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- Portrait of Mr. Thurston, a Gold Miner, circa 1850 - The daguerreotype, popular in the early 1840s-late 1850s, was the first form of photography available to the public. Sheets of silver-plated copper--polished to a mirror finish--were bathed in photosensitive vapors, and exposed in cameras. In formal studios and traveling booths, photographers created affordable portraits. For the first time, people saw their likenesses--fixed permanently in time and place.
- circa 1850
- Collections - Artifact
Portrait of Mr. Thurston, a Gold Miner, circa 1850
The daguerreotype, popular in the early 1840s-late 1850s, was the first form of photography available to the public. Sheets of silver-plated copper--polished to a mirror finish--were bathed in photosensitive vapors, and exposed in cameras. In formal studios and traveling booths, photographers created affordable portraits. For the first time, people saw their likenesses--fixed permanently in time and place.
- The Miner's Ten Commandments, 1853 - Englishman James H. Hutchings immigrated to California during the gold rush. Finding success, he authored these rules to live by for miners also looking to make a fortune. Later, lured by stories of breathtaking scenery, Hutchings became one of the first settlers in the Yosemite Valley and would eventually advocate for the creation of Yosemite National Park.
- 1853
- Collections - Artifact
The Miner's Ten Commandments, 1853
Englishman James H. Hutchings immigrated to California during the gold rush. Finding success, he authored these rules to live by for miners also looking to make a fortune. Later, lured by stories of breathtaking scenery, Hutchings became one of the first settlers in the Yosemite Valley and would eventually advocate for the creation of Yosemite National Park.