Platt BABBITT Daguerreotypist Niagara Falls

Today through the website and blog I have met Richard O. Titus who is doing an extensive research project on an important photographer from the Niagara Falls area, by the name of Platt BABBITT who was active at the Falls from about 1850 to 1879.

He and his fellow collectors have located some other photos as well and I am sure Richard would be happy to share them with you. He also sent me a copy of another daguerreotype from The American Memory Project at the Library of Congress which is probably BABBITT’s best known work “Avery Stranded”. Avery was a young sand scow worker who eventually was swept over the falls in 1853. This is one of the earliest news photos known in the world of photo journalism and may be seen at the top right.

Richard owns a full plate daguerreotype done by BABBITT named “Figures at the Falls”. See a copy of the image, second down.

If anyone wants to collaborate with Richard, he intends to be in the Buffalo and Rochester area next summer to do research and he could use some help from a local genealogist. He can be reached at: [eyenet (at) Comcast (dot) net.] (You figure it out.)

Visit our new website at www.ny-genes.com . It is full of good content for research in Upstate New York.