Snapshots of the Past

[View of Niagara Falls] – Antique Photo Print

[View of Niagara Falls], [between 1853 and 1860] — historic photograph
[View of Niagara Falls], [between 1853 and 1860]. Historic photograph from the State Parks 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 [View of Niagara Falls]. Sourced directly from the Library of Congress, it represents an authentic piece of documented history.

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[View of Niagara Falls]

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Gold toning deepens the silver tones of this half plate daguerreotype, which captures the falls in fine, mirror-like detail. The record names Platt D. Babbitt as the probable maker of the original, and this copy came from Mathew Brady's studio, likely in the 1850s, when Niagara drew steady crowds of visitors and photographers. The number 53 scratched on the plate's face and the Rinhart hallmark help trace how the plate was made and handled. Its transfer to the U.S. War College in 1920 reflects how institutions came to keep such early views as records of the landscape.

Created / published[between 1853 and 1860]
Medium1 photograph : half plate daguerreotype, gold toned.
GenreLandscape photographs 1850-1860.Daguerreotypes 1850-1860.
NotesScratched on face of plate: 53. Hallmark: Rinhart 9. Copy daguerreotype, original probably by Platt D. Babbitt. Transfer; U.S. War College; 1920. (DLC/PP-1920:46153). Forms part of: Daguerreotype collection (Library of Congress). Produced by Mathew Brady's studio.
SubjectsWaterfalls--New York (State)--Niagara Falls--1850-1860. Niagara Falls (N.Y. and Ont.)--1850-1860.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan4,096 × 3,295 px · prints to 14 × 11 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-186408

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