Snapshots of the Past

[Joseph Avery stranded on rocks in the Niagara River] – Historic Photograph Print

[Joseph Avery stranded on rocks in the Niagara River], [1853 July] — historic photograph
[Joseph Avery stranded on rocks in the Niagara River], [1853 July]. Historic photograph from the Daguerreotypes & Early Photography collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

Few images capture their era like this historic photograph of [Joseph Avery stranded on rocks in the Niagara River]. Sourced directly from the Library of Congress, it represents an authentic piece of documented history.

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[Joseph Avery stranded on rocks in the Niagara River]

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Few daguerreotypes record a named man in the middle of a crisis, but this plate shows Joseph Avery stranded on rocks in the Niagara River in July 1853. The river above the falls was known for its fast, dangerous current, and the region drew steady crowds of tourists, so an incident there would have been widely talked about. Most views of Niagara from this period show the cataract itself, which makes a plate focused on a person in peril an unusual record. The sealed case's central floral motif and surrounding scrollwork reflect the decorative style common to daguerreotype cases of the 1850s.

Created / published[1853 July]
Medium1 photograph : quarter plate daguerreotype.
GenreDaguerreotypes 1850-1860.
NotesCase: central floral motif surrounded by scrolls. Purchase; 1973; (DLC/PP-1973:230). Forms part of: Daguerreotype collection (Library of Congress).
SubjectsWaterfalls--1850-1860. Marine accidents--New York (State)--1850-1860. Drowning victims--New York (State)--1850-1860. Danger--New York (State)--1850-1860. Niagara Falls (N.Y. and Ont.)--1850-1860.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,536 × 1,243 px · prints to 5 × 4 in at 300 dpi
Reference605_Joseph_Avery_stranded_o_1853

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