Ghostly Eyes

This incredibly crisp and detailed image of sharp dressed gentleman was taken by "H.L.D. Shephard, Photograph Saloon, South Boston" sometime during the Civil War. What really strikes me about this man is his eyes, which are a bit eerie to me. They must have blue eyes because you can even see his pupils up close! His face bears a uncanny resemblance to Daniel Day Lewis' character "Bill the Butcher" in the amazing movie The Gangs of New York, who was based on a real historical figure in New York City who used that nickname. His real name was William Poole, who was an American butcher, boxer, and gangster. Poole was a devout member of the "Know-Nothing" party during the 1850s, which was very anti-immigrant and xenophobic, especially towards the Irish, which is more than evident in the movie. Poole did die under violent circumstances in 1855, and to learn more, visit http://herbertasbury.com/billthebutcher/billp.asp.

The man in this photo, however, was possibly Irish, as were most residents of South Boston during the nineteenth century. He was apparently fairly affluent as his nice coat with a velvet collar, silk tie and watch chain indicate. Where he was really from, and who he was we'll never know!

The Little Scotsman

Yesterday we had loads of fun going to the 2nd birthday party for Jameson Berry, the son of our really good friend Cheryl from college. He is so cute! Anyway, with all these little kids there, it made me go searching through my collection for a nice children's photograph. This tintype of a little boy (I think?) is certainly one of the more interesting images I have come across lately. He seems to be wearing a traditional Scottish costume, which means this image may have been taken in the British Isles. He is definitely wearing a plaid kilt or tartan and the jacket he has on with the tassels is very interesting. Too bad it's not colored or we might be able to figure out what clan he was from! I really wish I knew more about this picture but there is really nothing to go on, since tintypes rarely have a backmark of the photographer or identification like cartes de visites do. Anyway, this is such an adorable picture I couldn't help adding it to my collection!

Perished in the Flames

Since Halloween is fast approaching, I thought I would post something a bit appropriate!

About a year ago, I published my first book, thanks to Picton Press up in beautiful Rockland, Maine, a very well known genealogical book company. Warning: This is not your typical history book! It is a compilation of descriptions of deadly fires from historic New England newspapers and they can be pretty gruesome! But these reports can also tell us as much about how people lived, as they died centuries ago. I also wrote a brief introduction for the book and published an informational article in New England Ancestors magazine in early 2008 which can be read by clicking on the link found below: http://www.newenglandancestors.org/publications/nea_nea_winter2008_vol9_1_merciless_element.asp
If that doesn't work, let me know and I can email you a copy. I'm not totally sure how I got started on this project in 2006, except that as a youngster my wife had a schoolmate die in a fire, and I have a visited his grave a few times. Also, the Station Nightclub fire in Rhode Island in 2003 really affected me. Anyway, it was two years in the making and now I am working on my next book, which I hope will hit the shelves this time in 2009! To order Perished in the Flames for only $19.95 plus shipping and handling, please call Picton Press in Rockland, Maine, at 1-207-596-7766, visit www.pictonpress.com, or email sales@pictonpress.com. Thanks!

The Man with the Massive Moustache

Today I had the opportunity to pick a nice bunch of cdv's from my friend Marti Jones, who works at the VA Hospital in Manchester, NH. Most of the time I take my work and study of our past seriously, but for anyone who knows me well, injecting some humor into life is never a bad thing. When I looked at this photo, I couldn't help but find it a bit entertaining. This is certainly one of the biggest moustaches I have ever seen in my life! As someone who has also had facial hair for a while, this guy must have experienced some problems eating and getting bits of all sorts of debris in his monumental stache. He must have had to comb it regularly. If he was married, he must not have been too easy or pleasant to give him a kiss either! His black silk cravat (or bow tie) was also tied rather clumsily too for this very early cdv, probably taken at the beginning of the Civil War.


Less humorous is the location where this image was taken, which is Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, indicated on the back of the image. This small city in central PA was affected perhaps more than any other Northern town during the Civil War, other than its neighbor Gettysburg. On October 10, 1862, Confederate General Jeb Stuart led nearly 2000 cavalrymen on a raid into the town, destroying railroads and reeking havoc. The town was occupied by Southern troops a second time less than a year later just before the Battle of Gettysburg in June 1863. Finally, and most devastating, was the third raid on Chambersburg in 1864 by Confederate forces who burned much of the town to the ground after its loyal citizens refused to pay a ransom of $500,000, an outrageous sum at the time. This older man, if he was a resident of Chambersburg, likely bore witness to these destructive events and hopefully lived to tell the tale.

A Boston Beauty

I acquired this captivating image of a teenage girl several weeks ago down in Massachusetts. It was taken at the studio of WH Getchell at 375 Washington Street in Boston probably during the 1870s. She must have been from an affluent family, as the lustrous necklace of pearls around her neck clearly indicates. Her curly locks of brown hair with a ribbon and the innocent yet penetrating gaze are really something special and entrancing. I don't have much to say about this photo other than I really love it and wonder: Who was she?

Mutton Chop Man

The unknown gentleman in this carte de visite, which the backmark indicates was taken by S.J. Thompson at 478 Broadway, Albany, NY, is sporting one of the most popular fashions for men during the Civil War era. When photography first became popular during the 1840s, the trend was for men to be cleanshaven, and the overwhelming number of images from this period show that. By the outbreak of the Civil War, however, facial hair became the rage, and one of the most notable proponents of the side burns or "mutton chops" was Union General Ambrose Burnside of Rhode Island, who was much more successful with his beards than in his military prowess. To read more about him, click in this link http:///www.civilwarhome.com/burnbio.htm

Anyway, the guy in my image definitely has some good size mutton chops and what I also find interesting is that he has a bit of swagger about him, even a confident sneer on his face! He looks like he was enjoying life. He also had a very large watch and chain, which suggests he was doing well financially. Who said people couldn't look happy in old photos?

Workingman's Dead

I bought this large albumen photograph a few weeks ago in Shelburne Falls, Mass. when we were enjoying a nice trip through the western part of the Bay State. I don't normally collect images this large, but there was something about this wonderful photo of working men from the 1890s that really caught my eye and fascinated me. Each of them are at different ages and seem to capture various stages of life. I am particularly drawn to the cocky and bold stare of the youngest man, whose clothes seem much newer and cleaner than the older men on either side of him. His face almost reminds of a young, handsome Marlon Brando. Please click on the picture to get a closer look.

The man with the watch in his pocket on the far right could be an overseer keeping track of time, and the watch and nice vest seem to suggest he was somewhat affluent. The man in the middle is blurry because he must have moved during the exposure. But who were these guys and what job were they working on? It's possible they were masons, given the fact they are standing in front of an old brick building. The older man on the left is leaning on a wooden barrel and below at his feet is what appears to be a a large hammer. Unfortunately, there is nothing on the back of the image to tell us who they were or where, but someone evidently thought it important enough to snap a photograph of them which has survived long after all these men passed on from this world.

Beautiful Couple from Bristol

Yesterday Celia and I had our second wedding anniversary, which took place at Mary's Inn & Restaurant in Bristol, Vermont back on October 8, 2006. Wow, where does the time go? Anyway, last year I had the opportunity to buy a lot of cartes de visites all taken in Bristol, Vermont during the Civil War period, which are fairly rare considering it was a small town then and still is! This is a really nice and touching image of a couple who possibly lived in Bristol during the mid-nineteenth century. I love how this unknown young woman has lovingly placed her hand on what must her husband's shoulder. He was quite a handsome gentleman but his hair was a bit wild that day! They look fairly well to do, definitely not like farmers at all, so I'm wondering if the man was a doctor, lawyer, or something of that sort. The photographer who took this really great image was Irving Dunshee, of Bristol, who according to the Dunshee Family website, was born in Vermont in 1834 and died at age 35 on April 10, 1870 at Bristol and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery there. I have several more of his images which I will be posting here in the future.

Hiking Through the New Hampshire Woods

Yesterday I took advantage of a truly gorgeous and cool autumn day and headed north with my dad to hike up Mount Chocorua in Albany, NH, or at least attempt it. Well, we fought the mountain and the mountain won, but we still had a great time and saw some truly brilliant fall foliage along the way. Since the mid-nineteenth century, the White Mountains have beeen a major American toursit attraction, so it's not surprising that some of the first "mass media" photographs produced featured images of these majestic peaks. There aren't many views in New England that are as stunning as the vista of the craggy peak of Mount Chocorua looming in the distance over Chocorua Lake as you drive by on Route 16.

Anyway, today I have posted for the first time a stereograph card. The stereograph is basically a double set of paper photograph prints mounted on card stock which were viewed through a device called a stereoscope, to produce a three dimensional image. The images were either mounted on the card, or printed directly on it. The two photographs were made simultaneously with a camera with two lenses, the centers of which were 2-1/2 inches apart--the same distance between the center of person's eyes. Thus, each image is what one eye would see. Therefore when looking at the images through a "stereograph," the image appears three-dimensional, and life-sized. In 1861, Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes invented a version of the steroscope viewer, which became the standard, and can still be found in antique shops today.

Perhaps the most famous American photographers who produced stereo cards were Benjamin and Edward Kilburn of Littleton, New Hampshire, who took this image. Interestingly, each of their stereographs was numbered and given a title. The one seen here is No. 125 and known as "The Babbling Brook." It is really a very interesting image of two ladies from the late 1860s who are sitting on a gigantic log on stream somewhere in northern New Hampshire. One of them holds a walking stick, and also further down the log is what appears to be a large blanket. I really like the sharpness of this image. Please click on it to get a closer look. For more information on the Kilburn Brothers, click on http://www.newhampshire.com/historical-markers/kilburn-brothers-stereoscopic-view-factory.aspx

"For Dear Brother"

I acquired this wonderful image of two adorable brothers with matching outfits from my friend Marti Jones, who is a dealer and President of the Photographic Historical Society of New England. Please visit their site at http://www.phsne.org. This is one of those photos that I fell in love with and just had to have it! There is an indication that these two young boys, one slightly older than the other, lived in central Massachusetts, since on the back of the image is the imprint of the photographer which reads: "Lawrence, 188 Main Street, Worcester." Images bearing original notations about the person(s) always increases their value, and human interest. This one is inscribed in period ink on the reverse: "For Dear Brother Alonzo..." So it is probable one of these boys was named Alonzo. Just having this information makes an image so much more intriguing to me.

Another feature of Civil War era images that can help us date them more exactly are tax revenue stamps that were affixed to images roughly between July 1864 and August 1866. During our Civil War, the carte de visite quickly became the most popular medium of photography for soldiers and civilians to send images to each other. Literally millions of images were produced during this craze, which is lucky for collectors today. Seizing upon this phenomenon, however, was the US Government, which was looking for ways to generate revenue to help pay for the war. Does this sound familiar? :) Anyway, Congress passed an act on June 30, 1864 which added a new tax on all "photographs, ambrotypes, daguerreotypes or any other sun-pictures" to be paid for by gluing a revenue stamp on the back of the photograph. The tax was set at 2 cents for a photograph "with a retail value of not over 25 cents , 3 cents for a photo costing over 25 but not over 50 cents; 5c for photos costing over 50c but not over a dollar; and for each additional dollar or fraction of a dollar, another 5 cents. Photographers were also required to "cancel" or date these stamps when the image was sold to the customer, which can often provide an exact date to a collector of when that image was made. The image posted today has a green two-cent revenue stamp on the back featuring George Washington, which means it only costed the boys' parents 25 cents sometime between 1864-66. Still, this is a priceless image to me!