Early Photography Ad from 1850
This beautifully preserved broadside advertisement from 1850 offers “splendid Daguerreotype Miniatures, in every style by E.S. Hayden.” Held in the collections of the Library of Congress, it’s printed on one side only at approximately 10.2 x 12.25 inches or 26 x 31 cm.
Gaps in the printed text left room for a handwritten address locations where locals could have portraits made.
I wasn’t able to learn much about this particular E.S. Hayden. He may (or may not) have been part of the family that helped establish Holmes, Booth and Haydens Company, but the fit would make sense because that company manufactured cases, mats, and plates used in making Daguerreotype photographs. Company co-founder Hiram W. Hayden was himself a Daguerreotype photographer.
Hiram Hayden fathered a prominent son named Edward Simeon Hayden, but since he was born in 1851, the timeline makes his association with this 1850 broadside impossible.
E.S. Hayden remains a mystery. He doesn’t show up on Find-a-Grave, and with the tantalizing exception of this advertisement, he doesn’t appear in the holdings of the Library of Congress.
Discover more from Shadows and Light
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.