Southworth & Hawes, 1843-1863, Uncased Full Plate Daguerreotype of Six Men Posed Around Illustrated Book by Southworth & Hawes, American circa 1850.
Provenance:The Southworth & Hawes studio, Boston;
By descent to Edward Southworth Hawes, Boston;
Likely Holman's Print Shop, Boston, early 1940s;
Collection of Ray Phillips;
David Feigenbaum Collection
Maillet Collection
Southworth & Hawes was an early photographic firm in Boston, 1843–1863. Its partners, Albert Sands Southworth (1811–1894) and Josiah Johnson Hawes (1808–1901), have been hailed as the first great American masters of photography, whose work elevated photographic portraits to the level of fine art. Their images are prominent in every major book and collection of early American photography.
Southworth & Hawes worked almost exclusively in the daguerreotype process. Working in the 8 ½ x 6 ½ inch whole plate format, their images are brilliant, mirror-like, and finely detailed. Writing in the Photographic and Fine Art Journal, August 1855, the contemporary Philadelphia daguerreotypist Marcus Aurelius Root paid them this praise: "Their style, indeed, is peculiar to themselves; presenting beautiful effects of light and shade, and giving depth and roundness together with a wonderful softness or mellowness. These traits have achieved for them a high reputation with all true artists and connoisseurs." He further noted that the firm had devoted their time chiefly to daguerreotypes, with little attention to photography on paper. This image features six gentleman around a large open book. Three of the subjects are seated and three standing. This image has a S.o.F. hallmark 4 in upper left corner. The image is very crisp with sharp focus. The backround has a fluted column whith a drk area to the left of the colum and mid-gray to the right. The composition and backgound are typical of Southworth and Hawes work. (PH0467)
Provenance: The Southworth & Hawes studio, Boston;
By descent to Edward Southworth Hawes, Boston;
Likely Holman's Print Shop, Boston, early 1940s;
Collection of Ray Phillips;
Collection of David Feigenbaum
acquired from the above by the famed Maillet Collection
References
1: Young America: The Daguerreotypes of Southworth & Hawes, Edited by Grant Romer and Brian Wallis, Published by George Eastman House, International Center of Photography. These pages list and show similar vertical images showing groups of men by Southworth & Hawes.
Reference 2: The Spirit of Fact: The Daguerreotypes of Southworth and Hawes, 1843-1862, Published by David Godine and the International Museum of Photography At The Eastman House, Rochester, 1976.
Reference 3: The Daguerreotypes of Southworth & Hawes, by Robert A Sobiezek and Odette Appel, Dover Publications, Inc. New York 1976. Page 57 Shows a full plate daguerreotype featuring a six men, three standing and three seated.
Reference 4: Sotheby's Auction Catalogue "The David Feigenbaum Collection of Southworth & Hawes" Tuesday April 27, 1999. The photograph described above was featured as lot 2
Exhibitions of Southworth & Hawes Daguerreotypes
The International Center of Photography at the George Eastman House, Rochester NY, February - June 1976
The National Portrait Gallery, Washington, July - December 1976
Museum of Fine Arts Boston, January - February, 1977
Reference 4: Sotheby's Auction Catalogue "The David Feigenbaum Collection of Southworth & Hawes" Tuesday April 27, 1999. The photograph described above was featured as lot 2 with the estimate of $10-$20,000. and sold for
