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Members may access the latest Quarterly from the Quarterly and Newsletter Archive page in the site's members-only section. The "compact" version is suitable for reading on screen or printing at home.
Inside this issue...
By Ron Coddington
On behalf of the Society's Board and Publications Committee, I am excited to announce the launch of a refreshed design for The Daguerreian Society Quarterly. This effort honors our publication’s rich legacy while introducing a cleaner, more contemporary look to better serve our members and mission.
A Brief History
The Daguerreian Society Quarterly traces its origins to shortly after the Society’s incorporation as a nonprofit in 1999. Initially a newsletter published six times a year, it evolved into a quarterly publication in 2007 to balance workload and costs. Under the leadership of dedicated editors – including Mark Johnson and most recently Stephen Perloff – the Quarterly has remained focused on advancing the understanding and appreciation of daguerreotypes and other early photographs, while fostering community among our members.
New Logo & Color Palette: The redesigned cover features our actual Society logo with "Quarterly" enlarged for emphasis and a sophisticated black and gold color scheme drawn from our website, replacing the prior white background for a richer, more distinctive appearance.
Simplified, Modern Layout: The Quarterly now uses streamlined typefaces and a cleaner layout with less competing text, ensuring images take center stage.
Updated Tagline: Our cover proudly carries a pithier tagline, "For 19th-Century Photography", underscoring our dedication to all forms of 19th-century photographic art – not solely daguerreotypes.
Cover Image Presentation: We are committed to presenting cover images as complete objects whenever possible, respecting the integrity of original works. For stereographs, preference will be given to showing a single side of the card mount rather than both halves.
Throughout this process, we discussed the balance between cropped versus full-frame images and the challenges of horizontal group photographs, including two-page spreads. Our focus remains on preserving image quality and respecting original artworks. As a result, we will refine submission guidelines and encourage higher-resolution scans to maintain the highest standard. We also aim to avoid overprinting text on images whenever possible.
Recognizing that our membership largely views the Quarterly in print or on desktop devices rather than phones, we are prioritizing single-page PDF designs for digital readers. We acknowledge the limitations of horizontal images and group photo spreads, and will approach these thoughtfully to ensure clarity and visual appeal.
This redesign marks an exciting step forward in modernizing The Daguerreian Society Quarterly while preserving the spirit that has guided it for over two decades. The Publication Committee's thoughtful discussions brought this vision to life.
We'd love to hear what you think. Please email any feedback to the Publications Committee at info@daguerreiansociety.org.
Members' favorites (5 pages worth!)
By George Whiteley
It is with great sadness that my wife Sue and I learned of the passing of Sally Anyan today. We met Sally through the Daguerreian Society and she was instantly likable. Her equal passions for early photography – especially daguerreian jewelry – and classical music were infectious to all who knew her. She always wore a smile and was ready to help with whatever needed to be done for the Society, especially with organizing our annual Symposiums. She was good at it too, and between her and Diane Filippi, they got things rolling!
Sally Anyan shows a daguerreotype at the 2014 Daguerreian Society Symposium in Austin, Texas.
Sally and I became good friends when she was vice president (2009-2013) and later president (2013) and chair (2014) of the Daguerreian Society. She was instrumental in getting me involved with the Symposium when it was held in Atlanta in 2010, and in my becoming a board member at that time. She worked tirelessly to get things accomplished and was always pleasant when doing so. She was a joy to work with while on the board.
I had several occasions to visit with Sally and Richard Titus at their home in Maryland. On one of those visits, I discovered that we both were living only a couple of miles apart in Erlangen, Germany at the same time during the late 1960s. She was a teacher, and I was in the military at that time. Regrettably, we never met there but subsequently shared our adventures.
Along with being a fellow Daguerreian Society officer and friend, Sally was an astute collector who continually purchased select images and pieces of photographic jewelry from me and Sue. We were always thrilled to have her be the next steward of things we loved, and I don't know who was more excited about those transactions between us. Sally had a good eye!
It was truly unfortunate that Sally suffered a series of strokes that were life-changing. When we last visited her, she could speak very little, but we could tell by the twinkles in her eyes that she knew who we were and seemed at peace. Sally will be missed by all who took the time to know her. She was a credit to the Daguerreian Society with her enthusiasm, energy and professionalism.
For more on Sally's life, see her obituary. _____________________ George Whiteley is a current and founding member of The Daguerreian Society.
Propose a talk on 19th-century photography for The Daguerreian Society Symposium, September 25-27 at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut.
Based on member feedback, there’s interest in a wide range of subjects, including:
Please keep in mind:
To submit your idea for a Symposium presentation, email a summary, estimated running time, and 3 to 5 sample images to diane_dagsoc@comcast.net.
See you in Hartford!
The Daguerreian Society is introducing a new column for its Quarterly, titled “Lab Notes.” In the tradition of the original photographic journals of the 1850s, the publication's editorial board is soliciting images and questions from daguerreian artists related to materials and methods.
For the lead-off column, Society President Dr. Mike Robinson has submitted this half-plate daguerreotype, and will describe the technical details of its creation. He made it to explore galvanizing methods. Society members will be able to read all about it in the next Quarterly.
The remainder of the column will print questions from the field about materials and methods. Daguerreian Society members will be encouraged to submit a question or reply. Answers submitted will be reviewed and published in the next Quarterly.
To encourage participation, the names of people who submit images, questions, and answers will be dropped into a hat for one to be selected. The winning name will win this daguerreotype. You must be a member of the Daguerreian Society to participate. Send your images, questions, and answers via the Contact us page on the website.
In preparation for our Symposium & Photo Fair this fall in Hartford, Connecticut, the Daguerreian Society is now accepting high-quality consignments and donations for its annual Benefit Auction, to be held September 27 during the conference.
An exceptional daguerreotype that sold at a recent Daguerreian Society auction for $32,500 (hammer price).
We invite you to take part in this exciting event, whether you’re a member of the Society or someone who wants to participate through consigning or donating one or more great images.
We especially seek consignments that will realize a hammer price of $2,000 or more.
Your property will be featured in a small, curated auction and marketed to private collectors and institutions worldwide.
The auction will be held LIVE during the Symposium and broadcast for internet bidding globally. The Society offers an extremely competitive consignment fee.
Consignment deadline: July 15.
Questions? Contact auction@daguerreiansociety.org.
Click here to propose consignments.
For U.S. donors: The Daguerreian Society is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.
The Daguerreian Society’s 2024 Symposium in Houston was filled with memorable moments. One of the highlights:
Society member Jeff Rosenheim, Curator in Charge of the Department of Photographs at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, gave attendees an exclusive advance look at the fabulous collection assembled by Society member William L. Schaeffer. The collection, recently acquired by the Met, will be on exhibit in the show “The New Art: American Photography, 1839–1910” April 11–July 20, 2025.
Society member Jeff Rosenheim, Curator in Charge of the Department of Photographs at the Met, delivers the keynote talk on “The New Art: American Photography, 1839–1910” at the 2024 Symposium in Houston.
For a limited time, members of The Daguerreian Society can view Jeff Rosenheim’s entire talk, and all of the presentations from the 2024 Symposium, free of charge. Click here to access the Video Archive: https://www.DaguerreianSociety.org/Video-Archive
And mark your calendar now for the 2025 Daguerreian Society Symposium & Photo Fair in Hartford, Connecticut, September 25–27. Click here to learn more! https://www.DaguerreianSociety.org/Symposium
Click here to join the Society: https://www.DaguerreianSociety.org/Join
Members may access the latest Quarterly from the Quarterly and Newsletter Archive page in the site's members-only section. The "compact" version is suitable for reading on screen or printing at home. The "print-quality" version is much larger and designed for high-quality printing.
Photography curator and longtime member Malcolm Daniel discusses 19th-century photo highlights at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. (Photo by Terry Alphonse)
The Daguerreian Society would like to gratefully acknowledge the curators and staff who helped make our private visits to institutional collections such a resounding success at this year's Symposium in Houston.
At the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, our host institution: Malcolm Daniel, Christine Gervais, Raquel Carrera, Toshiaki Koseki, and Melanie Fahey.
At the Nau Civil War Collection: Sally Anne Schmidt and her team.
At the San Jacinto Museum and Battleground Alexis Stephens, Cecilia Abad, and Lisa Struthers, who joined forces with local member and sponsor Curt Robbins to create a special exhibit of early Texas-related photographs.
At the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, which contributed to the San Jacinto special exhibit: James Anderson and Lisa Meisch.
Thank you for sharing your treasure-packed collections with us! You made our annual gathering even more enriching and memorable.
MFAH Curator of Decorative Arts Christine Gervais leads a tour focused on the museum’s 19th-century American painting, sculpture, and decorative arts. (Photo by Terry Alphonse)
Curator Sally Anne Schmidt, second from left, discusses the Nau Civil War Collection with past President Mike Medhurst as other tour-goers take in the treasures. (Photo by David S. Fondiller)
Alexis Stephens, Cecilia Abad, and Lisa Struthers at the San Jacinto Museum and Battleground.
James Anderson and Lisa Meisch from the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, which contributed to the San Jacinto special exhibit.
The Society regularly organizes educational programs exploring various aspects of the history, technology, art, and preservation of 19th-century photography.
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