[EARLY PHOTOGRAPHY]. BALL, James Presley (1825-1904), photographer. Sixth plate daguerreotype of two women. Cincinnati, Ohio.

Sixth plate seated portrait of two lovely young women, each wearing a brooch and long chain. (Tarnishing along edge, minor spotting to upper portion; resealed.) Housed in a full pressed paper case with girl scattering flowers motif on both covers (surface wear). Velvet pad marked for Ball. Portions of original seals present in case behind image.

James Presley Ball (1825-1904) is one of the most renowned African American photographers, at one point owning the largest photographic gallery west of the Appalachians. When visiting White Sulphur Springs, Virginia in 1845 he met John B. Bailey, an African American Daguerreotypist from Boston where he acquired the passion and skill of photography. He opened a studio in Cincinnati later that year, and though it was unsuccessful, he continued his art with studios in Pittsburgh and Richmond and traveled as an itinerant Daguerreotypist. In 1849, he reopened a studio in Cincinnati. He hired his younger brother Thomas Ball to work as an operator, and in 1852 hired his future brother-in-law Alexander Thomas to work with him. By 1857, their gallery was one of the grandest in the United States attracting notables including Frederick Douglass. In 1887 Ball was chosen as the official photographer of a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation held in Minneapolis-St. Paul. In 1888, he moved to Helena, Montana with his son where he operated a studio for several years before moving again in 1892 to Seattle.

Sally Anyan, The Daguerreian Society Past President