Lot 24
Lot 24
PLATT D. BABBITT (1822–1879)

Niagara Falls Through the Mist in Summer, c. 1850

Price Realised USD 12,600
Estimate
USD 20,000 - USD 25,000
Estimates do not reflect the final hammer price and do not include buyer's premium, any applicable taxes or artist's resale right. Please see the Conditions of Sale for full details.
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PLATT D. BABBITT (1822–1879)

Niagara Falls Through the Mist in Summer, c. 1850

Price Realised USD 12,600
Register
Price Realised USD 12,600
Register
Details
PLATT D. BABBITT (1822–1879)
Niagara Falls Through the Mist in Summer, c. 1850
whole-plate daguerreotype, half of a grand-parlor stereoscope, bound under heavy brass mat
Provenance
Collection of David Feigenbaum, Boston;
The David Feigenbaum Collection of Southworth & Hawes and Other 19th-Century Photographs, Sotheby's New York, 27 April 1999, lot 45;
acquired from the above by the present owner.
Brought to you by
Lillian JonsonsJunior Specialist
A Christie's specialist may contact you to discuss this lot or to notify you if the condition changes prior to the sale.View condition report

Lot Essay


Platt D. Babbitt (1822-1879) was born in Massachusetts, and was known for his photographs of Niagara Falls. He opened a gallery on Ridout Street in London, Ontario in November 1850, and advertised as an itinerant in Niagara Falls. By 1853 he was established at Niagara Falls in a pavilion, seen here, overlooking the falls from where he sold daguerreotypes and ambrotypes to visitors.

Beginning in 1854, Babbitt arranged for permission to set up his camera on the American side of Niagara Falls in an area called Prospect Point, where he made numerous views, and countless portraits of visitors. Often using whole plates, his work captured impeccable details of the misty thundering falls in all seasons.

The two full plates in the Maillet Collection were purchased in the Feigenbaum sale in 1999. Babbitt’s work can be found in the collections of the George Eastman Museum, The J. Paul Getty Museum, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
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The Maillet Daguerreotype Collection
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Condition report

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