Edward & Henry T. Anthony
Edward Anthony trained as a civil engineer before turning to photography. He was educated at Columbia University where he studied science. Anthony took an interest in photography from the time it was first introduced to the U.S. in 1839. He studied under one of the pioneers of American photograph, Samuel Morse. Helped by his sound scientific background Anthony soon became an accomplished Daguerreotype photographer.
By 1842 Anthony was able open a Daguerreotype gallery of his own in New York. The success of the gallery was rapid and he had soon made a name for himself as one of the finest photographers in the city.
The success of his gallery allowed Anthony to embark on a further business venture in 1847 by opening a store selling photographic supplies. The new field of photography was fast becoming a booming business and the new shop thrived. This new venture proved so successful that he took the decision to close his Daguerreotype gallery and concentrate on the photographic supply business only. Anthony, under pressure from increased competition, saw the need to diversify so he decided to go into the manufacture of cases to house Daguerreotypes and also boxes for cameras as well as the chemicals involved in photography. Ever the keen businessman, he also arranged for a salesman to travel the country to advertise his new lines, this again helped the business grow.
In 1852 with business still expanding he took on two partners, one of whom was his brother Henry T. Anthony, but it would not be until 1862 that Anthony would change the company name to the now familiar E. & H. T. Anthony to acknowledge his brother’s efforts.
By 1859 Anthony again saw the need to diversify so he began to produce other items associated with photography such as albums and studio items. The most important of these, however, would be his stereoscopic view cards. He himself returned to photography and began producing views of New York City and these early views proved to be very popular. He took on many photographers to produce images for his new range of stereoscopic cards and he ended up producing a large number of series of cards covering the U.S. and other locations around the world. By 1874 the company became a wholesale agent for views from other sources.
Later the increased demand for cameras led the company to produce their first camera in the 1870s. In 1883 the company produced the first American made, commercially successful instantaneous hand camera, the Schmidt Patent Detective Camera. The company would carry on but eventually would merge with the Scovill and Adams Company in 1902. The E. & H. T. Anthony Company was one of the most successful ventures in American photography.
The early Anthony images both on paper and Daguerreotypes are highly sought after by collectors because of their place in photographic history. The price can range from as little as $20 to in excess of a thousand depending upon the photographic format, subject matter and condition. The early hardware they produced is also keenly collected and the price you can expect to pay will depend on the scarcity of the item and the condition.
Reference note by p4A.com Contributing Editor Robert M. Ginns