Three Southworth & Hawes Daguerreotype Portraits of William B. Reynolds and Elizabeth M. Carter, circa 1850

[Boston, 1850. Near Fine. A collection of three Daguerreotypes consisting of one large half plate portrait of William B. Reynolds, and two individual sixth plate portraits: one of Reynolds, and one of his wife Elizabeth. All three images are neatly housed in the original leather cases (with an interior brass mat, preserver, and felt cushion lining). The cases are lightly rubbed, modest shadow toning at the edges of the half plate image, the sixth plate portraits have modest spotting at the corner edges of the brass mat, near fine overall. All three cases match those used by Southworth & Hawes at their portrait studio in Boston during the mid-19th century, and the Reynolds are listed in the studio’s record books.

William Belcher Reynolds (1797-1866) was a prominent Boston merchant and founder of St. Paul’s Church in Boston. His half plate portrait bears a close resemblance to Southworth & Hawes famous portrait of statesman Daniel Webster. The sixth plate portraits of Reynolds and his wife are equally striking, and appear to have been taken at about the same time. The partnership of Southworth and Hawes was established in Boston at the dawn of photography in the 1840s, and resulted in some of the most stunning portraits ever made. From 1843 to 1861 the partners achieved considerable fame as the most fashionable portrait studio in Boston. They also experimented continually to improve on all aspects of the daguerreotype process.

A scarce, beautifully preserved collection of three Daguerreotypes representative of Southworth and Hawes finest portraits.