P1999-13 s - Daguerreotype portrait

Josiah Johnson Hawes (1808-1901) was an American photographer who played a major role in the development of photography in the 19th century. Born on 20 February 1808 in East Sudbury, Massachusetts (now Wayland), he became known for his pioneering work in the field of daguerreotypy. With his business partner Albert Sands Southworth, Hawes ran a successful photographic studio in Boston from the mid-1840s to the early 1860s. The duo is best known for their high-quality portraits, often made using the daguerreotype process, a photographic technique invented by Louis Daguerre in 1839. Hawes and Southworth were innovative in their approach, experimenting with lighting and posing techniques to create striking and expressive portraits. They gained a reputation for capturing the personalities of their subjects, making their studio one of the most sought-after photographic establishments of the day. In addition to their commercial work, Hawes and Southworth made important contributions to the technical aspects of photography. They experimented with photographic processes and published The Receipt Book of Professor Blot, a manual of their methods and techniques. Josiah Johnson Hawes lived a long and productive life and died on 7 August 1901 in Crawford Notch, New Hampshire. His legacy endures through his contributions to the early days of photography and his influential collaboration with Albert Sands Southworth. The work of Hawes and Southworth is still admired and studied today for its artistic and technical significance in the history of photography.