$8,050
"Governor Boutwell and His Council, 1852," whole-plate copy-daguerreotype, attributed to John Adams Whipple, Boston, with gilt paper mat and black-painted glass, 15 x 13 in. , in ebonized frame. N.B. The image depicts Governor George Boutwell seated at an elevated table, flanked by two standing gentlemen, possibly secretaries, and ten seated gentlemen at two tables, presumably the nine Council members and Lt. Governor Henry Cushman. John Adams Whipple (1822-1891), born in Grafton, Massachusetts, as was Governor Boutwell, became involved in the daguerrian art very early and soon established himself as both a fine photographer and innovator. Whereas Southworth & Hawes were reknowned for their individual and small group studies, Whipple was the artist to choose for group shots. Indeed, Whipple even advertised the fact that he had made this very image. The frame and mat are also known on other Whipple images. Provenance: Albert Gallatin Browne (1805-1885), thence by descent. Born in Salem, Browne was involved in the family ships chandlery business, and was active in the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association, the Emancipation League of Boston, and the anti-slavery Liberty Party. He was elected to the Governor's Executive Council in 1852, serving a one year term. During the Civil War he worked for the U.S. Treasury Department acquiring captured and abandoned property in the South. Browne appears to be the gentleman at the far right. Literature: THE AMERICAN DAGUERREOTYPE, Read more…
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2001-03-31
