American Historical Ephemera & Photography

Seated portrait of a well-dressed gentleman with slight sideburns (tarnishing to edges, some clouding and discoloration to image, with wipe marks to left side). -- Portrait of a seated older man wearing a vest with geometric design, posed affectionately with a young lady, standing, likely his daughter or granddaughter (tarnishing to edges, some wipe marks and other blemishes, retains great clarity and contrast). -- Seated portrait of a gentleman, nearly in profile, with a voluminous hairstyle and holding a book open on his lap (tarnishing to edges, light clouding/spotting). -- Seated portrait of a middle-aged woman posed affectionately with a young girl (tarnishing to edges, some spotting to image). -- Seated portrait of a young woman and a young girl, perhaps the same young girl as featured in the last portrait. The young girl has the ribbon of her hat around one arm and the straps of her small pouch purse around the other (tarnishing to edges, significant clouding/spotting to plate). -- Seated portrait of two young adult ladies, who appear to be sisters (tarnishing to edges, some spotting, retaining good contrast and clarity for the most part). -- Painted portrait of a woman wearing a lace cloth on her head (tarnishing to edges spotting/clouding throughout). -- Indiscernable image due to heavy deterioration. -- Together, 8 half plate daguerreotype portraits connected to the Ellis/Boyd family of Baltimore. Some still attached to velvet mat, others loose and unsealed; previously held together in a large wall frame that has been dismantled (not included here).

Backing paper from frame is present, though torn into many pieces, retaining inscribed identities of the sitters, though we cannot confirm which identity belongs to which sitter. The inscribed identities include: "Great Grandfather Boyd & daughter / Aunt Jennie Ballantine." -- "Great Grandmother Boyd Maiden Name Sara Craig of ManchesterEngland." -- "Grandma Ellis & Uncle Sammy Ellis (Mama's Brother)." --"Grandpa Ellis & Mama." -- "Alexander Ellis Grandpa Ellis' Half Brother." -- "Aunt Sallie Ricketts Aunt Margaret Bell, nee Boyd." -- "Aunt Mary Burl & Mama Grandpa Ellis' Half Sister."

Ancestry research returned a photocopy of a manuscript naturalization ledger (Registry of Aliens, V.1-3 1816-1828), featuring a declaration entry for John Boyd (the same "Great Grandfather Boyd" referred to above): "Baltimore 14 December 1818 / John Boyd a free white alien aged Thirty [?] that he was born in the lingshire in Scotland, that he arrived at the Port of Baltimore in the month of August 1817 owes allegiance to the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland that he migrated from Scotland and that he intends residing in the city of Balto."

John Boyd (1786-1871) married Sarah Craig (1794-1836) in Mancester on 8 September 1816. Two years later, they migrated to the United States, settling in Baltimore, where both of them were eventually laid to rest. Sallie Boyd Ricketts (1826-1899), the same "Aunt Sallie Ricketts" referred to above, likely one of the young ladies in the portrait of two sisters, was married to a Wesley Ricketts, and they lived in Baltimore until their deaths as well.