Lively commercial block sixth plate daguerreotype by John P. Garrett, a daguerreotypist working in South Trenton, New York, just outside Utica, between 1859 and 1860. The view encompasses a long stretch of storefronts with multiple legible business signs, most notably a bold “IRON & STEEL HARDWARE” painted across the upper façade of a brick commercial building. Below and to the right, signs for “PLATT & FOOTE” and others identify mercantile occupants, creating an unusually rich and documentable slice of mid-19th century small-town commerce.

Shadows, architecture, and signage suggest the photograph was taken in the Utica region, where Garrett is known to have operated. The street features wooden awnings, window displays, and several visible pedestrians, all captured in the crisp stillness unique to the daguerreian process. The mat is hand-cut, further underscoring its one-off nature. Examples of street views by Garrett are exceedingly rare, and this composition, filled with researchable business names, offers strong regional and historical interest for collectors of early American photography.

Provenance and Context for the Garrett Daguerreotypes

The remarkable group of daguerreotypes offered here originate directly from the Garrett family holdings and were first dispersed in the 1970s, when they changed hands a couple of times before being acquired by noted early photography collector Yann Mailett. Held privately since that time, the collection was recently sold by Mailett as a single lot and is now being offered for the first time as individual items. The grouping represents a rare and cohesive visual record of mid-19th century life and architecture near Utica, New York, as documented by John P. Garrett, a little-known daguerreian active in South Trenton circa 1859–1860.

From the internal evidence within the collection, a compelling narrative emerges connecting Garrett to Stephen S. Rounds, a better-documented Utica photographer. Two daguerreotypes in the group feature the same corner building, with signs in the windows identifying it first as Rounds’ skylight daguerrean rooms and later as Garrett’s. The consistent angle and architectural features confirm the transition of ownership and operation from Rounds to Garrett around 1859, matching the dates found in period directories. While Rounds operated at 162 Genesee Street from 1856 to 1861, Garrett’s brief tenure as a photographer appears to coincide precisely with his acquisition of the studio.

The images preserved by the Garrett family span street scenes, vernacular architecture, commercial buildings, and private residences, many of which bear hallmarks of a professional’s hand—clear focus, balanced compositions, and even experimentation with color tinting. Taken together, they form an invaluable record of a rural New York photographer whose work bridges the professional lineage of the region’s photographic history, now illuminated through these surviving works.