Printed on back: "Published by Asheville Post Card Co., Asheville, N.C." "Copyright by Florida Photo Concern" "Beautiful Florida Series" "A-31265" "C. T. American Art" "C T Co [monogram] Chicago" Postage: 1 cent US, 2 cents foreign. Band and approximate date supplied by W. C. Sturtevant.
Printed on back: "Published by J. N. Chamberlain, Miami, Fla. No. 15459 Made in Germany" Quality H L Co [? - monogram]" Handwritten message dated 3-31-11. Band and approximate date supplied by W. C. Sturtevant.
Printed on back: "Pub. by Fort Myers Book Store, Fort Myers, Fla." "113425"
Note by W. C. Sturtevant: Chicago Natural History Museum negative 45566, a photo by L. Winternitz, Ft. Myers, received November, 1921, shows the same group on the same occasion, different pose in front of an adjacent building. Band and approximate date supplied by W. C. Sturtevant.
Printed on back: "E. C. Kropp Co., Milwaukee" "12012." "96" following caption appears to be card Number, not year. Band and approximate date supplied by W. C. Sturtevant.
Original daguerreotype in hinged leather case. Daguerreotype plate marked, "CHRISTOFLE," and to the right of this is a maker's mark in form of an oval enclosing a pan balance with "C" on each side, 4 stars above and "CHRISTOFLE" below. Daguerretype cleaned by the Library of Congress at the request of the BAE before making this negative.
Biographical / Historical:
The original, belonging to Billy Bowlegs, was taken from his camp on November 19, 1857, by soldiers including Captain L.G. Lesley, and was inherited by the latter's grandson, Theodore Lesley of Tampa. See information with 42913.
Date: Original daguerreotype taken 1852.
Local Numbers:
OPPS NEG.53887
Local Note:
"Warren Thompson of Philadelphia introduced galvanizing (refers to "resilvering" or double-plated silver) to France as a part of "le procede Americain," and the firm of Christofle began to manufacture in 1851 their "scale" plates, so called because of the hallmark, a pair of scales, the government symbol for electroplated wear. "Their product was endorsed by Thompson in a letter dated March 20, 1851, which Christofle reprinted in an advertisement in the French professional photographers' magazine, La Lumiere." --Beaumont Newhall, The Daguerreotype in America, 1961, page 120.
Black and white copy negative
Restrictions:
Restriction: Not to be reproduced without Mr Lesley's permission; therefore prints are not to released by the BAE to persons who have not first secured Mr Lesley's permission. This restriction does not apply to the Smithsonian, the Library of Congress, "or any other government agency which may wish to use it for research, their publications or display." (Leslie to Sturtevant, June 24, 1963).
Theodore Lesley, 2707 Morrison Avenue, Tampa 9, Florida, letters of June 17 and 27, 1959, to WCS: According to quote from The Florida Peninsular (Tampa) of December 12, 1857, on November 19, 1857, a company of Florida Volunteers] under Captain Cone (or perhaps Captain Stephens, Captain Stewart, or Captain [L.G.] Lesley) discovered Billy Bowlegs' settlement [in the Big Cypress Swamp] where "The entire suit of King William, the invincible was secured, together with his Ambrotype, taken when he was last in Washington as Diplomatic Assistant to a celebrated contractor for removing Indians." The ambrotype was kept by Captain L. G. Lesley. About 1885 his son, Captain John T. Lesley, had a copy made. The original was subsequently lost, [original found, see Negative 53887] but the copy is in the possession of Theodore Lesley, grandson of JTL. About 1954 T. L. lent this to Mr Harry P. Kennedy of Tampa (deceased ca 1957), with the understanding that he would have one copy made, for his own use only. Burgert Brothers should not have a copy negative., according to T. L. [but it is in their file of stock views, seen by WCS 3/14/59] Information from W. C. Sturtevant 8-4-59.
Local Numbers:
OPPS NEG.42913
Local Note:
Print submitted marked on reverse: "from Theo Lesley collection," and stamped, "No. Rel 290. When ordering additional photographs please mention above negative number. Burgert Bros., House of photography, 712 Gr. Central, P. O. Box 1497, Tampa, Fla."
William C. Sturtevant, Yale U. Department of Anthropology, in letter to M.W. Stirling, April 16, 1955; refers to this photograph as follows: Seeing it I think the date written on it (1852) is probably correct. While the costume is close to that BB wore for his 1858 portraits, it is even more similar to the one shown in an engraving in the Illustrated London News, volume 22, number 623, May 21, 1853, page 396, which is from a daguerreotype by "Meade Brothers, New York," taken during the visit of BB and party to New York in 1852. However, the pictures are not the same so yours may not be by Meade. This fills a nice gap in the pictures of BB, and allows a better interpretation of this costume than was previously possible--
1956. Sturtevant points out that Bowlegs wears 3 gorgets and 1 medal in this, as in two other portraits which are definitely dated 1852, namely the one in the Illustrated London News (see above) and a (rather poor) line reproduction from Gleason's Pictorial Drawing Room Companion, Volume III, Number 17, Boston, October 23, 1852, page 257. In pictures definitely dated 1858 (see notes on card for BAE Negative 1175) he wears 1 gorget and 2 medals.