I am pleased to announce a new web site that you won't want to miss: "The Social Construction of the American Daguerreotype Portrait," a senior thesis by Ben Mattison. I contacted Ben a few weeks ago; he mentioned that he was going to make the paper available on the web, but Ben outdid himself and made a very nice web version of his paper. Be sure to stop by and (if you enjoy it...pretty much a given) don't forget to drop him a note. The URL is: http://www.easyway.net/~ben42/daguerre You can also follow a link I've provided on The Daguerreian Society website at: http://www.daguerre.org/resource/links.html Three short items today: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - On this day (December 9) in the year 1854, the following advertisement appeared in the "Boston Daily Evening Transcript": D A G U E R R E O T Y P E R O O M S F O R S A L E --doing a fine business. Address C. R. R., Post Office. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * and two advertisements in the 1854 "Portland Eclectic" (Portland, Maine; Vol. 5, No. 11): F R A N K. M. D A N I E L S O N. DAGUERREOTYPIST. NO. 163 MIDDLE STREET, PORTLAND. 42 SUCCESSOR TO S. H. STEVENS. Tf ----------------------------------------------- S m i t h & M o r r i s o n, DAGUERREOTYPISTS, and dealers in DAGUERREOTYPE MATERIALS, No. 91 Casco Block, Middle Street Portland. 35 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 12-09-96