exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and published in the accompanying book, Photography and the American Civil War, by Jeff Rosenheim. She was a contributor to the Oxford Encyclopedia of Maritime History, published by Oxford University Press, and the featured speaker at the “Exploring the Eye of History” symposium of the New England Archivists Association.

* * *

A Virginia Family in Pursuit of Their Likenesses: Encounters with “Mr. Tools,”“White Hurce,” and “Mr. Montgomry”

Presenter: Denise Bethel

The history of daguerreotypes most often originates with research devoted to the daguerreotypist; sometimes lacking, however, is a history of the medium from “the other side”— stories passed down to us by the sitters: how they interacted with their portraits, what their pictures meant to them, and when and how they were made. What can we learn by beginning not with the artist, but with the sitter? My accidental stumbling into the “other side” was a surprise, particularly in the case of the elusive “Mr. Tools” and “Mr. Montgomry.” Both “took likenesses” of my friend Llewellyn Hedgbeth’s rural Virginia family and are mentioned, albeit fleetingly, in her family’s daybooks.

Denise Bethel was in the auction business in New York City for over 35 years, first at Swann Galleries and later at Sotheby’s. After leaving Sotheby’s in 2015, she formed Denise Bethel LLC and now works as a consultant to private collectors and institutions, and is a writer and lecturer. Having worked as an auctioneer for so many years, she now especially enjoys helping her old clients give things away.

* * *

Time Stands Still: Horology in Daguerreotypes

Presenter: Bob Frishman

From his digital collection, now numbering more than 800 examples of vintage-photography images showing clocks and watches, Bob Frishman will project and discuss appealing daguerreotypes. These include portraits in which watches announce the sitters’ affluence and sophistication, including occupationals of watchmakers and clockmakers, and photographs in which timekeepers represent human mortality as they have in iconic artworks for seven centuries.

Bob Frishman, founder in 1992 of Bell-Time Clocks in Andover, Massachusetts, has professionally restored nearly 8,000 mechanical clocks. He has published more than 150 articles and reviews, and he has lectured to more than 150 audiences on the history, culture, and technology of timekeeping. His award-winning biography of 18th-century Philadelphia clockmaker Edward Duffield was published in 2024 by the American Philosophical Society. See www.bell-time.com.

* * *

On the Prairie with General Custer and His Hounds

Presenter: Brian Patrick Duggan

From 1862 to 1876, during General George Armstrong Custer’s army career and marriage to Elizabeth “Libbie” Bacon, he appears in 15 photographs with his dogs (occasionally Libbie is there too). Ranging from tintypes to stereo views to albumen images, the majority of these comparatively relaxed images were taken in the field, on campaigns, or on hunts. The Custers’ dogs were photographed with officers, ladies, troopers, Indian scouts, horses, a minister, a dead grizzly bear, and a dying buffalo. And when photographers were not present, the 19th-century equivalent of Photoshop was used to composite Custer with his dogs in published engravings.

These Custer images are held throughout several institutions and private collections, but perhaps the most remarkable was taken on an 1869 buffalo hunt in Kansas. Far from any settlement, a large group of mounted riders and blurred hounds pose behind a dangerous, mortally wounded bull. It’s a tense moment. Photographer W. J. Phillips and his assistant took a huge personal risk to set up the camera and expose this arguably unique, wet-plate photograph. With respect to photography and this image, Libbie Custer declared, “ ... I think this is the first time that the art has been called into use at a buffalo hunt.”

Brian Patrick Duggan, M.A., is a canine historian/image collector and award-winning author of Saluki: The Desert Hound and the English Travelers Who Brought It to the West; Horror Dogs: Man’s Best Friend as Movie Monster; General Custer, Libbie Custer and Their Dogs: A Passion for Hounds from the Civil War to Little Bighorn; and Fireside Tales: An Omnibus of Hound Fiction & Humor. Brian is a retired university technology educator with degrees in filmmaking and education. He’s currently an American Kennel Club judge, the editor for McFarland Publishers’ Dogs in Our World series, and member of the Dog Writers Association of America. His articles have been published internationally, and he has judged Saluki Specialties in Australia, Canada, England, Finland, Germany, New Zealand, and Norway. Having just typed “The End” on his first historical novel, Brian continues to research the 19th-century culture of dog portraits. He and Wendy live with their pack of Salukis in central California.

* * *

New England Photography Studio Advertising Cards: Their Significance in Photographic, Printing, Typographic, and Advertising History

Presenter: Stanley B. Burns, MD

Printed advertising cards inserted into the backs of images offer a unique window into authorship and identity in photography, and their study uncovers layers of history in printing, typography, advertising, and photographic practice. In the mid-1850s, particularly in Massachusetts and throughout New England, photographers began including advertising cards behind their photographs. These cards detailed information such as studio location, pricing, equipment, and often made bold marketing claims — many branding themselves as the “cheapest.” Tracking these cards across time reveals the evolution of photographic formats, business ownership, and marketing strategy. Notably, this practice was entirely absent from major photographic centers such as New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, and Richmond. Representing a neglected chapter in the histories of photography, printing, and design, these cards — and the photographs they identify — remain collectible today, offering an ongoing opportunity for discovery and scholarship.

Stanley B. Burns, MD, is an internationally distinguished author, curator, historian, collector, archivist, and consultant for film and television. He currently holds four professorships at New York University Grossman School of Medicine. Dr. Burns began collecting early photography in 1975, and 50 years later, his archive of more than one million historic photographs is widely considered the most significant and comprehensive private collection of documentary photography. Over the years, he has donated tens of thousands of photographs to more than thirty institutions. Most recently, Yale University Medical School acquired his renowned collection of medical photography, and Dr. Burns has established a fellowship for those pursuing research in the field. In 1977, Dr. Burns founded The Burns Archive to share his photographic discoveries. He has authored 54 books, over 1100 articles, curated over 100 exhibitions, and consulted on dozens of documentaries and feature films. Each of his books has been on unexplored and under-appreciated aspect of history, culture, or photography. His upcoming publication, AMBRO-TYPE, focuses on the advertising of early photographic studios. Dr. Burns is a charter member of The Daguerreian Society.

* * *

Photo Sleuth: Using AI and Crowdsourcing to Identify Portrait Photographs

Presenter: Kurt Luther

In this talk, I will show how technologies like social media, AI-based facial recognition, and digital archives allow us to solve photo mysteries that have eluded families and researchers for over a century. Specifically, I focus on Photo Sleuth (www.civilwarphotosleuth.com), a web-based platform originally developed by my research lab at Virginia Tech to help users identify unknown people in historical photos, primarily from the American Civil War era. The site has grown to over 20,000 registered users and 60,000 photos and has been featured by TIME magazine, Smithsonian magazine, and The History Channel. A new feature called BackTrace allows users to find photos with similar painted backdrops to try to identify unknown photographers and studio locations. In 2024, we founded a non-profit organization, The Photo Sleuth Foundation, to broaden our efforts to identify unknown subjects, photographers, and locations across all eras of historical photographs.

Kurt Luther, PhD, is Associate Professor of Computer Science and, by courtesy, History, at Virginia Tech and President of the Photo Sleuth Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to rediscover the forgotten names and places in historical photographs through research, technology, and community. His team created Civil War Photo Sleuth, an online platform that combines facial recognition technology and crowdsourced human expertise to identify unknown subjects and photographers of American Civil War-era photos. The platform has been featured in TIME, Smithsonian, and The History Channel, and has identified photos in major public collections including the Library of Congress, National Archives, and National Portrait Gallery. He is also a senior editor at Military Images Magazine, where for over a decade he has published a regular column on Civil War photo sleuthing.

* * *

Working in the Field: Creating a Panoramic Daguerreotype

Presenter: Mike Robinson

Frédéric Martens, an engraver, worked at Lerebours’ studio in Paris preparing printing plates for Excursions Daguerreiennes — remarkable views and monuments from around the world. The view from the studio window across the Seine at Pont Neuf was equally remarkable, and Martens sought to capture his full field of view, roughly 140 degrees, on a single daguerreotype plate. In 1844, lenses were limited to a 35-degree angle of view. His solution was to design and patent a camera that allowed the lens to pan across the view via pinion gears and a crank handle. The daguerreotype plate had to be curved to a radius matching the focal length of the lens. There are no surviving examples of Martens’ Megaskop-Kamera; however, the few remaining daguerreotypes made with it are astonishing. It has long been Robinson’s ambition to build a replica of the camera and the apparatus necessary to make curved-plate panoramic daguerreotypes today. In this talk, Robinson will share his experience in designing, constructing, and using this unique camera on location at Niagara Falls and Yosemite Valley.

Mike Robinson, PhD, is an artist-practitioner, teacher, conservator, and historian of the daguerreotype. He also serves as President of The Daguerreian Society. In June 2017, he earned his PhD in Photographic History with his dissertation entitled The Techniques and Material Aesthetics of the Daguerreotype. Robinson has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in 19th-Century Photographic Processes at Ryerson University in Toronto, and has lectured and taught daguerreotype workshops around the world, including in Toronto; Rochester; New York City; Chicago; Lacock Abbey, United Kingdom; Bry-sur-Marne, France; Amsterdam, Netherlands; California and Kolomna, Russia. His daguerreotypes are in the collections of The Portrait Gallery of Canada, The Art Gallery of Ontario, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Nelson-Atkins Museum, Harvard University, Carnegie-Mellon, The Snite Museum, The Fox Talbot Museum, The George Eastman House International Museum of Photography, Musée Metienne, The Russian Museum of Photography, The Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and many private collections.

* * *

Mystery in Miniature: C. L. Goodrich and the Story Behind Three CDVs

Presenter: Carl Mautz

This talk will explore the remarkable life of C. L. Goodrich — a little-known 19th-century express messenger, journalist, adventurer, and showman — through the lens of three extraordinary cartes de visite discovered in a Portland, Oregon antique market. Drawing on genealogical research and Western U.S. history, the presentation traces Goodrich’s eclectic career from Oregon newspaperman to express rider, sometime benefactor of Lotta Crabtree, and founder of multiple publications across California, Idaho, Kansas, and eventually British Honduras (Belize). The talk also considers the likely role of Goodrich’s friend, pioneering photographer Joseph Buchtel, in creating the CDVs, and reflects on how the images, preserved in near-pristine condition, encapsulate both a colorful personality and a turbulent era. Part mystery, part biography, this presentation invites attendees to consider how a few surviving photographs can open a window onto an astonishing life.

Carl Mautz was born in Portland, Oregon, on April 3, 1943. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 1965 with a degree in history and in law in 1969. While practicing law to support his family, Mautz began collecting old photographs in 1972 and soon met legendary itinerant photo dealer Ken Appollo who taught him to appreciate the basics of dealing old photographs and also the importance of imprints on photographs that provided information about each photographer whose work was being collected. In 1975, Mautz met Robert O. Brown, who lived a mile from his home in Portland and later published the Collector’s Guide to 19th Century U. S. Traveling Photographers. Brown had listed a number of photographers from imprints on cartes-de-viste and cabinet cards from western states. This list was included in a box of photographs Brown sold to Mautz, and it was from this list that the Checklist of Western Photographers was created and distributed by Mautz in 1975, eventually leading to his 772-page volume, Biographies of Western Photographers. Mautz retired from law in 1995 and moved to Nevada City, California, where he published 25 books under the imprint of Carl Mautz Publishing. Most of the books relate to the history of photography.

* * *

The Woman's Eye: Case Studies from Latin America

Presenter: Carlos G. Vertanessian

The dawn of photography in Argentina, particularly during the Daguerreian era (1840–1870), remains shrouded in mystery, especially concerning the vital roles played by women. This talk aims to illuminate this neglected period, placing Argentine women photographers within the broader context of their European and American contemporaries. Antonia Brunet de Annat, a French miniature painter, stands as Argentina's pioneering female daguerreotypist. Her remarkable career, encompassing painting, teaching, and photography, culminated in her acquisition of a daguerreotype studio in 1854 — a bold move in a fiercely competitive market, especially as a widow and single mother. Juana Manso, a visionary writer, journalist, and feminist, offers a compelling example of how women strategically utilized photography. In a society resistant to her progressive campaigns for female education and empowerment, Manso harnessed the power of her image to challenge prevailing norms and counteract negative public perceptions. This presentation will examine the work of these early female practitioners in Argentina and across Latin America and will describe the hidden histories and challenging dominant narratives that Vertanessian’s research has uncovered.

Carlos G. Vertanessian is an acclaimed Argentine independent scholar specializing in early photography in Latin America, particularly the daguerreian period in Argentina and Uruguay. He has built an extensive collection of related images and literature, authoring four significant books on visual culture in his country: Primeros Daguerrotipos en Argentina (1843–1844); El retrato imposible: Imagen y poder en el Río de la Plata; Retratos del Plata: Historias del daguerrotipo (1839–1859); and his latest, PRIMERAS. Las argentinas y la fotografía. 1840–1871, which reflects his ongoing dedication to researching women in photography. Two of his books have received national cultural interest declarations from Argentina’s National Academy of Fine Arts and Ministry of Culture. Vertanessian has curated the two most prominent public daguerreotype collections in Argentina at the Museo Histórico Nacional and the Complejo Museográfico Enrique Udaondo. In 2023, he received The Daguerreian Society Fellowship Award “for the advancement of scholarship in the field of photo history and the willingness to share that knowledge.” A national and international guest lecturer and writer, he is a scholar of Instituto Nacional Sanmartiniano, Instituto Nacional Browniano, and Instituto Bonaerense de Numismatica y Antigüedades in Argentina, and is also a Board Member of The Daguerreian Society.

* * *

Navigating the Evolving Market for 19th-Century Photographs — A Panel Discussion

Moderator: Wes Cowan

This panel will explore current trends in the buying and selling of 19th-century photographs, with insights drawn from recent auctions and private sales. Are the drivers of market value shifting? What’s hot — and what’s not? How are changing collector demographics and evolving institutional priorities influencing prices? Join us for a lively discussion on whether we may be entering a new golden age for collecting early photography.

Speakers:

Wes Cowan, Daguerreian Society Vice President and auctioneer
Denise Bethel, former longtime head of Sotheby’s New York photographs department, now consultant, writer, and lecturer.
Katie Horstman, Vice President and Head of American Historical Ephemera & Early Photography, Freeman’s | Hindman Auctions
Diane Waggoner, PhD, Curator of Photographs, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Erin Waters, photo historian, collector, and dealer

We look forward to seeing you in Hartford and online!

New Sections Added to Curator-Led Tours in Hartford

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 21:19:10 GMT

We're excited to announce additional sections for three of our exclusive, behind-the-scenes tours at this year’s Symposium & Photo Fair in Hartford, Connecticut.

Newly added sections:

The Scenic Daguerreotype in America 1840–1860 — Third section added: 5:00–5:30 pm ET
50 Daguerreotypes in the Collection of the Wadsworth Atheneum — Two new sections: 1:00–1:30 pm and 1:30–2:00 pm
Hudson River Painting Gallery — Now split into two 40-minute sections: 1:00–1:40 pm and 1:45–2:25 pm

Sign-up for the new sections will open this Saturday, August 16, at 12:00 noon ET

The new sections are intended primarily for:

Registrants with no tours booked
Registrants with only one tour booked

All tours will be held Thursday, September 25, the first day of the three-day Symposium, at either the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art or the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History.

For full tour descriptions, click here. See above for the updated schedule.

Sign-Up Details

Limit: Each Symposium registrant may sign up for two curator-led tours (limit may be lifted later if spots remain).
You must first be registered for the Symposium to sign up. Register here.

With this added capacity, we expect almost everyone who wants two tours will be able to get them.

* * *

For New Registrants

If you haven't signed up for a tour yet:

Add your name to the waitlist now ("Join Waitlist" here).
You'll receive priority placement before the new sections go live on August 16.

* * *

If You’d Like to Switch Tours

Join the waitlist for an existing section you'd prefer.
Once the new sections open, sign up directly if space is available.
Placement will be determined by the order of joining the waitlist and slots becoming available.
If admitted, cancel any tours above the two-tour limit.
Watch for overlapping times and allow travel time between venues.

* * *

Questions? Contact Cindy Motzenbecker at motz48073@yahoo.com.

Note: If you'll be traveling, in an unfavorable time zone, or anticipate technical issues during the August 16 sign-up, please reach out to Cindy in advance so we can assist.

We look forward to seeing you in Hartford!

The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art (top and bottom left) will host most of this year’s Symposium tours.

Speakers and Presentations Announced for 2025 Symposium

Wed, 30 Jul 2025 14:00:48 GMT

From Daguerreotypes to AI:
Eye-Opening Talks Slated for Hartford Symposium

We're excited to announce the expert talks planned for this year's Symposium & Photo Fair.

This year’s presenters bring fresh perspectives on 19th-century photography. You’ll discover unseen Native American portraits, get access to hidden gems in a major institutional collection, and learn how artificial intelligence can help identify people in early photographs.

2025 Symposium Presentations
September 25–27
Hartford, Connecticut
Register here

Whirlwind Tour of 19th-Century Photography at the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Matthew Daniel Mason, PhD – Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale University

Photo Sleuth: Using AI and Crowdsourcing to Identify Portrait Photographs
Kurt Luther, PhD – Virginia Tech; Founder, The Photo Sleuth Foundation

Portraits in the Stream of Time: Images of “Indians” Henry David Thoreau Encountered in New England
Jane-Turano Thompson – Independent scholar and art historian specializing in 19th-century American art and photography

A Virginia Family in Pursuit of Their Likenesses: Encounters with “Mr. Tools,” “White Hurce,” and “Mr. Montgomry”
Denise Bethel – Former longtime head of Sotheby’s New York photographs department, now consultant, writer, and lecturer

Time Stands Still: Horology in Daguerreotypes
Bob Frishman – Independent horology scholar and author

On the Prairie with General Custer and His Hounds
Brian Patrick Duggan – Historian and author focused on 19th-century canine imagery and culture

Mystery in Miniature: C. L. Goodrich and the Story Behind Three CDVs
Carl Mautz – Collector, dealer, and publisher of about 25 books, mostly on the history of photography

The Woman's Eye: Case Studies from Latin America
Carlos Vertanessian – Scholar, collector, and Daguerreian Society Board Member focused on Latin American photographic history

New England Photography Studio Advertising Cards: Their Significance in Photographic, Printing, Typographic, and Advertising History
Stanley B. Burns, MD – Author, curator, and collector known for his pioneering work in early medical and vernacular photography

Working in the Field: Creating a Panoramic Daguerreotype
Mike Robinson, PhD – Artist-practitioner, conservator, and historian of the daguerreotype; President of The Daguerreian Society

Special Panel Discussion
Navigating the Evolving Market for 19th-Century Photographs

Wes Cowan (moderator) – Daguerreian Society Vice President and auctioneer
Denise Bethel – former longtime head of Sotheby’s New York photographs department, now consultant, writer, and lecturer
Katie Horstman – Head of American Historical Ephemera & Early Photography, Freeman’s | Hindman Auctions
Diane Waggoner, PhD – Curator of Photographs, National Gallery of Art
Erin Waters – Photo historian, collector, and dealer

Register Today! CLICK HERE

Can’t travel? Don’t miss out! You’ll see all of these talks LIVE, and more, if you sign up for our Virtual Symposium Experience.

Additional Hotel Option for Hartford Symposium

Fri, 25 Jul 2025 13:19:04 GMT

The DoubleTree by Hilton Hartford Downtown is just an 8-minute walk from the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, host institution for the Symposium.

Our official Symposium hotel, the Hartford Marriott Downtown, is fully booked for Thursday, September 25, and Friday, September 26.

If you're planning to attend the Symposium in person and haven’t yet reserved accommodations, we’ve arranged a group room block at the nearby DoubleTree by Hilton Hartford Downtown, just an 8-minute walk from the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, our host institution.

Click here for a map showing the location of the hotels, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, and Connecticut Museum of Culture and History.

See below for hotel details.

To register for the in-person Symposium, click here or go to "Upcoming Society Events" on the home page.

Can't attend in person? Much of the Sept. 25–27 conference will also be accessible virtually. More details coming soon.

Hotel Details:

DoubleTree by Hilton Hartford Downtown
315 Trumbull Street, Hartford, CT 06103
Front Desk: (860) 728-5151 | Direct: (860) 240-7218
DoubleTree.com/HartfordDowntown

Rate:
$239.00 per night (plus 15% occupancy tax)

Parking:
$19.00 per night for self-parking in the attached Church Street garage

Cancellation Policy:
To avoid a cancellation fee, reservations must be canceled at least 72 hours prior to arrival. Cancellations made after that time will incur a charge for one night’s room and tax.

Booking Deadline:
The group rate is available until Wednesday, August 13, 2025 (or until the block sells out).

How to Book:
Reserve your room by calling Hilton Reservations at (800) 754-7941 and asking for The Daguerreian Society group block, or use the direct booking link:
https://group.doubletree.com/uinpex

The DoubleTree is excited to host our group. We encourage you to reserve your room soon.

If you have any questions or are interested in sharing a room, please contact Business Director Diane Filippi at info@daguerreiansociety.org.

Details of Hartford Symposium Tours Announced

Sun, 20 Jul 2025 12:07:51 GMT

The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art (top and bottom left) will host most of this year’s Symposium tours.

AUGUST 11 UPDATE: Additional sections of three curator-led tours have been added. Sign-up for them will go live on Saturday, August 16. Click here for details.

The Daguerreian Society is pleased to announce details of the exclusive, behind-the-scenes tours planned for this year’s Symposium & Photo Fair in Hartford, Connecticut.

These curator-led briefings, which provide access to rarely seen institutional images and other holdings, will take place on Thursday, September 25, the first day of the three-day Symposium.

Online sign-up will begin at noon ET on Saturday, August 2, via the Society website and will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis. Detailed registration information will be forthcoming.

Symposium registrants will have the opportunity to sign up for two curator-led tours at the Wadsworth and the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History.

Please click the link below for a printable roundup of Hartford Symposium tour descriptions.

Hartford tour descriptions_20July2025.pdf

April-June 2025 Quarterly Published

Sat, 28 Jun 2025 14:38:15 GMT

Inside this issue...

The Maillet Daguerreotype Collection sells

Latest Symposium news
A collector coveted one spectacular photograph for 40+ years ... a true story of image lust – revealed!
Sean Nolan illuminates a distinctive set of japanned papier-mâché cases
A visit to Australia-based historian and collector Marcel Safier
Lessons from creating 200+ daguerreotypes on a single plate in two months

Quarterly Gets a Cleaner, More Contemporary Look

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 21:02:57 GMT

By Ron Coddington

On behalf of the Society's Board and Publications Committee, I am excited to announce the launch of a refreshed design for The Daguerreian Society Quarterly. This effort honors our publication’s rich legacy while introducing a cleaner, more contemporary look to better serve our members and mission.

A Brief History

The Daguerreian Society Quarterly traces its origins to shortly after the Society’s incorporation as a nonprofit in 1999. Initially a newsletter published six times a year, it evolved into a quarterly publication in 2007 to balance workload and costs. Under the leadership of dedicated editors – including Mark Johnson and most recently Stephen Perloff – the Quarterly has remained focused on advancing the understanding and appreciation of daguerreotypes and other early photographs, while fostering community among our members.

Design Enhancements

New Logo & Color Palette: The redesigned cover features our actual Society logo with "Quarterly" enlarged for emphasis and a sophisticated black and gold color scheme drawn from our website, replacing the prior white background for a richer, more distinctive appearance.
Simplified, Modern Layout: The Quarterly now uses streamlined typefaces and a cleaner layout with less competing text, ensuring images take center stage.
Updated Tagline: Our cover proudly carries a pithier tagline, "For 19th-Century Photography", underscoring our dedication to all forms of 19th-century photographic art – not solely daguerreotypes.
Cover Image Presentation: We are committed to presenting cover images as complete objects whenever possible, respecting the integrity of original works. For stereographs, preference will be given to showing a single side of the card mount rather than both halves.

Image Selection and Handling

Throughout this process, we discussed the balance between cropped versus full-frame images and the challenges of horizontal group photographs, including two-page spreads. Our focus remains on preserving image quality and respecting original artworks. As a result, we will refine submission guidelines and encourage higher-resolution scans to maintain the highest standard. We also aim to avoid overprinting text on images whenever possible.

Practical Considerations

Recognizing that our membership largely views the Quarterly in print or on desktop devices rather than phones, we are prioritizing single-page PDF designs for digital readers. We acknowledge the limitations of horizontal images and group photo spreads, and will approach these thoughtfully to ensure clarity and visual appeal.

This redesign marks an exciting step forward in modernizing The Daguerreian Society Quarterly while preserving the spirit that has guided it for over two decades. The Publication Committee's thoughtful discussions brought this vision to life.

We'd love to hear what you think. Please email any feedback to the Publications Committee at info@daguerreiansociety.org.

January-March 2025 Quarterly Published

Sat, 22 Mar 2025 14:55:17 GMT

Inside this issue...

Latest details on this year's Symposium in Hartford, CT, including plans to make it a hybrid event

First-time attendee Simone Wicca shares reflections on her first Symposium

President Mike Robinson introduces a new column, "Lab Notes"

France has big plans to make the bicentenary of photography a unique celebration

Members' favorites (5 pages worth!)

Former Society President Sally Anyan Remembered

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 00:05:02 GMT

By George Whiteley

It is with great sadness that my wife Sue and I learned of the passing of Sally Anyan today. We met Sally through the Daguerreian Society and she was instantly likable. Her equal passions for early photography – especially daguerreian jewelry – and classical music were infectious to all who knew her. She always wore a smile and was ready to help with whatever needed to be done for the Society, especially with organizing our annual Symposiums. She was good at it too, and between her and Diane Filippi, they got things rolling!

Sally Anyan shows a daguerreotype at the 2014 Daguerreian Society Symposium in Austin, Texas.

Sally and I became good friends when she was vice president (2009-2013) and later president (2013) and chair (2014) of the Daguerreian Society. She was instrumental in getting me involved with the Symposium when it was held in Atlanta in 2010, and in my becoming a board member at that time. She worked tirelessly to get things accomplished and was always pleasant when doing so. She was a joy to work with while on the board.

I had several occasions to visit with Sally and Richard Titus at their home in Maryland. On one of those visits, I discovered that we both were living only a couple of miles apart in Erlangen, Germany at the same time during the late 1960s. She was a teacher, and I was in the military at that time. Regrettably, we never met there but subsequently shared our adventures.

Along with being a fellow Daguerreian Society officer and friend, Sally was an astute collector who continually purchased select images and pieces of photographic jewelry from me and Sue. We were always thrilled to have her be the next steward of things we loved, and I don't know who was more excited about those transactions between us. Sally had a good eye!

It was truly unfortunate that Sally suffered a series of strokes that were life-changing. When we last visited her, she could speak very little, but we could tell by the twinkles in her eyes that she knew who we were and seemed at peace. Sally will be missed by all who took the time to know her. She was a credit to the Daguerreian Society with her enthusiasm, energy and professionalism.

For more on Sally's life, see her obituary.
_____________________
George Whiteley is a current and founding member of The Daguerreian Society.

Have a Story to Tell? Society Members Want to Hear It!

Sat, 15 Mar 2025 19:18:45 GMT

Propose a talk on 19th-century photography for The Daguerreian Society Symposium, September 25-27 at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut.

Based on member feedback, there’s interest in a wide range of subjects, including:

Collections management – including appraisals, insurance, conservation, archival storage, cataloguing

Pivotal figures in daguerreotypy/19th-century photography

Hidden gems/overlooked collections/discoveries - including those outside the US and Canada

And, of course, topics of particular importance to Hartford or greater New England history

All talks must be illustrated with compelling images. Members tend to be visually-oriented people – we’d rather sit through 25 minutes of images without narration than endure a talk of the same length with only a few pictures.

Shorter talks will be given preference.

You do not need any special credentials – our speakers, like our members, come from all walks of life.

Please keep in mind:

To submit your idea for a Symposium presentation, email a summary, estimated running time, and 3 to 5 sample images to diane_dagsoc@comcast.net.

See you in Hartford!

New 'Lab Notes' Column Planned for Quarterly

Sat, 01 Mar 2025 18:02:47 GMT

The Daguerreian Society is introducing a new column for its Quarterly, titled “Lab Notes.” In the tradition of the original photographic journals of the 1850s, the publication's editorial board is soliciting images and questions from daguerreian artists related to materials and methods.

For the lead-off column, Society President Dr. Mike Robinson has submitted this half-plate daguerreotype, and will describe the technical details of its creation. He made it to explore galvanizing methods. Society members will be able to read all about it in the next Quarterly.

The remainder of the column will print questions from the field about materials and methods. Daguerreian Society members will be encouraged to submit a question or reply. Answers submitted will be reviewed and published in the next Quarterly.

To encourage participation, the names of people who submit images, questions, and answers will be dropped into a hat for one to be selected. The winning name will win this daguerreotype. You must be a member of the Daguerreian Society to participate. Send your images, questions, and answers via the Contact us page on the website.

Have Something Great to Sell? Now Is the Time!

Sat, 01 Mar 2025 15:34:26 GMT

In preparation for our Symposium & Photo Fair this fall in Hartford, Connecticut, the Daguerreian Society is now accepting high-quality consignments and donations for its annual Benefit Auction, to be held September 27 during the conference.

An exceptional daguerreotype that sold at a recent Daguerreian Society auction for $32,500 (hammer price).

We invite you to take part in this exciting event, whether you’re a member of the Society or someone who wants to participate through consigning or donating one or more great images.

We especially seek consignments that will realize a hammer price of $2,000 or more.

Your property will be featured in a small, curated auction and marketed to private collectors and institutions worldwide.

The auction will be held LIVE during the Symposium and broadcast for internet bidding globally.
The Society offers an extremely competitive consignment fee.

Consignment deadline: July 15.

Questions? Contact auction@daguerreiansociety.org.

Click here to propose consignments.

For U.S. donors: The Daguerreian Society is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.

All Members Can View 2024 Symposium Presentations for Free!

Sun, 02 Feb 2025 19:19:56 GMT

The Daguerreian Society’s 2024 Symposium in Houston was filled with memorable moments. One of the highlights:

Society member Jeff Rosenheim, Curator in Charge of the Department of Photographs at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, gave attendees an exclusive advance look at the fabulous collection assembled by Society member William L. Schaeffer. The collection, recently acquired by the Met, will be on exhibit in the show “The New Art: American Photography, 1839–1910” April 11–July 20, 2025.

Society member Jeff Rosenheim, Curator in Charge of the Department of Photographs at the Met, delivers the keynote talk on “The New Art: American Photography, 1839–1910” at the 2024 Symposium in Houston.

For a limited time, members of The Daguerreian Society can view Jeff Rosenheim’s entire talk, and all of the presentations from the 2024 Symposium, free of charge. Click here to access the Video Archive: https://www.DaguerreianSociety.org/Video-Archive

And mark your calendar now for the 2025 Daguerreian Society Symposium & Photo Fair in Hartford, Connecticut, September 25–27. Click here to learn more! https://www.DaguerreianSociety.org/Symposium

Click here to join the Society: https://www.DaguerreianSociety.org/Join

October-December 2024 Quarterly Published

Sun, 29 Dec 2024 01:30:38 GMT

Inside this issue...

Complete coverage of the 2024 Symposium & Photo Fair, including sidebars on the private tour of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's 19th-century photography treasures and a showcase of contemporary daguerreians' work
Sean William Nolan shares how his research into a nondescript daguerreotype put him only two degrees of separation from two key figures in American history
Jeremy Rowe reports on Michael Lehr Antiques' fall 19th-century photography auction
A preview of the upcoming Daguerreian Annual

A Big Thank-You to Our Houston Tour Organizers

Wed, 11 Dec 2024 23:41:03 GMT

Photography curator and longtime member Malcolm Daniel discusses 19th-century photo highlights at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. (Photo by Terry Alphonse)

The Daguerreian Society would like to gratefully acknowledge the curators and staff who helped make our private visits to institutional collections such a resounding success at this year's Symposium in Houston.

At the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, our host institution: Malcolm Daniel, Christine Gervais, Raquel Carrera, Toshiaki Koseki, and Melanie Fahey.

At the Nau Civil War Collection: Sally Anne Schmidt and her team.

At the San Jacinto Museum and Battleground Alexis Stephens, Cecilia Abad, and Lisa Struthers, who joined forces with local member and sponsor Curt Robbins to create a special exhibit of early Texas-related photographs.

At the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, which contributed to the San Jacinto special exhibit: James Anderson and Lisa Meisch.

Thank you for sharing your treasure-packed collections with us! You made our annual gathering even more enriching and memorable.

MFAH Curator of Decorative Arts Christine Gervais leads a tour focused on the museum’s 19th-century American painting, sculpture, and decorative arts. (Photo by Terry Alphonse)

Curator Sally Anne Schmidt, second from left, discusses the Nau Civil War Collection with past President Mike Medhurst as other tour-goers take in the treasures. (Photo by David S. Fondiller)

Alexis Stephens, Cecilia Abad, and Lisa Struthers at the San Jacinto Museum and Battleground.

James Anderson and Lisa Meisch from the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, which contributed to the San Jacinto special exhibit.

$456,000 Basement Find Triggers Interest in First Political Photographs

Sat, 12 Oct 2024 16:58:44 GMT

Photo experts meet in Houston as US election approaches

A photograph of Dolley Madison – perhaps the earliest camera portrait of a U.S. First Lady – was auctioned this past summer for $456,000. It is now in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, part of the Smithsonian. The basement find of a lifetime – and, of special interest to a group about to meet in Houston.

The Dolley Madison portrait is a daguerreotype, made on a mirror-like silver surface backed with copper. Daguerreotypes are products of the earliest practical method of photography, made during a roughly 20-year period before the Civil War. No two are exactly alike. This one, dating from about 1846, was discovered while cleaning out the basement of a house whose owner had passed away.

This circa 1846 daguerreotype of First Lady Dolley Madison sold recently for $456,000 and is now owned by the National Portrait Gallery, part of the Smithsonian.

It’s just one example of the surprising connections between early photography and political life in this election season…highlighted by the meeting in Houston (October 17-19) of the leading international group dedicated to photography before 1900, The Daguerreian Society.

The group is holding its annual conference at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The Society brings together photo collectors, historians, preservation experts, museum curators and even some modern practitioners of the original process.

The MFAH has a remarkable collection of antique photographs, including one of the most important political daguerreotypes of all, a striking, large, full-length portrait of Sam Houston – who twice served as President of the Republic of Texas, represented the Lone Star state as one of its first two US Senators, and who also was elected governor.

This large and impressive portrait of the man who served as Texas Governor, U.S. Senator, and President of the Republic of Texas is one of the highlights of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. It is a daguerreotype, made by the earliest practical method of photography.

Other examples of election-themed photographs from the past include the first photographic campaign badges, featuring tintype portraits of Abraham Lincoln; an unusual daguerreotype that seems to show two frontiersmen trading a ballot for a drink; and a number of photos showing people paying off their losing election bets – often by pulling the winner of the bet on a cart through the streets of an American town.

The election of 1860 saw the first widespread use of photographs on political badges, including tintypes of candidate Abraham Lincoln (Source: Library of Congress)

Frontier daguerreotype: Buying a vote? Possibly one of the earliest election-themed photographs made, these two frontier types seem to be trading a ballot for a drink at a saloon. Dating from before the Civil War, it’s owned by a member of The Daguerreian Society. (Source: Private collection via The Daguerreian Society)

"Paying the Election Bet": This photograph from 1872 shows a crowd of people in a New Hampshire town watching the loser of an election bet pull the winner around the town square. Just to rub it in, the winner is dressed in an Uncle Sam costume. (Source: Jeffrey Kraus Antique Photographics)

Although women could not vote at the time, there are photographs that show their influence…like the picture of the anti-saloon crusader Carrie Nation in a jail cell in Kansas. As Daguerreian Society member Bill Becker points out, “It’s hard to know who was more excited by that photo in its day – Carrie Nation’s fans….or her opponents.”

Carrie Nation in jail: The anti-saloon crusader Carrie Nation is shown in a Wichita, Kansas jail, reading a Bible, in 1901. While women could not vote in the US at the time, many were involved in the temperance movement that led to the prohibition of alcoholic beverages from 1920 to 1933. (Source: Wm. B. Becker Collection / PhotographyMuseum.com)

The Daguerreian Society is presenting a Photo Fair, open to the public, where visitors can view and purchase original historic photographs, many of them 150 years old.

The Photo Fair is open from 10 a.m. to 4 pm at the InterContinental Houston hotel on Main Street on Saturday, October 19, and admission is $10. “It’s a chance to buy an actual piece of history,” says Becker, “you probably won’t find Dolley Madison there, but you never know what will turn up. And you don’t have to be rich to get started. I’ve seen actual daguerreotypes from the 1850s for as little as $20."

July-September 2024 Quarterly Published

Sun, 29 Sep 2024 20:10:19 GMT

Inside this issue...

Latest details on next month's Symposium & Photo Fair in Houston, with topics ranging from a spectacular collection just acquired by a leading museum to early dog show images and tintypes of the first automobiles
Preview of select offerings in the live Benefit Auction
Jeremy Rowe reports on the September photography auction by Michael Lehr Antiques
Wm. B. Becker digs up a super-early daguerreotypist’s ad that reveals just how long patrons had to hold still for a portrait in 1841
Stephen Perloff recaps the Smithsonian's purchase of the earliest known photograph of a U.S. First Lady
In Memoriam: Rebecca L. Norris by Cliff Krainik

Houston Symposium Schedule of Events

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 11:22:46 GMT

2024 Symposium Schedule of Events

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 16

10 am-4 pm – Registration packet pickup at the InterContinental hotel, Yaupon Room, 7th floor

THURSDAY, OCT. 17

10 am-4 pm – Registration packet pickup at the InterContinental hotel, Yaupon Room, 7th floor

9 am-4 pm – Behind-the-scenes institution tours

11 am-9 pm – Self-guided tour of "A History of Photography" at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

6 pm-7 pm – Cocktail reception, MFAH, Isabel Brown Wilson Boardroom

Complimentary Hotel Shuttle: The InterContinental hotel has a complimentary shuttle on a first-come, first-served basis that serves a two-mile range, which the MFAH falls within. The shuttle hours are from 7 am-9:00 pm daily.

FRIDAY, OCT. 18

9:15 am-9:45 am – Danish & coffee before speaker presentations at the MFAH. Enter the same door as for entering the Symposium (map included in registration packet). Go down to the lower level lobby, right below the Wyatt Theater, where the Symposium will be held.

9:45 am-4:00 pm – Speaker presentations at the MFAH, Wyatt Theater (no food or drinks allowed in theater)

10:00 am – Welcome remarks by Malcolm Daniel of the MFAH
10:15 am – Jeff Rosenheim, "The New Art: Treasures from the William L. Schaeffer Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art"
11:00 am – Grant Romer and Ari Romer, "A Daguerreian Excursion to Mexico City (Nov.-Dec. 2022)"
11:30 am – Brian Duggan, "Paris 1863 – The First Photo Illustrated Dog Show Catalog"
11:50 am – Members' favorites

12:00-1:30 pm – Group daguerreotype immediately following the morning session and lunch (on your own)

1:30 pm – Bob Zeller, "The Tumultuous Career of George S. Cook"
2:15 pm – Kate Shannon, "Rinhart Collection: 'When This You See, Remember Me'"
2:35 pm – Break
2:45 pm – Robert Caldwell, "Cars in Tintypes"
3:05 pm – Neil MacDonald, "Daguerreotypes and Portraits of 'Kit' Carson"
3:25 pm – "The Future of Collecting - A Panel Discussion" with Malcolm Daniel, Mike Medhurst, Len Walle, Bob Zeller, and Ron Coddington (moderator)

4:00 pm – Business meeting, MFAH, Wyatt Theater

4:30 pm – Close (or soon after)

7:00 pm-10 pm – Modern daguerreotypes show and discussion at the InterContinental hotel, Yaupon Room, 7th floor. Artists expected to attend include Jerry Spagnoli, Ken Nelson, John Hurlock, Grant Romer, HengLi Ge, Allen Phillips, Casey Waters, Francesco Fragomeni, Marc Gomme, Anton Orlov, Anja Brown, and Dr. Mike Robinson

SATURDAY, OCT. 19

9 am-4 pm – Photo Fair (opens to registrants at 9 am, 10 am for the public)

6:00-7:00 pm – Cocktail Reception, InterContinental hotel, Live Oak Ballroom, 7th floor

7:00 pm – Banquet, InterContinental hotel, Live Oak Ballroom, 7th floor

8:00 pm (approx.) – Silent & Live Auctions, InterContinental hotel, Live Oak Ballroom, 7th floor

Speaker Lineup Announced for Houston Symposium

Sat, 14 Sep 2024 22:50:03 GMT

The Daguerreian Society is pleased to announce its lineup of expert talks for the 2024 Symposium & Photo Fair in Houston.

On Friday, October 18, a diverse group of authorities will share insights on their areas of expertise in richly illustrated presentations at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston – host institution of this year’s conference.

Here’s a quick roundup of the talks and presenters. More detailed descriptions will appear in the next Daguerreian Society Quarterly, due out later this month.

“The New Art: Treasures from the William L. Schaeffer Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art” by Jeff Rosenheim
Drawn from William L. Schaeffer Collection of American photographs, this presentation will trace the first 70 years of the medium’s evolution from its birth through the first decade of the 20th century. Major works by acknowledged early masters such as Josiah Johnson Hawes, John Moran, Carleton Watkins, and Alice Austen will share the stage with equally impressive photographs made by more obscure or unknown practitioners. The talk will explore the nation’s shifting sense of self, driven by the immediate success of photography as a cultural, commercial, artistic, and psychological preoccupation. Especially noteworthy are the many photographs by small-scale studios, early practitioners, and intrepid amateurs that reveal their ingenuity, aesthetic ambition, and lasting achievement.

Jeff L. Rosenheim is the Joyce F. Menschel Curator in Charge of the Department of Photographs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and a DS member.

* * *

“A Daguerreian Excursion to Mexico City (Nov-Dec 2022)” by Grant and Ariadna Romer
In December of 2022, Grant and Ariadna Romer travelled to Mexico City intending to attempt recreating making of the first photographs of Mexico. They will give an account of the discovery and identification of seven whole-plate daguerreotypes in the collection of the George Eastman Museum, possibly made as early as December 1839. As a demonstration of the practical aspects of the initial process of Daguerre, they constructed a reproduction of the Giroux camera, researched the locations from which the daguerreotypes were made, and successfully captured the subjects as they appear today. In so doing they discovered much which clarifies the challenges of First Photography and the reasons for the choice of subject.

Grant B. Romer is recognized as a world authority on early photography, particularly the history, practice and conservation of the daguerreotype. A Scholar in Residence at George Eastman House, he is cofounder of the Academy of Archaic Imaging and a researcher, consultant, lecturer, and DS member.

Ariadna Romer is cofounder of the Academy of Archaic Imaging, a faculty member in the Educational Program for the Conservation of Photographic Heritage in Mexico and Uruguay, an Associated Member of the Appraisers Association of America, specialized in Rare and Fine Photographs appraisals, and a DS member.

* * *

“Paris 1863 – The 1st Photo-Illustrated Dog Show Catalog” by Brian Duggan
In May 1863, two Parisian societies put on a scientific exhibition of dog breeds in the Zoological Gardens. Invitations were sent out all over France and an astonishing 850 were selected for the seven-day exhibition. Noted portrait and animal photographer Léon Crémière was contracted to produce a 60-page catalog of the top dogs. Each page was fixed with an albumen photograph of a prize winner – each being described with hand-written notes about type classification, breed, name, owner, and their award. Crémière was adept at capturing these dogs and his techniques foreshadowed those used by today’s dog show photographers. The catalog of the 1863 Parisian Dog Exhibition is arguably the first photographic inventory of 19th-century dog breeds.

Brian Patrick Duggan is a canine historian/image collector, the author of multiple books, and a DS member.

* * *

“The Tumultuous Career of George S. Cook” by Bob Zeller
No 19th-century photographer had a more tumultuous or fascinating career than George S. Cook. From the early 1840s to the 1890s – from daguerreotypes to dry plate glass negatives – Cook experienced a lifetime behind the camera in Charleston, S.C., and Richmond, Va. unlike any of his fellow contemporaries. This talk will bring Cook’s career alive like never before from his photographs, which includes the world’s first combat action photo, as well as his daily account books from the Civil War, which document how Cook maintained a thriving business while under bombardment during the conflict.

Bob Zeller, a writer, historian, and DS member, is co-founder and president of The Center for Civil War Photography.

* * *

“Rinhart Collection: ‘When This You See, Remember Me’” by Kate Shannon
Kate Shannon’s exploration of the Floyd and Marion Rinhart Collection at Ohio State University culminated in a public exhibition on campus last April. Titled “When This You See, Remember Me,” the exhibition featured cased daguerreotype, ambrotype, and tintype portraits from the collection, providing a glimpse into American life during the 19th century and the infancy of photography. While curating the exhibition, she was interested in the mysteries surrounding the mostly anonymous subjects and the physicality of the objects, marked by deterioration, erasures, and small personal effects added to the cases. These qualities prompted her to reflect on early photography as an enigmatic, tangible medium for preserving the human experience.

Kate Shannon is an associate professor of art at The Ohio State University Mansfield and a DS member.

* * *

“Cars in Tintypes” by Robert Caldwell
The first glimpse many people got of the automobile was at tintype studios. By the 1880s, tintypes were produced at resorts, carnivals, galleries, fairs, and expos. People out for a family stroll along boardwalks, seashores, and other areas would walk into a gallery. They would leave with an inexpensive keepsake of the day, one that might include an automobile. Multiple automobile technologies raced to become the dominant propulsion system -- steam, electric, and gasoline -- and tintypes were there to record it.

Robert Caldwell is a collector, historian, and DS member.

* * *

“Daguerreotypes and Portraits of ‘Kit’ Carson” by Neil David MacDonald
This talk will examine known portraiture of Christopher “Kit” Carson, famed American frontiersman, scout to Col. John C. Frémont, and U.S. Army officer. Images from the Civil War period back to the Daguerreian era will be discussed. In 1906, the San Francisco earthquake destroyed what was thought to be the only known daguerreotype of him. The talk will also describe the thrilling adventures and photo-detective work involved in the recent remarkable discovery of three relational half-plate daguerreotypes.

Neil David MacDonald is a fully accredited dealer and appraiser specializing in photography, rare books, and fine art. He serves as a consultant for Canada Book Auctions in Toronto and is a DS member.

* * *

“The Future of Collecting – A Panel Discussion” with Malcolm Daniel, Mike Medhurst, Len Walle, Bob Zeller, and Ron Coddington
The collecting world has changed dramatically in recent decades. Digital transformation. Social media. Artificial intelligence. Generational shifts. Record-setting prices. How have these changes impacted collecting 19th-century photography? Will these images we hold dear remain relevant in the 21st century?

Malcolm Daniel is the Gus and Lyndall Wortham Curator of Photography at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and a DS member. Mike Medhurst is a collector, proprietor of Medhurst & Company, and past DS president. Len Walle is a charter DS member, past president, and longtime collector. Bob Zeller, a writer, historian, and DS member, is co-founder and president of The Center for Civil War Photography. Ron Coddington (moderator) is editor & publisher of Military Images magazine and a DS board member.

* * *

Members can take advantage of the early-bird discount on tickets, which ends September 17. To register for the Oct. 17-19 Symposium & Photo Fair, click here.

Details of Houston Symposium’s Institution Tours Announced

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 19:41:54 GMT

The Daguerreian Society is excited to announce the details of its exclusive, behind-the-scenes institution visits being offered at this year’s Symposium & Photo Fair in Houston.

The private briefings, which provide access to rarely seen institutional images and other holdings, are always a highlight of the annual gathering.

All of this year’s curator-led tours will be offered on Thursday, October 17 – the first day of the three-day Symposium.

Online sign-up will begin at noon ET on Saturday, September 14, via the Society website and will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis.

To access the sign-up form once it goes live, go to the home page, scroll down to “Latest News & Events” and look for the “Upcoming Society Events” area, where one registers for the Symposium & Photo Fair. Then click the link titled “2024 Symposium Behind-the-Scenes Tours” (it is not yet live).

To sign up, members and others must already be registered for the Symposium. So be sure to register before September 14 and take advantage of the early-bird (discounted) ticket price, which ends on September 17.

A code required to register for the tours will be emailed to all Symposium registrants the day before the sign-up opens.

* * *

Symposium attendees will have the opportunity to sign up for two tours as well as a curated briefing of a 19th-century photography exhibit at the San Jacinto Museum and Battlefield. San Jacinto, the site of the famous battle where Texas won its independence from Mexico in 1836, is roughly a 30-minute car ride from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, this year's host institution.

In addition, registrants will be able to go on a self-guided tour of the MFAH’s permanent collection galleries at their leisure, throughout the Symposium. The MFAH’s permanent galleries include a particularly rich selection of early American, British, and French photographs.

Curated Behind-the-Scenes Institution Visits

Description: MFAH photography curator and longtime member Malcolm Daniel will bring out some of the museum’s treasures of 19th-century photography for a close-up look and discussion in the Anne Wilkes Tucker Photography Study Center. Works on view will include:

the Meade Brothers’ 1851 whole-plate portrait of Sam Houston;
the recently acquired 1839-40 whole-plate still-life by Daguerre’s assistant Alphonse-Eugène Hubert;
Charles Chevalier’s 1840-41 whole-plate view of Paris;
Platt Babbitt’s whole-plate view of Niagara Falls;
other daguerreotypes by French, British, and American makers

In addition, there will be paper prints on view by:

British photographers William Henry Fox Talbot, Hill and Adamson, John Thomson, and Julia Margaret Cameron;
French Photographers Félix Teynard, Charles Marville, Edouard Baldus, Bisson frères, Gustave Le Gray, and Nadar;
Americans Timothy O’Sullivan, Frank Jay Haynes, Edward Sheriff Curtis, and others.

Duration: 50 minutes
Group size: Up to 20 people per session
Instructions: Meet in the lobby of the Audrey Jones Beck Building 5 minutes before start of program

Tour 2 | American Art Galleries
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, HOUSTON
2:00 pm

Description: Christine Gervais, MFAH Curator of Decorative Arts, will lead a tour of the American Art galleries focused especially on 19th-century painting, sculpture, and decorative arts. These galleries showcase the collection in an installation that draws particular attention to broader stories of class, gender, and race, to reveal both connections and conflicts between artists and styles in an effort to offer a more complete and nuanced picture of American art. This tour does not include photography, except for one or two items, but will appeal to those whose love of the 19th century is broader than photography.

Duration: 50 minutes
Group size: Up to 25 people
Instructions: Meet in the lobby of the Audrey Jones Beck Building 5 minutes before start of program

Tour 3 | Navigating the Waves: Contemporary Cuban Photography
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, HOUSTON
2:00 pm

Raquel Carrera, co-curator of the exhibition and now a curatorial associate in the Museum’s Department of Latin American Art, will lead a tour of this special exhibition. Drawn from the Museum’s collection and celebrating the gift and purchase of some 300 works from the Chicago collectors Madeleine and Harvey Plonsker, the exhibition traces the evolution of the medium in Cuba from the triumph of the Revolution in 1959 through the 2010s. The exhibition is particularly rich in the years following the early 1990s collapse of the Soviet Union and the consequent “Special Period” of economic hardship in Cuba, a time during which artists turned inward, exploring Afro-Cuban traditions, the body, and issues of memory and identity. This tour is not about the 19th century, but will appeal to those whose love of photography is broader than the 19th century.

Duration: 50 minutes
Group size: Up to 30 people
Instructions: Meet at the exhibition entrance on the third floor of the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building

Tour 4 | The Nau Civil War Collection
LOCATION TO BE ANNOUNCED
Tour 4A | 1:30 pm
Tour 4B | 2:30 pm

Description: Interested since childhood in the Civil War, Houstonian John L. Nau III formed one of the largest private collections of Civil War documents, photographs, weapons, and artifacts in the country, now largely housed at the Nau Center for Civil War History at his alma mater, the University of Virginia. Part of the collection remains in Houston, however, and Sally Anne Schmidt, curator of the Nau collection, will speak about the collection before turning participants loose to closely examine photographic works – primarily ambrotypes and tintypes – one on one.

Duration: 45 minutes
Group size: Up to 20 people per session
Instructions: Address will be provided to participants (approximately a 15-minute drive from the MFAH). Meet at the address at least 5 minutes before the start of the program. Parking information will be provided

Local member Curt Robbins, a sponsor of this year's Symposium, has partnered with the San Jacinto Museum to create a special exhibit of 19th-century images drawn from his and the Museum's extensive collections. The exhibit will comprise over 200 images, including 45 daguerreotypes, 35 ambrotypes, 33 tintypes, and the rest early prints – with many related to Texas history, made by Texas photographers or likely taken in Texas. There will also be four to six special groupings of images from Texas families and ephemera from Texas photographers.

In addition to the special exhibit, admission to the Museum will cover all of its venues and attractions, including:

the permanent exhibit featuring many 19th-century images along with personal artifacts of key figures from Texas history, such as Sam Houston, Santa Anna, and Sidney Sherman (commander of Houston's army), as well as group images of Native Americans and African Americans and a couple post-mortems;
"Texas Forever!!," a 35-minute multimedia production on the Battle of San Jacinto, shown every hour on the hour;
the monument's top-floor observation deck, 500+ feet in the air;
the park with walking paths and nature trails.

At 2:45 pm, a tour van that can seat 14 people will tour the battleground where Houston captured Santa Anna.

Duration: 30 minutes for the special exhibit private tours
Group size: Up to 15 people per session
Instructions: Discounted admission ($10) with Daguerreian Society badge

NOTE: The San Jacinto Museum is 24 miles from the MFAH, about a 30-minute drive, traffic permitting. Traffic can be heavy throughout the day. Directions here.

* * *

Self-guided Tour

A History of Photography
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, HOUSTON
Open during all Museum hours
Thursday, 11 am-9 pm

Description: Visit the Photography Department’s permanent collection galleries on your own or with friends. In recognition of the Daguerreian Society’s visit to Houston, this display includes a particularly rich selection of American, British, and French photographs from the first 50 years of the medium, including numerous photographically illustrated books such as:

William Henry Fox Talbot’s Pencil of Nature
Alexander Gardner’s Photographic Sketch Book of the War
Maxime du Camp’s Égypte, Nubie, et Palestine
William Bradford’s Arctic Regions
Julia Margaret Cameron’s “Norman Album.”

Daguerreotypes from the collection will be shown in the Study Center sessions listed above.

Duration: Unlimited (self-guided)
Group size: Unlimited
Instructions: On the second floor of the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building

* * *

Only registrants with Daguerreian Society badges will be admitted to the tours or have access to the museums. Badges will be included in the Symposium registration packets, which will be available for pickup at the InterContinental Houston hotel on Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 16 and 17, from 10 am to 4 pm.

If you have any questions about the tours or signing up for them, please contact Cindy Motzenbecker at motz48073@yahoo.com.

For questions about the Symposium, please contact Diane Filippi at info@daguerreiansociety.org.

Call for Members' Favorites to Be Shared at Symposium

Sat, 24 Aug 2024 16:06:03 GMT

Have a favorite image you'd like to show fellow members?

To celebrate the artistry of our shared passion and engage in a little old-fashioned show and tell, this year's Symposium & Photo Fair in Houston will include a segment dedicated to members' favorites. Selected "member favs" will be featured in a slide show during a prime slot on Friday, October 18.

Each chosen entry will include an image and quote from the owner explaining why it is meaningful.

Favs can be any form of 19th-century photograph – daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, albumens, etc. What's more, they can be either recent acquisitions or long-held treasures.

Entering is quick and easy. Simply fill out this form: https://forms.gle/CPuo7hyqpor3RUb18.

Submit as many images as you like. Selected favs will be unveiled at the Symposium. Others may appear in our publications or through our social media.

This call for entries is open to all current Society members.

Questions? Contact Ron Coddington at militaryimages@gmail.com.

Calling All Daguerreian Artists (and Fans)

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 20:32:45 GMT

A quarter-plate daguerreotype by Mike Robinson, purchased by Beverly and Jack Wilgus at the 2021 Symposium. Robinson at one of his daguerreotype-making workshops.

As a special free event at this year’s Daguerreian Society Symposium in Houston, daguerreian artists will gather on Friday evening, October 18, to show and discuss their work with conference attendees and any member who would like to attend.

The event, from 7 pm to 11 pm at the InterContinental Houston (Yaupon Room), will feature modern daguerreotypes created using authentic 19th-century techniques. All attendees and members are welcome to share images and bring questions. Some modern daguerreotypes will be available for purchase.

“Collectors, teachers, and historians will have a chance to talk with makers of daguerreotypes to better understand daguerreotype materials and, of course, see great modern images,” said Society President Dr. Mike Robinson, one of the organizers.

In addition to Robinson, other 21st-century artists expected to attend include Jerry Spagnoli, Ken Nelson, John Hurlock, and Grant Romer.

It has been over a decade since the Society has organized an in-person gathering like this, Robinson said.

“People new to the process will have an opportunity to discuss all aspects of modern daguerreotype making and the artistry that goes into it with experienced makers who have craft knowledge that can add to the appreciation of historic images.”

If you’re a daguerreian artist and planning to attend, please let Robinson know at mike@centurydarkroom.com. The more, the merrier!

April-June Edition of The Daguerreian Society Quarterly Published

Thu, 27 Jun 2024 21:33:31 GMT

Inside this issue...

Latest details on the next Daguerreian Society Symposium & Photo Fair, Oct. 17-19 in Houston
Carlos Vertenessian reports on recent experimental daguerreotypes by Grant Romer
Cindy Motzenbecker shares tales of being on the road and connecting with various Society members
Stephen Perloff recaps highlights from photography auctions at Sotheby's, Fleischer's, and Freeman’s | Hindman
Board nominations for the 2025-27 term
In Memoriam: Richard Berbiar

Plan Now for Houston Symposium & Photo Fair Oct. 17-19

Sat, 25 May 2024 15:32:25 GMT

Plans for the 2024 Daguerreian Society Symposium & Photo Fair in Houston Oct. 17-19 are shaping up nicely. Now is the time to start making arrangements. Here’s what you need to know:

A special group rate of $165 + taxes has been secured at the Intercontinental Houston.
Visit the hotel’s website using this link to lock in this deeply discounted rate before the Society’s reserved block of rooms fills up.
Or book by phone by calling the hotel at 713-422-2779 and select option 2 to be directed to the reservations department.

Members are also encouraged to register for the conference early. Registration is now available through our website here.

Early registration for members is $350 (ends Sept. 17)
Late registration for members, $375 (after Sept. 17)
Non-member registration, $400

Member dealers can purchase a center table for $200 or a wall table $250.

Visit the Symposium & Photo Fair page for further details!

Speaker Proposals Sought for October Symposium in Houston

Sat, 18 May 2024 01:04:46 GMT

Have a story to tell? Your fellow members want to hear it!

Propose a talk for The Daguerreian Society Symposium, Oct. 17-19 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Based on member comments from previous Symposiums, there’s interest in a wide range of topics, including:

Collections management – including appraisals, insurance, conservation, archival storage, cataloguing
Pivotal figures in daguerreotypy/19th-century photography
Hidden gems/Overlooked collections/Discoveries
Market trends: how values have changed and what’s likely to happen next

Please keep in mind:

All talks must be illustrated with compelling images. Members tend to be visually-oriented people – we’d rather sit through 25 minutes of images without narration than endure a talk of the same length with only a few pictures.
Shorter talks will be given preference.
You do not need any special credentials – our speakers, like our members, come from all walks of life.

To submit your idea for a Symposium presentation, email a summary, estimated running time, and 3 to 5 sample images to diane_dagsoc@comcast.net.

See you in Houston!

Free Society Poster Available for Download

Sat, 04 May 2024 16:59:49 GMT

As reported in the latest Daguerreian Society Quarterly, Board Member Carlos Vertanessian and the graphic designer Fabio Massolo have created a new poster to promote the Society and inspire appreciation of early photographic images and technologies.

The poster features a dazzling display of 19th-century photographs and early photographic literature, drawn from Carlos’s own collection and those of several other Society members.

Two high-resolution versions of the poster are available for free download and self-printing.

A3 version - 11.7 x 16.5 inches / 297 x 420 mm
A4 version - 8.3 x 11.7 inches / 210 x 297 mm

To print at home, download the A4 version and select “fit to paper” in the settings under “scale.”

To print on A3 or Tabloid/Ledger paper at a copy center such as FedEx, UPS or Staples, download the file to your computer or a portable storage device (i.e., flash drive) and then upload the file online or take the drive to a copy store. Be sure to tell them to fit to paper. You might also want to choose a heavier-than-usual paper stock.

The goal of this combination of images was to achieve a visually attractive depiction of the wide scope of interests — scholarly, collecting, historical — that The Daguerreian Society covers, from the invention of photography until the end of the 19th century.

Looking at the poster, how many photographs can you recognize? Can you spot works by Julia Margaret Cameron or Francis Frith? Who made that lunar stereo? Which pioneer of photography appears twice?

Happy hunting!

* * *

Paper Size Primer

A3 paper is twice the size of A4 and is commonly used for larger documents, such as posters.
A4 is the standard paper size used in most countries, including the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and many other parts of the world.
In North America, the most popular paper sizes are Letter (8.5 × 11 inches), Legal (8.5 × 14 inches) and Tabloid/Ledger (11 × 17 inches).

Help Us Get the Word Out About Houston

Sat, 04 May 2024 14:30:51 GMT

If you are a member and would like to help publicize the 2024 Symposium in Houston, we have marketing materials that can help.

The Society has created two printed postcards for distribution at trade fairs and in dealer mailings to customers.

One of the cards promotes the 19th-century Photo Fair on Saturday, Oct. 19.

The other is for the Symposium overall from Oct. 17-19. It features on the front a daguerreotype of Sam Houston from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston - our host institution.

If you’re interested in receiving a shipment to share with clients and anyone else you think would be interested, please reach out to Business Director Diane Philippi at diane_dagsoc@comcast.net.

Latest Daguerreian Annual Celebrates 19th-Century Photography

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 00:32:19 GMT

The latest edition of the official yearbook of The Daguerreian Society has been published. The 280-page book includes a range of studies that reveal the artistry, technology and cultural impacts of 19th-century photography.

Editor Stephen Perloff and Assistant Editor Sarah Weatherwax note, "The editors would like to thank the authors for all their contributions to this year’s Annual and to the Publication Committee for all their help in shepherding this publication along from its inception to its final printing."

The book includes 13 feature stories and a portfolio section with four more stories, each focused on single images.

"Cardomania Comes to America: Utility, Social Media, and Artistry in the 1850s and 1860s" by Ronald S. Coddington
"A Shared Journey: The Photographs of Leavitt Hunt and Nathan Baker" by David R. Hanlon
"'Imperceptible Objects Reproduced in all their Details': the Journal des Jeunes Personnes Announces Daguerre’s 'Opérations'” by Karin J. Bohleke
"New Jersey’s First Female Daguerreotypist: Charlotte Prosch and Her Family" by Gary D. Saretzky
"What Causes Ephemeral Colors in Daguerreotypes" by John R. Hurlock
"Art and Soul: Southworth & Hawes, Reconsidered in the (Heavenly) Light of New Documentary Evidence" by Jeanne Schinto
“'...on Broadway': New York City emerges as a center of photography" by Kenneth E. Nelson and Jeremy Rowe
"Traveling Photographers in 19th-Century America" by Carl Mautz
"The First Private Photographic Trip to the Grand Canyon: E. O. Beaman Betrayed 'In a Lonly Country'” by Joe Bauman
"Further Excursions: A Beaman Portfolio" by Joe Bauman
"Colgate Confesses! The Spirited College Portraits of William Hoyt Colgate" by Wm. B. Becker
"John Plumbe, Jr.: Innovative Daguerreian Printmaker" by Cliff Krainik
“'Mrs. Genung and Miss Cary, Artists of Established Merit': Two Pioneering California Photographers" by Sean William Nolan
Portfolio: "South Carolina Gentry" by Ken Habeeb
Portfolio: "A Man Displaying the French Fourierist Newspaper, La Démocratie pacifique" by Wm. B. Becker
Portfolio: "Martha T. Mitchell" by Robert W. Caldwell
Portfolio: "Love Unremitting, Emotions Unrelenting by Philippe Maurice

The Daguerreian Annual encourages submissions of new research and criticism in the field of 19th-century photography. Authors are responsible for providing publication-quality images, together with permissions from the appropriate owners or rights managers to publish those images in print and in future digital distributions. The Editorial staff selects and reviews submitted materials in conjunction with members of the Publications Committee of The Daguerreian Society.

Before submitting an article, authors are advised to send a brief inquiry describing their topic, approach, anticipated length of text, and supporting images. Send your submission to Sarah Weatherwax.

Have a Story You'd Like to Tell About 19th-Century Photography?

Sun, 07 Apr 2024 01:41:30 GMT

The Daguerreian Society's Publication Committee is actively seeking proposals for this year's Annual. Available in print since 1990, The Daguerreian Annual features over 250 pages of unique research. Every year, we call for submissions to showcase unique and distinctive research about all aspects of 19th-century photography.

If you have an subject in mind, answer our 2024 call!

Submitting is easy: Email a 300-word abstract and 3-6 images to Assistant Editor Sarah Weatherwax. Deadline is May 1. Your submission will be reviewed and considered for inclusion by the full Publication Committee.

January-March Edition of The Daguerreian Society Quarterly Published

Sat, 23 Mar 2024 20:19:17 GMT

Inside this issue...

Jeremy Rowe shares a tale of two daguerreotypes that came with surprises
Latest details on the next Daguerreian Society Symposium & Photo Fair Oct. 17-19 in Houston
First look at a new poster promoting the Daguerreian Society and 19th-century photography...and the story behind it
Stephen Perloff previews highlights of upcoming auctions
A postscript to Sean Nolan's 2023 Daguerreian Annual article on Amanda Genung, a pistol-packing pioneering photographer

New Website Page Created to Encourage Charitable Giving

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 22:00:21 GMT

Just in time for the holiday season, when many people review their annual plans for charitable giving, the Daguerreian Society has created a new page on the website to facilitate donations.

The new Donations page can be found at www.daguerreiansociety.org/Donate.

In 2024, the Society plans to develop the page further to suggest various levels of giving and to enable additional payment methods to make giving as easy as possible.

For U.S.-based members, donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law because the Society is a 501(3)c nonprofit organization.

October-December Edition of The Daguerreian Society Quarterly Published

Sat, 16 Dec 2023 23:37:07 GMT

Inside this issue...

Coverage of the 2023 Symposium in Boston – from private institution visits and expert talks to the photo fair and auction results
Initial details on next year's Symposium in Houston
Mystery solved: Sean Nolan cracks the code on a hard-to-identify moniker placed in an anonymous artist's early images
The National Gallery of Art acquires the Ross J. Kelbaugh Collection of 19th- and early 20th-century American vernacular photographs
Highlights from Swann's and Hindman's recent auctions

Initial Details of 2024 Symposium Announced

Sat, 02 Dec 2023 17:19:27 GMT

It's official: The location and date of next year's Daguerreian Society Symposium will be Houston from October 17-19.

The following details were shared at the Board of Directors' latest meeting in late November.

Our host institution will be the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The Museum’s photography collection comprises more than 35,000 items spanning the full history of the medium. Its strengths include American photography, with extensive holdings of civil-rights photography, Texas photography, and the Photo League; avant-garde photography between the two World Wars; photojournalism; 19th-century European photography; and Japanese photography. (Below, an untitled stereo daguerreotype by Antoine Claudet in the collection.)

The hotel will be the InterContinental Houston. Located at 6750 Main Street, this modern, AAA Four Diamond Award hotel is close to Houston's Museum District, the renowned Rice University, NRG stadium and the downtown. The room rate is expected to be $165 a night.
The distance from the hotel to the MFA, where Thursday's opening reception and Friday's talks will be held, is 1.8 miles. That's an eight-minute cab ride, 12-20 minutes by bus, and a 35-minute walk, partially along Hermann Park. See map.
We have some parties who are interested in serving as sponsors. If others are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please contact Diane Filippi at info@daguerreiansociety.org.
A special exhibition on contemporary daguerreotypes is planned at the hotel.

Stay tuned for further details!

Video Recap of Boston Symposium & Photo Fair

Fri, 20 Oct 2023 01:28:38 GMT

Board Member Jo Ann Kraus has put together a short video of highlights from last month's Daguerreian Society Symposium & Photo Fair in Boston.

For those who attended, enjoy this four-minute multimedia memento. For those who didn't, see what you missed! We hope to see you at next year's event October 17-19 in Houston!

https://vimeo.com/876449585

Thanks to Carlos Vertanessian, Dave Fondiller, Mike Robinson, Bill Becker, and Jeremy Rowe for contributing images and videos.

Benefit Auction Sept. 30 to Feature Over 75 High-Quality Lots

Tue, 12 Sep 2023 19:55:28 GMT

This year's Benefit Auction – part of our annual Symposium and open to the public via online bidding – is packed with stellar images and other 19th-century treasures, so mark your calendar: Saturday, Sept. 30.

More than 75 lots of exceptional photographica – including daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, and tintypes, as well as ephemera and equipment – will be offered, starting at 8:30 pm ET.

Bidding will be in person for Symposium attendees and online for others worldwide through LiveAuctioneers. For information on fees and other conditions of sale, visit the Society's Auction page.

Below, a tinted quarter-plate tintype of an Osage couple that will be in this year's auction. To see the full catalog on LiveAuctioneers, click here.

July-September Edition of The Daguerreian Society Quarterly Published

Sun, 10 Sep 2023 16:00:08 GMT

Inside this issue...

The National Portrait Gallery's new exhibition, "Duty, Honor, Country: Antebellum Portraits of West Pointers"
Highlights from the recent Hindman & Fleischer's early photography auctions
A review of Geoffrey Batchen's new book on William Henry Fox Talbot
A preview of the speakers program at this year's Symposium Sept. 28-30 in Boston
Leonard Walle remembers Frederick Birkhill, a cofounder of the Michigan Photographic Historical Society

Hotel Booking Up Fast – Don’t Delay in Making Reservations

Sun, 27 Aug 2023 18:18:43 GMT

If you are considering attending the Boston Symposium and haven’t booked your hotel room yet, don't delay. Rates at the Boston Park Plaza, where many of the activities will be held, are going up. Why? Because our original allotment of discounted rooms has been fully booked.

The hotel has graciously reserved additional rooms for us at a discount, but they cannot guarantee the original group rate of $289 for every night due to supply and demand. September and October are their busiest months.

A limited number of rooms are still available at $289 on Wednesday, Sept. 27 and Saturday, Sept. 30. But the rates for Thursday and Friday, Sept. 28-29, have climbed to $339. That still represents a discount at the landmark property, just less of one. And after Sept. 15, rates will rise further.

So don’t wait – book your room today! You can always cancel a reservation without penalty more than 24 hours in advance.

Book your room here.

Register for the Symposium here.

Early Registration Deadline for Symposium (Aug. 28) Fast Approaching

Mon, 14 Aug 2023 12:45:00 GMT

Don't wait till the last minute! To secure the best price on registration and dealer tables at the Daguerreian Society's 2023 Symposium & Photo Fair in Boston Sept. 28-30, be sure to register by August 28 – just two weeks from today.

After that, the registration fee for members will rise from $350 to $375. In addition, the cost of a dealer table will jump from $200 to $250. The fee for non-member registration will remain at $400.

Behind-the-scenes tours of local treasures will be a Symposium highlight. Photo by Carlos Vertanessian

Registration covers all activities and talks during the three-day program, including Thursday's behind-the-scenes institutional tours and opening reception, Friday's talks, and Saturday's Photo Fair, banquet, and live auction. It does not cover other meals, hotel, or transportation.

To register, click here.

To learn more about the Symposium & Photo Fair, click here.

To see the new detailed agenda (as of today), click here.

To book a room at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel at the Society's special group rate, click here.

Further details will follow in emails and in the Daguerreian Society Quarterly.

April-June Edition of The Daguerreian Society Quarterly Published

Sat, 24 Jun 2023 20:34:01 GMT

Inside this issue...

The National Portrait Gallery's new exhibition, "Duty, Honor, Country: Antebellum Portraits of West Pointers"
Highlights from the recent Hindman & Fleischer's early photography auctions
A review of Geoffrey Batchen's new book on William Henry Fox Talbot
A preview of the speakers program at this year's Symposium Sept. 28-30 in Boston
Leonard Walle remembers Frederick Birkhill, a cofounder of the Michigan Photographic Historical Society

Society Accepting Consignments for Annual Auction Sept. 30

Sat, 13 May 2023 18:17:34 GMT

In preparation for its annual Symposium & Photo Fair this fall, the Daguerreian Society is now accepting exceptional consignments for its yearly fundraising auction, to be held September 30 during the conference.

We invite you to take part in this exciting event, whether you’re a member of the Society or someone who wants to participate through consigning a high-quality image or two.

The Society offers extremely competitive commission rates for important daguerreotypes, ambrotypes and tintypes. Your property will be featured in a small, curated auction and marketed to private collectors and institutions throughout the world.

The auction will be held LIVE during the Daguerreian Society Symposium and broadcast for live internet bidding worldwide. All commission goes directly to the Society!

Consignment deadline: July 15.

Link to propose consignments: https://forms.gle/TJxUKq4Zu1tRdyyx9

Here's a great dag that sold at our last auction for $32,500 hammer!

Vintage Occupational Photography Talk

Sat, 15 Apr 2023 17:04:29 GMT

Daguerreian Society Board Member Cindy "MotZ" Motzenbecker will give a talk on Tuesday, April 18, at 8 pm ET on vintage occupational photography, drawing on images from her extensive collection. Organized by the Photographic Historical Society of Canada, this is a free event you won't want to miss.

Symposium Set for Sept. 28-Oct. 1 in Boston

(Past member) — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 20:37:00 GMT

At its most recent meeting, the Daguerreian Society Board locked in the when and where of this year's Symposium and Photo Fair. The event will be held from Thursday, September 28 through Sunday, October 1. The hotel will be the landmark Boston Park Plaza in Back Bay, and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston will be the hosting institution. Stay tuned for further details!

The Daguerreian Society Announcements

Edith Cuerrier and Allen Phillips Join Daguerreian Society Board of Directors

Room Reservations Now Open for 2026 Washington, DC Symposium

Seeking Consignments and Donations for 2026 Benefit Auction

January–March 2026 Quarterly Published

Call for Speakers: 2026 Symposium in Washington, DC

A Closer Look at the Daguerreian Society Symposium

October–December 2025 Quarterly Published

Daguerreotypes: The Basics

Carl Mautz Receives Fellowship Award for Outstanding Contribution to Photographic History

In-Person and Virtual Symposium Programs Posted

July–September Quarterly Published

News Release: Hartford Photo Fair Offers Chance to Hold History in Your Hand

Nominees for Open Board Seats Announced – Members Asked to Vote

Register Now for the Virtual Symposium!

Virtual Symposium Experience!

The world’s biggest conference on 19th-century photography

September 25–27, 2025

Unveiling More on Our Symposium Talks and Speakers

New Sections Added to Curator-Led Tours in Hartford

Speakers and Presentations Announced for 2025 Symposium

From Daguerreotypes to AI: Eye-Opening Talks Slated for Hartford Symposium

Additional Hotel Option for Hartford Symposium

Details of Hartford Symposium Tours Announced

April-June 2025 Quarterly Published

Quarterly Gets a Cleaner, More Contemporary Look

Design Enhancements

Image Selection and Handling

Practical Considerations

January-March 2025 Quarterly Published

Former Society President Sally Anyan Remembered

Have a Story to Tell? Society Members Want to Hear It!

New 'Lab Notes' Column Planned for Quarterly

Have Something Great to Sell? Now Is the Time!

All Members Can View 2024 Symposium Presentations for Free!

October-December 2024 Quarterly Published

A Big Thank-You to Our Houston Tour Organizers

$456,000 Basement Find Triggers Interest in First Political Photographs

July-September 2024 Quarterly Published

Houston Symposium Schedule of Events

Speaker Lineup Announced for Houston Symposium

Details of Houston Symposium’s Institution Tours Announced

Call for Members' Favorites to Be Shared at Symposium

Have a favorite image you'd like to show fellow members?

Calling All Daguerreian Artists (and Fans)

April-June Edition of The Daguerreian Society Quarterly Published

Plan Now for Houston Symposium & Photo Fair Oct. 17-19

Speaker Proposals Sought for October Symposium in Houston

Free Society Poster Available for Download

Help Us Get the Word Out About Houston

Latest Daguerreian Annual Celebrates 19th-Century Photography

Have a Story You'd Like to Tell About 19th-Century Photography?

January-March Edition of The Daguerreian Society Quarterly Published

New Website Page Created to Encourage Charitable Giving

October-December Edition of The Daguerreian Society Quarterly Published

Initial Details of 2024 Symposium Announced

Video Recap of Boston Symposium & Photo Fair

Benefit Auction Sept. 30 to Feature Over 75 High-Quality Lots

July-September Edition of The Daguerreian Society Quarterly Published

Hotel Booking Up Fast – Don’t Delay in Making Reservations

Early Registration Deadline for Symposium (Aug. 28) Fast Approaching

April-June Edition of The Daguerreian Society Quarterly Published

Society Accepting Consignments for Annual Auction Sept. 30

Vintage Occupational Photography Talk

Symposium Set for Sept. 28-Oct. 1 in Boston

The world’s biggest conference
on 19th-century photography

From Daguerreotypes to AI:
Eye-Opening Talks Slated for Hartford Symposium