1849-1858 Devereux Block, Utica, New York.
1850 Address Unknown, Washington, D. C.
1854 Address Unknown, Syracuse, New York.
1858-1859 494 Broadway, Albany, New York.[1]
1849 December 20. New York Baptist Register. (Utica, New York.) December 20, 1849, Vol. XXVI, No. 47, P. 4.
First Premium Skylight Pictures, Taken At The Empire Daguerrean Gallery, (Devereux Block,) By D. D. T. Davie.
1850 September 13. Jamestown Journal. (Jamestown, New York.) September 13, 1850, Vol. XXV, No. 17, Whole No. 1,265, P. 2.
From the State Register. The State Fair…Manufacturing Hall…
The daguerreotype business ought to be flourishing, by the handsome displays made by its practitioners. In addition to Mr. D. E. Gavit’s mentioned yesterday, Messrs. Mead and Clark of this city, have both handsome collections of portraits. Mr. D. D. T. Davis, of Utica, also exhibits a collection of Daguerreotypes, comprising some excellent likenesses of very distinguished persons and some beautiful portraits, [con] considered as works of art, of which the originals are unknown here.
1850 November 21. New York Daily Tribune. (New York, New York.) November 21, 1850, Vol. X, No. 2995, P. 5.
Portrait of Daniel Webster.—Yesterday the Hon. Secretary of State sat for a portrait at the Daguerrean Rooms of J. Gurney, No. 189 Broadway. We have seen the picture, and consider it the best likeness of the Great Expounder that has ever come under our notice. In this opinion we are sustained by a gentleman fully capable of judging, and indeed by Mr. Webster himself—for he was so well pleased with the likeness that he ordered a copy to send to his wife, the first occasion of the kind during his life.
—There was a great strife among our artist to secure the attendance of Mr. Webster, but we understand that he yielded only (in fulfillment of a promise made last Winter) to Mr. D. D. T. Davie, proprietor of the “Empire Gallery,” Utica, N. Y. and had a picture taken at Mr. Gurney’s, as above stated.
1850 November 21. New York Daily Tribune. (New York, New York.) November 21, 1850, Vol. X, No. 2995, P. 5.
New Discovery.—We learn that Mr. D. D. T. Davie, Daguerreotype Artist of Utica, has made a very valuable improvement in Daguerreotype machinery for preparing plates. His discovery is creating considerable interest in the city. Those interested can get further information at Scovill’s Manufacturing Co. 57 Maiden-lane.
1851 August. The Photographic Art Journal. (New York, New York.) August 1851, Vol. 2, No. 2, P. 121-122.
Those who feel a deep interest in the Photographic art will view with pleasure the movement now made—as indicated by the following reports—to form Photographic Art Association all over the United States, as well as one great parent , or national society…
Daguerreotype convention. Pursuant to a call signed by a large number of Daguerreotypists from different parts of the State of New York, a convention met at Syracuse, July 12th, 1851. E. T. Whitney of Rochester, was elected chairman, and C. B. Denny, of Rochester, F. J. Clark, of Utica, and B. L. Higgins, of Syracuse, were appointed Secretaries. Remarks were made by D. D. T Davie, of Utica, P. H. Benedict, of Syracuse, and G. N. Barnard, of Oswego, stating the object of the convention to be a union of thought, action, sentiment, a uniform standard of prices, and to devise means to elevate this beautiful art in which we are engaged. Received a communication from H. H. Snelling, editor of the Photographic Art Journal, which was read by the chairman.
Resolved, On motion, That a committee be appointed to draft resolutions to be presented to this convention.
The Chairman appointed D. D. T. Davie, of Utica, G. N. Barnard, of Oswego, P. H. Benedict, of Syracuse, L. V. Parsons, of Auburn, and L. V. Griffin, of Genesse, as such committee…
The convention then appointed M. A. Root. Of New York, D. D. T. Davis of Utica, and O, B, Evans, of Buffalo, a committee to draft a constitution and by-laws, to be presented at the next meeting…
1851 August. The Photographic Art Journal. (New York, New York.) August 1851, Vol. 2, No. 2, P. 128.
D. D. T. Davie, of Utica, has opened in connection with his other business, a depot for the sale of Daguerreotype materials. We know this will be good news to our friends in that section of the country, as they can depend upon his having such stock as they would wish to buy. Mr. Davie will also receive subscriptions to the Photographic Art Journal.
1851 September. The Photographic Art Journal. (New York, New York.) September 1851, Vol. 2, No. 3, P. 164-165.
D. D. T. Davie, First President Of The Association Of Daguerreotypist. Mr. Davie is now thirty-two years of age. His first essays in the production of photographic pictures were made in the year 1846, at a period which our readers will remember was anterior to the most striking improvements in the process by which they are now produced. He had early a fondness for pictures, and a strong desire to become a portrait painter; but the want of pecuniary resources compelled him to abandon the idea of adopting this pursuit, and to educate himself for the more active business life. Accident at length induced him to attempt the making a picture by the ordinary photographic apparatus in use at the time, and his success, uninstructed as he was, led him at once to devote himself to the art. He was at the time almost entirely ignorant of chemistry, and without the aid of resources to aid him in obtaining instructions in its principles, and too poor to afford himself the best apparatus then used by the Daguerreotypist in this country. What he lacked in these respects he determined to make up in careful study and untiring efforts to improve his knowledge and practice. His success in the course he marked out for himself is well known to most of the practitioners of the art. They are indebted to him for several of the most important aids and improvements in the process and apparatus now used in the United States. The refined rotton stone so extensively used is prepared by a process discovered by him, and his preparations of gold and silver for the use of photographers, are very highly esteemed by the profession. The compound lever buffing vice, the cast iron cone buffer, the machine for clipping and crimping plates, and the camera stand invented by him, are each of them superior to any others in use, and are contributions towards the advancement of the art, which none but its professors can properly appreciate. His latest gift to the profession is his machine called the American Photographer, which clips, crimps, cleans and buffs the plate. This was awarded by the Mechanics’ Association in Utica, its first premium, for the most useful recent mechanical invention.
Mr. Davie is enthusiastic in his love of his profession and in his desire to render it useful and respectable. He has been very active in all the movements for uniting photographers in their association for the improvement of their art, and always ready to communicate the results of his studies and experiments to his brethren. For the last three years he has resided in the city of Utica. His rooms are adorned with the portraits of the most distinguished men of our country, taken by himself. He visited Washington during the session of Congress in 1850, and while there succeeded in obtaining sittings from all the officers of Government, and the members of both houses of Congress, with one or two exceptions, which he subsequently obtained. His photograph of Mr. Webster, taken in 1850, is regarded as the most striking likeness of this distinguished statesmen extant. Among other well deserved compliments which he has received, the judges at the last State Fair awarded him a silver medal for the largest and best collection of photographic pictures on exhibition.
1852 May. The Photographic Art Journal. (New York, New York.) May 1852, Vol. 3, No. 5, P. 320-321.
Mr. D. D. T. Davie has opened a fine suite of rooms in Syracuse, N. Y., which will under the charge of his brother, J. Davie, a young operator of excellent skill and judgement. With Messrs Clark, and Geer & Benedict, Syracuse can now boast of three of the best daguerreotypist in the state. Mr. D. D. T. Davie still remains in Utica.
1854 May. The Photographic And Fine Art Journal. (New York, New York.) May 1854, Vol. 7, No. 5, P. 160.
Mr. Davie of Utica, was burned out on the 15th of March, but he promises to be in the field again shortly.
1857 December 25. The Gospel Messenger and Church Record of Western New-York. (Utica, New York.) December 25, 1857. Vol. XXXI, No. 50, P. 2.
Almost the only luxury consistent with the present hard times, is to be found in Daguerreotypes, Ambrotypes, and Photographs, which the pressure has made so cheap that few need forego them. Davie, of Devereux Block, is producing very fine specimens of his art at unexampled low prices.
N. D. Nineteenth-Century Photography An Annotated Bibliography 1839-1879. (Boston, Massachusetts.) by William S. Johnson, P. 173-175.
See for other citations.
[1] Craig’s Daguerreian Registry.
Pioneer American Photographers, 1839 - 1860 