Faces of the Past: Exploring the Remarkable Portraits of Bostonians by Southworth & Hawes in the 1850s
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Albert Sands Southworth and Josiah Johnson Hawes ran one of the most respected photography studios in mid-19th century America. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the two men built a partnership that drew in some of the city’s most prominent figures — politicians, intellectuals, and artists all sat before their camera.
Albert Sands Southworth.
Southworth and Hawes worked primarily with the daguerreotype process. This technique used a silver-plated copper plate exposed to light, producing a sharp, one-of-a-kind image. Each plate was small and fragile, requiring careful storage. Despite these limitations, the pair consistently produced portraits of exceptional clarity and detail.
Alice Mary Hawes.
Alice Mary Hawes.
Their subjects were posed in formal settings, but the results never felt stiff. Southworth and Hawes had a talent for capturing genuine personality. Faces like Ralph Waldo Emerson’s carry real presence, while portraits of children and unnamed women carry equal weight and care.
Alvin Adams.
Benjamin Seaver.
Bennet Tyler.
Calvin Ellis Stowe.
The studio’s reach went well beyond Boston’s famous names. Many of the portraits captured ordinary people — unidentified men, women, children, brides, and families. These faces are now unknown, but the images preserve their features with the same precision given to any notable subject.
An unidentified woman.
Ellen B. Bacon.
Four unidentified women.
Gentian Path, Mount Auburn Cemetery.
Southworth and Hawes also photographed locations around Boston, including Mount Auburn Cemetery. These outdoor images rounded out their body of work, showing the duo’s range beyond the formal portrait sitting.
Kevin Clark is a historian and writer who is passionate about sharing the stories and significance behind historical photos. He loves to explore hidden histories and cultural contexts behind the images, providing a unique insight into the past.
