1847 175 Broadway, New York, New York.
1847-1853 156 Broadway, between Maiden-Lane and Liberty Street, New York, New York.
1847 March 30. Long Island Farmer, and Queens County Advertiser. (Jamaica, New York.) March 30, 1847, Vol. XIV, No. 51, P. 3.
To The World. A. J. Beals has now reduced his Premium One Dollar Daguerrean Likenesses from $3 to $1, including a handsome Morocco case; Gold and plated Lockets and frames of all kinds. His rooms are No. 156 and 175 Broadway. Please preserve this card Advertisement ran on March 30 & April 6, 1847.
1847 April 7. Delaware Gazette. (Delhi, New York.) April 7, 1847, Vol. XXVIII, No. 26, P. 3.
To The World. A. J. Beals has now reduced his Premium One Dollar Daguerrean Likenesses from $3 to $1, including a handsome Morocco case; Gold and plated Lockets and frames of all kinds. His rooms are No. 156 and 175 Broadway. Please preserve this card Advertisement ran on April 7 & 14, 1847.
1847 April 13. Geneva Courier. (Geneva, New York.) April 13, 1847, Vol. XVII, No. 17, Whole No. 850, P. 3.
To The World. A. J. Beals has now reduced his Premium One Dollar Daguerrean Likenesses from $3 to $1, including a handsome Morocco case; Gold and plated Lockets and frames of all kinds. His rooms are No. 156 and 175 Broadway. Please preserve this card Advertisement ran from April 13 to 27, 1847.
1847 October 6. Delaware Gazette. (Delhi, New York.) October 6, 1847, Vol. XXVIII, No. 52, P. 3.
To The World!! A. J. Beals’ Premium One Dollar Daguerrean Portrait Gallery, Nos. 156 and 175 Broadway. A likeness, including a handsome morocco case for One Dollar. Gold and Plated Lockets of all descriptions, and stock of all kinds, Wholesale and retail. Preserve this card and be sure you don’t lose it.
Advertisement ran on October 6 to 27, 1847.
1847 September 22. Broome Republican. (Binghamton, New York.) September 22, 1847, Vol. XXVI, No. 8, Whole No. 1258, P. 3.
To The World!! A. J. Beals’ Premium One Dollar Daguerrean Portrait Gallery, Nos. 156 and 175 Broadway. A likeness, including a handsome morocco case for one dollar. Gold and plated lockets of all descriptions, and stock of all kinds, Wholesale and retail. Preserve this card and be sure you don’t lose it.
Advertisement ran on September 22 to October 13, 1847.
1847 September 22. The Constitution. (Middletown, Connecticut.) September 22, 1847, Vol. X, No. 508, P. 3.
New York Fall Trade, 1847. To County Merchants…
To The World!! A. J. Beals’ Premium One Dollar Daguerrean Portrait Gallery, Nos. 156 and 175 Broadway, A likeness including a handsome morrocco case for one dollar. Gold and plated Lockets of all descriptions, and stock of a kinds wholesale and retail. Preserve this card, and be sure you don’t lose it.
Advertisement ran from September22 to October 13, 1847.
1848 June 28. New York Daily Tribune. (New York, New York.) June 28, 1848, Vol. VIII, No. 94, Whole No. 2274, P. 1.
A New And Great Discovery for rendering Daguerreotype indelible, at A. J. Beals’ Premium One Dollar Daguerrean Gallery. N. B.—156 Broadway, third floor, between Maiden-lane and Liberty-st.—has no connection with any other room or establishment in the city. jy. 26. Advertisement ran from June 28 to August 22, 1848.
1848 August 8. New York Daily Tribune. (New York, New York.) August 8, 1848, Vol. VIII, No. 103, Whole No. 2283, P. 3.
Wanted—The person that borrowed or stole a lady’s picture or daguerreotype from my room to return it, or he will see his name in full. A. J. Beals, 156 Broadway. Au. 8.
1849 December 17. New York Herald. (New York, New York.) December 17, 1849, Whole No. 5672, P. 2.
$250 Reward.—I will bet this amount that A. J. Beals, of No. 156 Broadway, between Maiden Lane and Liberty street, will for One Dollar, take as good a daguerreotype, and put it up in as good style, as any other established will for $3, and warrant them not to fade. Please call and examine his specimens, No. 156 Broadway, A. J. Beal’s, over Bebee & Co.’s hat store.
Advertisement ran on December 17, 22, 24, 25 & 31, 1849.
1849 December 31. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) December 31, 1849, Whole No. 5686, P. 3.
Wanted—The Person That Stole A Picture taken of a lady living in Brooklyn, with black dress, black eyes, and arms folded, to return said daguerreotype, or I will expose said person as a thief, and deal with him accordingly. A. J. Beals, No. 156 Broadway.
1850 February 11. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) February 11, 1850, Whole No. 5727, P. 2.
$100 Reward.—For One Dollar—11, 570 Daguerreotypes were taken by A. J. Beals the past year. The above paid to any person producing one of his Patent Daguerreotypes that ever fade. Yes, in a beautiful case you can now get one of his premium pictures for One Dollar. NO. 156 Broadway, between Maiden Lane and Liberty street.
1850 February 16. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) February 16, 1850, Whole No. 5732, P. 2.
The Greatest Business in Daguerreotypes—And truly the most beautiful are taken at A. J. Beal’s One Dollar Premium Daguerreotype Gallery. He is now taking his Patent Daguerreotype inclosed in a handsome case, dollar, without regard to weather. N. B.—Pupils on reasonable terms. Stock of all kinds. 156 Broadway, between Maiden Lane and Liberty street.
Advertisement ran on February 16 & 18, 1850.
1850 March 4. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) March 4, 1850, Whole No. 5748, P. 2.
The Public are respectfully informed, and it is generally known that those clear, bold, soft toned and truly rich Daguerreotypes are taken by A. J. Beals, but we wish to have it known the he now is taking his patent Daguerreotype Likenesses for One Dollar. N. B. Pupils taught on reasonable terms, and stock of all kinds. 156 Broadway, near Liberty street.
1850 March 18. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) March 18, 1850, Whole No. 5762, P. 2.
New and Great Discovery.—A New Process for Rendering Daguerreotypes Indelible.—The great difficulty hitherto with Daguerreotype Likenesses, has to fix the impression. This great desideratum has at length been attained at A. J. Beals’ Premium One Dollar Daguerrean Gallery, 156 Broadway. 3d floor, east side of Broadway, between Maiden Lane and Liberty street.
1850 April 6. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) April 6, 1850, Whole No. 5781, P. 4.
New and Great Discovery.—A New Process for rendering Daguerreotypes indelible, has at length been attained at A. J. Beals Premium One Dollar Daguerrean Gallery, No. 156 Broadway, east side between Maiden lane and Liberty street. Pupils taught the latest improvements on reasonable terms. Stock of all kinds.
1850 April 8. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) April 8, 1850, Whole No. 5783, P. 2.
$100 Reward.—For One Dollar.—11,570 Daguerreotypes were taken by A. J. Beals the past year. The above paid to any person producing one of his Patent Daguerreotypes that ever faded. Yes, in a beautiful case, you can now get one of his premium pictures for One Dollar. No. 156Broadway, between Maiden Lane and Liberty street.
1850 April 13. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) April 13, 1850, Whole No. 5788, P. 3.
$250 Reward.—To Californians—That I , A. J. Beals, No. 156 Broadway, between Maiden lane and Liberty street, will, for One Dollar, take as good a Daguerreotype, put up in as good style, as any other establishment for $3, and warrant not to fade. Please call and examine specimens at his room.
1850 April 21. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) April 21, 1850, Whole No. 5796, P. 3.
$500 Reward—To any person who will produce one of A. J. Beal’s One Dollar Premium Daguerreotypes that ever faded; his Daguerreotypes are put up in as good style as those that charge $3, and warranted never to fade, at A. J. Beal’s, No. 156 Broadway, between Maiden lane and Liberty street, over Beebe’s hat store.
Advertisement ran on April 21 & 22, 1850.
1850 April 27. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) April 27, 1850, Whole No. 5802, P. 2.
$500 Reward—To any person who will produce one of A. J. Beal’s One Dollar Premium Daguerreotypes that ever faded; his Daguerreotypes are put up in as good style as those that charge $3, and warranted never to fade, at A. J. Beal’s, No. 156 Broadway, between Maiden lane and Liberty street, over Beebe’s hat store.
1850 May 13. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) May 13, 1850, Whole No. 5818, P. 2.
Special Notice.—A. J. Beal’s One Dollar Patent Daguerreotypes are at his old rooms, No. 156 Broadway, over Beebe & Co.’s hat store, opposite Rathbun’s Hotel, and has no connection with any other room in the city.—Portraits warranted for $1, in a handsome case. N. B.—No, 156 Broadway, between Maiden lane and Liberty st.
1850 May 25. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) May 25, 1850, Whole No. 5829, P. 3.
A New And Great Discovery.—A New Process for rendering Daguerreotypes indelible, has at length been attained at A. J. Beal’s Premium One Dollar Daguerrean Gallery, No. 156 Broadway, east side, between Maiden lane and Liberty street. Pupils taught the latest improvements on reasonable terms. Stock of all kinds;
1850 June 1. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) June 1, 1850, Whole No. 5836, P. 2.
Important.—We advise those that want a perfect Likeness, and one that never will fade, to call at A. J. Beal’s, and get one of his Patent Daguerreotypes. His price is but $1, and he is now considered the first in this great art. N. B.—No. 156 Broadway, east side, over Beebe & Co.’s Hat Store.
1850 June 17. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) June 17, 1850, Whole No. 5852, P. 2.
The Great Discovery.—A. J. Beals, [will] learn the Daguerrean Art, with the latest improvements, including his Patent, which he has just received, to any one now wishing to learn the art, on reasonable terms. Likenesses reduced from $3 to $1, in a beautiful case. Stock of all kinds at No. 156 Broadway, east side, over Beebe & Co.’s Hat Store.
1850 June 24. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) June 24, 1850, Whole No. 5859, P. 3.
The greatest Wonder of the Age is how A. J. Beals can take his beautiful Patent Daguerreotypes for $1. While others charge $3 for daguerreotypes, and not near so good. We would recommend our readers to give this old establishment a call, if they desire a good likeness in a handsome case. No. 156 Broadway. east side, over Beebe & Co.’s Hat store.
1850 July 28. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) July 28, 1850, Whole No. 5892, P. 3.
Daguerreotyping.—We would advise all that wish to learn this great art, with all its late improvements, and on reasonable terms, to call on A. J. Beals, for he never fails in taking a picture, and guarantees to learn his pupils the same. Daguerreotypes for $1. Stock of all kinds. No. 156 Broadway, east side, over Beebe’s hat store.
1850 August 10. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) August 10, 1850, Whole No. 5905, P. 2.
$500 Reward—To any person who will produce one of A. J. Beals One Dollar Premium Daguerreotypes that ever faded: his Daguerreotypes are put up in as good style as those that charge $3, and warranted never to fade, at A. J. Beal’s, No. 156 Broadway, between Maiden lane and Liberty street, over Beebe’s hat store.
1850 August 26. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) August 26, 1850, Whole No. 5921, P. 2.
To Daguerreans.—The Electric Buffs, or the knowledge for preparing them, can be had for the nominal sum of $5, of A. J. Beals, (the only agent for this State and city.) His buff will lessen the time of taking a picture over two thirds. Pupils taught the art on reasonable terms, including the knowledge of making these buffs. Call or address at A. J. Beals, No. 156 Broadway, east side, over Beebe & Co.’s hat store. Likenesses taken for $1, and warranted.
1850 October 5. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) October 5, 1850, Whole No. 5960, P. 2.
Jenny Lind’s Portraits.—The best and most correct one that has been taken, was by A. J. Beals, at his Premium One Dollar Daguerrean Gallery. We advise those that want a perfect likeness, to call at his Rooms, and there you can get a correct one, in a beautiful case, for one dollar, at No. 156 Broadway, east side, between maiden Lane and Liberty street, over Beebe & Co.’s Hat store.
1850 October 28. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) October 28, 1850, Whole No. 5983, P. 2.
$500—There appears to be some dissatisfaction among some of the renowned and wonderful artists, as they style themselves, because A. J. Beals took the medal. $500 is ready for any of those coughers and blowers, if they can take any size picture with A. J. Beals, who only charges $1 for his Daguerreotypes. No. 156 Broadway, over Beebe & Co.’s Hat Store, between Maiden Lane and Liberty street.
1850 November 9. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) November 9, 1850, Whole No. 5995, P. 4.
$500 Challenge.—We, the undersigned, do agree that A. J. Beals’ four Daguerreotype Pictures are the best, viz: For depth of tone and finish in every respect, thereby awarding him the money, $500. Judges, T. T. Rosch, A. B. Anthony, J. B. Plumb, L. O. Root. N. B.—We advise our friends and the people to call at his rooms, and there they can get a correct likeness for One Dollar, in a beautiful case. No. 156 Broadway, over Beebe & Co.’s Hat Store.
1850 November 11. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) November 11, 1850, Whole No. 5997, P. 2.
$500 Challenge.—We see that A. J. Beals has made or won the money, and it is as we expected; and all we have to say to our readers is to call at his rooms, and there you can get as good, if not the best, daguerreotype likenesses in the city, and warranted never to fade, in a beautiful case. for one dollar, at No. 156 Broadway, between Maiden lane and Liberty street, over Beebe & Co.’s hat store.
1850 December 5. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) December 5, 1850, Whole No. 6021, P. 2.
The Greatest Discovery In Daguerreotyping.—A. J. Beals has just received a patent for daguerreotyping a new style on silver, and much superior to those pretended to be taken on Ivory, producing exquisitely beautiful likenesses with all the beauty of a painting. N. B.—And his price is but $1 plain; $1.50 colored. Will be open Thanksgiving day. No. 156 Broadway, between Maiden lane and Liberty street, opposite Rathbun’s Hotel.
1851 January 25. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) January 25, 1851, Whole No. 6069, P. 4.
$500 Reward.—A Wonderful Discovery In Daguerreotyping. A. J. Beals is now taking his beautiful Ivory pictures, for only one dollar, in a beautiful case; we recommend our readers, and all those that want a good and correct likeness, to call at his rooms and examine his specimens—he warrants his pictures never to fade. Gold lockets of all kinds. Rooms No. 156 Broadway, east side, between Maiden lane and Liberty street, opposite Rathbun’s Hotel—Rooms established in 1846.
1851 May 24. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) May 24, 1851, Whole No. 6787, P. 5.
$500 Reward.—A. J. Beals is the inventor of the ivory finished Daguerreotype, and at his rooms they can now be had, and at no other place in the city. These Daguerreotypes are much superior to the old style. N. B.—We advise our friends by all means to get one. The price is only $1 to $10, at No. 156 Broadway, east side, between Liberty street and Maiden lane. Hill’s great book for taking colors, now ready for sale at Beals’.
1851 June 5. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) June 5, 1851, Whole No. 6799, P. 5.
Wanted—A Boy—One That Would Like To lean the Daguerreotype art preferred, and one that can bring the best references for honesty and industry. Wages, one hundred dollars the first year, and increased. Call at No. 156 Broadway, up stairs. A. J. Beals.
1851 October 27. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) October 27, 1851, Whole No. 6941, P. 3.
Daguerreotypes That \Will Not Fade For one dollar, taken by J. Beals, 156 Broadway, three doors from Liberty street. All pictures warranted taken at my rooms. N. B.—None but Peter Funk’s daguerreotypes rooms will try to humbug a fifty cent picture and deceive a respectable person—none but daubs will attempt it.
Advertisement ran on October 27 & 28, 1851.
1852 July 19. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) July 19, 1852, Whole No. 7200, P. 2.
$100 Reward.—To the best Daguerreotype Blower—The Peter Funk Daguerreotypist can now blow away and make their poetry &c. to some purpose. The reward will be paid by A. J. Beals, at his one dollar Daguerrean gallery. No. 156 Broadway, near Liberty street. N. B.—Daguerreotypes taken for six cents.
1852 August 19. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) August 19, 1852, Whole No. 7231, P. 7.
Starting Intelligence.—Death of the fifty cent Peter Funk daguerreotype family—they are fast dropping off. The death warrant or the red flag will fetch them all ere long, for such humbug artists cannot deceive the people long. N. B. –We advertise all who want a perfect likeness, and one that will never fade, to call at A. J. Beal’s premium one Dollar Daguerrean Gallery, No. 156 Broadway, near Liberty street, established in 1840. N. B.—Wanted a first rate operator, and none other need apply, unexceptionable references required.
1853 August 19. Semi-Weekly Tribune. (New York, New York.) August 19, 1853. Vol. VIII, No. 859. P. 1.
The Exhibition At The Crystal Palace. XVI. American Art—Daguerreotypes. If there be any one department in the whole building which is peculiarly American, and in which the country shines prominent, it is in that of Daguerreotypes, which are exhibited below stairs; and the collection, which is an extensive one, is made up of contributions from almost every section of the Union where the art is practiced. In contrasting the specimens of art which are taken herewith those taken in European countries, the excellence of American pictures is evident, which is [to] be accounted for by several reasons. In the first place, American skies are freer from fogs and clouds—from bituminous coal not being much used, the atmosphere of our cities is free from smoke, at least upon the Atlantic coasts. Then the chemicals and processes are, generally speaking, of a more sensitive character, and the apparatus is more convenient and suitable than that of Europe. Our little inventions come into play and aid in saving time and developing a good picture, and last, though perhaps not least our people are readier in picking up processes and acquiring the mastery of the art than our trans-Atlantic rivals. Not that we understand the science better, but the detail of the work is acquired in a shorter time by us, while the enormous practice which our operators enjoy combines to render the daguerreotype art a necessary adjunct to the comfort of life. Does a child start on the journey of existence and leave his “father’s hall” forthwith the little image is produced to keep his memory green.. Does the daughter accept the new duties of matron, or does the venerated parent descend into the grave; what means so ready to revive their recollection? Does the lover or the husband go to Australia or California, and not exchange with the beloved one the image of what afforded so much delight to gaze upon? The readiness with which a likeness may be obtained, the truthfulness of the image and the smallness of cost, render it the current pledge of friendship, and the immense number of operators who are supported by the art in this country shows how widely the love of sun-pictures is diffused. Several thousand industrious artists and artisans are occupied in the preparation of very pure chemicals, as bromine, iodine, gold salts, hyperphosphate of soda. Another class prepare silvered plates, cases, buffs, gilding, cut glass, and a hundred little addenda. Then the manufacture of cameras and the grinding of good lenses is an important branch of the business; for without a camera having good lenses the best operator would fail to produce an image which would be distinct or saleable; and even with a good Voigtlander or Harrison camera, it requires great skill to focus the image; for, strange as it may appear, the point where a good view of the sitter is obtained is not the point best adapted for bringing out a good picture. In other words the focus of vision and the focus of chemical action are not the same, and hence when we have the one we lose the other. This is owing to the fact that it is not the rays of color on the solar spectrum which produce the image, but a different set of rays, viz: those of chemical action; and since this is the case, we submit the opinion that it is not possible to obtain a daguerreotype in its natural colors, as Mr. Hill and others have been trying to delude our operators into believing, and leading themselves and others by the [iguis fatuus] of plates tortured into iridescent colors by chemical oxidation. But we are getting discursive upon this beautiful art, which was intended to subserve many other useful purposes than that of portrait painting.
Everybody known how difficult it is to keep silver from tarnishing, and that the action of the light is to destroy all preparations of silver. Some of these are more readily acted on by light than others—are more sensitive, as it is termed. Such are the iodide, bromide, and chloride of silver. These salts cannot be kept exposed to the light for any reason, even a very short time, without undergoing some change; and when a plate of silver has a thin layer of iodine and bromine on its surface; and is placed in a camera, as soon as the screen is raised the image of the sitter falls on the plate. The silver plate is acted on unequally, producing the effects of light and shade when brought out, as it is termed, by exposure to the vapor of quicksilver. It is then fixed or prevented from undergoing further change, by washing it with a solution of gold.
To produce a daguerreotype picture there are five operations necessary. The first is cleaning the plate. This is the stumbling block of most operators. They are not cleanly enough. Several views in this Exhibition show that the plates were not well enough cleaned. Never was a maxim more true than the old one, that “cleanliness is a virtue”—when it has reference to daguerreotyping. The second the second is the foundation of the sensitive iodide of silver over the surface of the plate. The third is the adjusting the plate in the camera obscura, for the purpose of receiving the impression. The fourth is the bringing out the photographic picture, which is invisible when the plate is taken from the camera. The fifth, and last, is to remove the excess of sensitive coating, and thus prevent that susceptibility to change under luminous influence which would otherwise exist and ultimately effect the picture. The second operation is that which gives tone and warmth to the picture, and when performed by skillful hands makes a daguerreotype a beautiful piece of art. The clearness and distinctness of the image is produced by the third process when carefully conducted, and the whole picture should be distinct over the whole plate. These remarks will serve to illustrate the subjoined notes upon the collections in the Exhibition.
Mr. Lawrence exhibited a case in which softness of tone and distinctness of image are united with artistic arrangement. The latter quality is specially noticeable in “The Three Ages.” The mechanical execution of these pictures is unexcelled. These pictures of Mr. L. were exhibited in London. Mr. Brady’s collection is not very large, but there are a few very good pictures exhibited by him. In Gurney’s collection the coloring of the background has a fine effect; there are some very well executed portraits, among which is one of Mr. Forrest, worth notice as a work of art: taken as a Whole there is less softness and more distinctness in this collection than in that of Lawrence. The picture of Ware and his sister is an instance of a picture well developed when the chemical action extends to the margin of the plate. D. Clark, New Brunswick, N. J., has four pictures of merit; and Van Schneidan a small collection of well-selected heads. J. Brown has a collection of portraits of Commodore Perry and the officers of the squadron for the Japan Expedition, in half-size plates: the interest of this collection is much marred by the names of the officers not being attached underneath the plate; it is not too late to rectify this omission. Haas has a whole-plate allegorical figure of a family man reading the paper at home—an excellent idea and well executed. Besides this, he has a couple of other pictures, though on the whole his show is mediocre. In the cases of Harrison & Hill there is displayed excellent artistic arrangement with very indifferent mechanical execution. In the mammoth plates occupied by allegorical designs, the back-ground is wretchedly brought out—the plates were not properly cleaned, and are full of scratches; there are a few half and whole-sized pictures set in gaudy frames.
Webster, of Louisville, KY., has twenty-three pictures possessing clearness. They have, however, been exposed a little too much in the camera; they lack warmth, but are otherwise well developed and exhibit good mechanical execution. Alex Hesler has a collection of whole plates handsomely executed, possessing a nice arrangement of of the drapery, which has the effect of throwing the head out in good relief. There is artistic arrangement in this collection, especially evinced in the picture “Driving a “Trade,” one of a series illustrating character and passion. The panoramic view of Galena, Ill. Shows that city to advantage; and the three views of the Falls of St. Anthony possess great merit. Mr. North, of Cleveland, O., has a case of pretty fail likenesses, perhaps exhibiting the lights too strongly. Bisbee, of Dayton, O. exhibits a panoramic view of Cincinnati from Newport, upon six large plates. This view is, without exception, the finest thing in the whole room; we might even go further, and say that it is the finest view by the Daguerreian process ever exhibited. The mechanical execution is excellent, the perspective good, and the development unsurpassed. The effect of the smoke over the southern part of the city is very finely given. the distinctness of the letter signs, three-quarters of a mile distance and across the Ohio river, is well brought out. The rest of the collection is fair, possessing no peculiar merit. Williamson exhibits a poor collection. Dobyn, Richardson & Co. have several whole size well-executed specimens, in which the mechanical part, the artistic arrangement and the chemical effect is good. The “Cupid Reposing” is a very ungraceful picture of an ill-formed child, and the coloring is bad. That of the Bateman Children, in character, is a good picture. There are some exceedingly well executed heads in this collection.
Long, of St. Louis, has four frames of 180 heads of Wyman’s School, in that city, with the edifice and Principal; they possess no merit. A likeness of Prof. Mitchell, Cincinnati, is well executed. Some of the pictures in this collection are inverted with papier mache frames inlaid with mother of-pearl and tinsel. As this style of frame appears in a few other collections we may as well here express dissent to the use of this material as being too gaudy and wholly unsuitable for daguerreotype plates. These latter are difficult to be viewed except in one light, and from the brightness of their surface, are much set off by deadened color on the frames, while the glare and iridescence of the papier mache add to the difficulty of discerning the picture; the use of such implies bad taste in the artist. We felt this opinion growing upon us as we looked at them and found our view corroborated by a boarding school miss, who whisked alongside of us and caught by the colors, exclaimed, “Oh my! aint those “frames beautiful?” Fitzgibbon has the richest exposition in the Fair—The most expensive frames with a large and passable collection. The mammoth plate of Judge Colt is very good—That of Jenny Lind the best in the exhibition—those of McAllister, Julia Dean, Kate Hays, and Kossuth, are good pictures. His collection of Indian Warriors, is a very fine one, which we understand is to be forwarded to the Ethnological Society of London, to have copies and busts made from them. Masury & Silsbee, Boston exhibited twelve pretty and tasteful plates, with good arrangement and well finished. The collections of Kilsey, Beals, and Howe do not require notice. Whitehurst has a few good pictures in a large and passable collection; he has ten pictures illustrating the Falls of Niagara, which are very well executed. Some of his large heads have their features out of all proportion. Whipple of Boston, has a collection of photographic pictures, which he calls Crystallotypes, taken from Hyalotypes; there is a plate of the moon daguerreotyped, and one of the spots on the sun. McDonnell & Co., Buffalo, have a very poor collection—so poor as not to deserve a place in the exhibition; the views of Niagara are fair. Hawkins exhibits photographs on paper. Drummond, eight plates of the order of Free masons in their lodge dress. Fitzgibbon (already noticed) exhibits a very interesting case, which is a frame of electrotype copies from daguerreotype plates, very beautifully executed. It should not be over looked upon as a mere curiosity to place a daguerreotype plate in a copper solution and take a copper cast from its surface by means of electricity: the copper cast looks much warmer in tone than the original. It is to be regretted that Fitzgibbon did not complete this frame by the insertion of a third plate, by taking a second copy from the copper copy. This would be in relief, like the original silver-plate, and is succeptible of being treated like an engraved plate; yielding, when inked, prints resembling mezzotint. Besides the above collection of daguerreotypes, there is an assortment of cameras, lenses, stereoscopes and photographic paper, which are of interest to those practicing these beautiful arts.
1852 October 13. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) October 13, 1852, Whole No. 7286, P. 7.
We Advise All Our Readers Who Want a perfect likeness, and one that will not fade, to give A. J. Beal a call and get one of his newly invented enameled Daguerreotypes; they are truly beautiful. N. B.—Price only $1. Wanted, operator who understands an the art. References required.
1853 October 26. The New York Herald. (New York, New York.) October 26, 1853, Whole No. 7606, P. 5.
Strangers beware of Peter Funk Humbug Daguerreotype Galleries.—We advise all of our friends who want a perfect likeness to call at Beals’ and get one of his never fading enameled likenesses. They are truly beautiful, and are only one dollar in a beautiful case. No. 156 Broadway. Established in 1840.