The Evolution of Photography: With a Chronological Record of Discoveries, Inventions, Etc., Contributions to Photographic Literature, and Personal Reminescences Extending over Forty YearsWerge, John, active 1854-1890
History
The Evolution of Photography: With a Chronological Record of Discoveries, Inventions, Etc., Contributions to Photographic Literature, and Personal Reminescences Extending over Forty Years
Werge, John, active 1854-1890
Photography -- History
Messrs. Mead Brothers, Samuel Root, James Cady, and George Adams ought
to receive "honourable mention" in connection with the art in New York,
for they were excellent operators in the Daguerreotype days, and all
were equally good manipulators of the collodion process and silver
printing.
After casting and sounding about, like a mariner seeking a haven on a
strange coast, I finally decided on buying a half interest in the
gallery of Mead Brothers, 805, Broadway; Harry Mead retaining his, or
his wife's share of the business, but leaving me to manage the "uptown"
branch. This turned out to be an unfortunate speculation, which involved
me in a lawsuit with one of Mead's creditors, and compelled me to get
rid of a very unsatisfactory partner in the best way and at any cost
that I could. Mead's creditor, by some process of law that I could never
understand, stripped the gallery of all that belonged to my partner, and
even put in a claim for half of the fixtures. Over this I lost my
temper, and had to pay, not the piper, but the lawyer. I also found that
Mrs. Henry Mead had a bill of sale on her husband's interest in the
business, which I ended by buying her out. Husband and wife are very
seldom one in America. Soon after getting the gallery into my own hands,
refurnishing and rearranging, the Prince of Wales's visit to New York
was arranged, and as the windows of my gallery commanded a good view of
Broadway, I let most of them very advantageously, retaining the use of
one only for myself and family. There were so many delays, however, at
the City Hall and other places on the day of the procession, that it was
almost dark when the Prince reached 805, Broadway, and all my guests
were both weary of waiting so long, and disappointed at seeing so little
of England's future King.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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