Welcome to my personal photograph collection.

These original photographs are NOT for sale.

Do you need 'one time use' of Alaska historical photographs for your research or publication?
For a fee I will provide access (like a stock photo agency) to the images in my extensive private collection, which is particularly strong in Alaska photographs from the 1870's through the 1880's.
Many of these important images have been acquired over a lifetime of intensive collecting, and can be found nowhere else.
The fee depends on what you need the image for or the nature of the publication.

As time permits I will add the titles of images in my collection. I have especially strong holdings of Brodeck, Ingersoll, Partridge, Davidson, McIntyre, Broadbent, Continent Stereoscopic, etc.

Ambrotypes

A magnificent ninth plate ambrotype of clipper ship captain James Downie, who commanded the opium clipper Chinaman. He was born circa 1820 and died in 1868. Captain James Downie was from Rosehearty, Aberdeen, Scotland, and is buried in Hong Kong.

An important 6th plate ambrotype of a New Bedford sailor (he is wearing earrings). The brass mat is stamped "C. E. Hawes, New Bedford." The man is in his twenties or thirties and is probably either an African American, an American Indian (Wampanoag?), or a Cape Verde Native. I'm leaning towards a Cape Verde Native. Either way it is an important early whaling image. Circa 1855-1860. At the right is detail of his face.

Quarter plate ambrotype of four men and a woman, of part of the Jonathan Coomer family of Newfane Ohio. Identified on the back of the ambrotype are B. G. Coomer, David Coomer, G. M. Coomer (or J. M. Coomer), A. H. Coomer, and Sabra D. Coomer. An associated daguerreotype is listed on my daguerreotypes page.

Ninth plate ambrotype of Alfred Townsend in a nice Cutting’s Patent ambrotype case. His letters are at the Vermont Historical Society: https://vermonthistory.org/documents/findaid/townsend.pdf
From the Vermont Historical Society:
"Alfred’s letters, covering 1827-1874, are most interesting. He worked in Boston thanks to Elmer finding him a job by 1827, but he was plagued with ill health, perhaps tuberculosis. By 1831 he was in Windsor, Vermont, as a tailor’s apprentice. His January 11, 1833, letter to his parents spoke of Albert’s poor behavior and business failure in Bellows Falls. Later, in 1835, when he and Albert were in Georgia, he wrote his sisters telling them not to mention Albert’s past problems. Then in 1836 he wrote a long letter home about Albert’s wild dissipation and the fact he had given up trying to correct him. He wrote well of the hostility of the Indians in western Georgia, and the Seminole uprising in Florida. By 1837 he was in business in Carthage, Mississippi, and spoke of what a sorry lot the whites were, with their knife fights, etc., and how peaceable the Choctaw were, though liquor-prone. He had mood swings, from feeling business would prosper to discouragement after the depression of 1837-1838, and his being swindled by his partner. Evidently brother Albert lost money when Alfred failed. His first trip north was in 1844. A May 6, 1845, letter described Albert’s death. These twins must have had a rocky relationship! By Christmas of 1845 Alfred had married the seventeen-year-old sister of Albert’s widow, though another source had said Albert never married. By 1851 he had moved to Texas, farming on property of his wife’s family, owning a slave family, expecting to restore his economic status. By 1853 he had moved to Louisiana, always optimistic for the future but always facing hard times. Often he wrote north of how he would send financial aid, but not yet. A November 21, 1853 letter spoke of the treatment of slaves, that they were mostly content, that he hoped slavery would end but was sure that the Abolitionists were wrong in their approach. His letter of April 8, 1861, explained why he was opposed to Lincoln, wanted Bell and Everett elected, but that he would support the Confederacy in spite of the hard economic times. Evidently there were no exchanges of letters north during the war, for the next letter was in June of 1865, asking his parents if they were still alive. In August of 1865 he said he had just learned of his brother William’s death, the year before, even though both lived in Louisiana. He spoke of the poverty William’s family faced, as much of their wealth had been in slaves. By 1868 he had moved to Texas again, to farm, with his son attending Baylor, but the last letter, from his daughter and wife, describe his death. He had a long but not very successful career."

Sixth plate ambrotype portrait (2 3/4 by 3 1/4 inches) of Captain George W. McNear (1836-1872), son of Captain Baker McNear. Captain George W. McNear was master of the ship Sardis when he died in Hong Kong at the young age of 35. Captain George W. McNear was the cousin of George W. McNear, the California "wheat king" and C-H Sugar man.

Quarter plate ambrotype portrait of Commodore Charles Stewart (1778 – 1869). From his wiki page: "During the War of 1812, Stewart commanded, successively, USS Argus, USS Hornet, and USS Constellation. Since Constellation was closely blockaded in Norfolk by the British, he took command of the USS Constitution at Boston in 1813. He made two brilliant cruises in her between 1813 and 1815.
Under Stewart's command, Constitution captured HMS Cyane and HMS Levant on 20 February 1815. The Treaty of Ghent had been ratified by the United States government three days earlier but both sides in the battle were unaware of that event. By capturing two British warships with a single ship of his own, Stewart became a national hero and was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal on 22 February 1816. He was also admitted as an honorary member of the Pennsylvania Society of the Cincinnati in the same year."

Half plate ambrotype portrait of Thomas Holden Bowker (1807-1885) and Miles Brabbin Bowker (1805-1864). Their father was Miles Bowker. They were members of their father's party of 23 South Africa settlers on the Weymouth in 1820. There were eight Bowker children. The settlers originated from Wiltshire. Departed London, 7 January 1820. Arrived Table Bay, Cape Town on 16 April 1820. Final Port - Algoa Bay, Port Elizabeth 15 May 1820.

Miles Brabbin Bowker, served throughout the wars of 1835-36, 1846-47, and 1851-52.

Thomas Holden Bowker, J.P., M.L.A., served on the Fikani expedition in 1828, served as an officer in the Graham's Town Native Infantry in the war of 1835-36, and served through that of 1846-47, commanding old Kafir Drift post until close of the war. After Resident Magistrate of Kat River, defended Whittlesea during the greater part of the war of 1851-52. He drew up a plan for the defence of the Frontier, which he submitted to His Excellency Sir George Cathcart, Governor, and was partly carried out in the formation of the district of Queen's Town, which town he founded, preventing Kafir incursions for many years. He was further engaged in the greater part of the action taken along the upper Kei border against Kreli, and was in 1872 appointed member and Secretary of the Land Commission on the Diamond Fields. He was many years in Parliament, representing the electoral districts of Albany, Victoria East, and Queen's Town.

for info please email me at dick@AlaskaWanted.com

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