Snapshots of the Past

South West gate leading into Indapendance [i.e., Independence] Square, Philada. – Antique Photo Print

South West gate leading into Indapendance [i.e., Independence] Square, Philada., [between 1840 and 1860] — historic photograph
South West gate leading into Indapendance [i.e., Independence] Square, Philada., [between 1840 and 1860]. 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

This rare historic photograph captures South West gate leading into Indapendance [i.e., Independence] Square, Philada. in remarkable detail. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.

The framed print arrives ready to hang; the unframed option suits custom framing. It makes a striking addition to a living room, study or office, and a thoughtful gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past has been bringing history to the wall since 2001, for tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

South West gate leading into Indapendance [i.e., Independence] Square, Philada.

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Unlike the many views of Independence Hall on this board, this quarter-plate daguerreotype shows a gate at the southwest entrance to Independence Square in Philadelphia, the site where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were debated. Daguerreotypes made between 1840 and 1860 reverse their subjects like a mirror, so the gate and its surroundings appear backward, a point an early label on the back of the frame makes explicit. By then the square was a public green where Philadelphians walked among the historic State House buildings, and the picture records that everyday use of a site already central to the nation's memory.

Created / published[between 1840 and 1860]
Medium1 photograph : approximate quarter-plate daguerreotype.
Genre1938. Photography in America : The formative years
NotesFramed. Accompanying labels detached from cover glass: 27" and "11." Label from back of frame: Daguerreotypes are "mirror Reflections" and show the picture in reverse. This is an entrance to Independence Square - South East entrance and the buildings
SubjectsParks--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia--1840-1860.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan3,790 × 4,628 px · prints to 13 × 15 in at 300 dpi
Reference309_South_West_gate_leading_1840

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