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 THE DAGUERREOTYPE: AN ARCHIVE OF SOURCE TEXTS, GRAPHICS, AND EPHEMERA


  The research archive of Gary W. Ewer regarding the history of the daguerreotype

I am happy to offer you something from my neck of the woods: Washington State. To my knowledge, this fellow represents the only daguerreotypist that was active in Washington Territory. On this day (May 13) in the year 1854, the following advertisement appeared in "The Pioneer and Democrat," (Olympia, Washington Territory; page 3): - - - - - - - - - - - SAMUEL HOLMES, D A G U E R R E O T Y P I S T, OLYMPIA, W. T. Will attend to all orders for the taking of Daguerreo- type LIKENESSES, and all other matters connected with the art. Rooms over the Cabinet Shop of D. C. Beatty. May 13, 1854. 36tf (The advertisement continued through 10 March 1855.) * * * * In a later reminiscence, "D. C. Beatty" recounted the following: "As the Indians were getting troublesome Uncle Whitworth asked the mission fathers if they considered our situation dangerous. They replied, 'Not yet, we will give you warning, if it becomes so, in time for you to go the stockade in Olympia.' In about two weeks this warning was given and we fled to town. Again we carried grandmother in her little chair to the water and set her into a canoe. We found refuge in two rooms over Mr. Beatty's shop. These rooms had been fitted up as a photograph gallery by Samuel Holmes father of Fred Holmes and Mrs. Robert Frost, and was the first art gallery in the Northwest. I slept right under the big skylight in the roof. "Mr. Beatty and I were married in 1856. . ." (cited from Blankenship, Mrs. G. E., "Early History of Thurston County"; Olympia: 1914. Pp. 93-94) I'll also mention that the Allen Library/Special Collections at the University of Washington has two daguerreotypes, identified in a contemporary hand, as being taken by Samuel Holmes. The daguerreotypes are of noted individuals residing in Olympia, Washington Territory. -------------------------------------------------------------- 05-13-97

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