Daguerreotype view of John P. Garrett’s own studio storefront captured by the photographer himself during his brief but active period working in South Trenton near Utica, New York. Centered on a two-story clapboard commercial building, the image shows a hanging sign reading “Garrett’s Sky-Light Daguerrean Rooms” above the first floor. Beneath it, signs identify a neighboring business: “William H. Crissy” and “Stoves,” suggesting a shared structure or adjacent retail frontage.

The scene offers a rare self-referential document of a daguerreotypist’s working premises, complete with fine architectural detail and a hint of everyday street life. These kinds of business-front portraits were not commonly made or preserved, making the presence of Garrett’s own signage in a surviving daguerreotype exceptionally significant. The photograph likely functioned both as advertisement and record, placing Garrett’s rooms in the larger civic and commercial fabric of his community.

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.