The William J. Griffing Collection

This 6th Plate daguerreotype features a young man who had his portrait taken in one of the studios of Jesse Harrison Whitehurst (1823-1875). A native of Virginia, Whitehurst opened his first gallery in Norfolk in 1843, and later operated galleries in Petersburg, Lynchburg, Richmond, Baltimore, Washington, and New York City. He also made a number of technological advances in the Daguerreotype process, and trained many Virginia photographers. Curiously, I bought this quarter-plate dag paired with a 6th Plate dag of what looks like a painting of the same subject (see below):

Another sixth-plate daguerrotype from my collection. One of my favorites. I welcome your thoughts on the age of the image. Hallmark HB Eagle 40. (Holmes & Booth). Young woman, very proud of her sun bonnet, forgoes a chair and leans against a gallery table.

Given her hairstyle and accessories, sixth-plate daguerreotype was probably taken in the late 1840’s. Women’s hair started getting wider after 1850.

Another Sixth-Plate Daguerreotype from my collection. This one identified as Joseph Edson Franklin (1819-1895), a farmer from Windham county, Vermont. Joseph’s parents were Joseph Franklin (1780-1866) and Aseneth Wilder (1785-1850). Joseph married Chloe Mann in 1842. Image probably dates to early 1850s.