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[Dowe's Photograph Rooms, Sycamore, Illinois]

Lewis Dowe American

March 1865

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 692

Above a bustling thoroughfare in Sycamore, Illinois, boldface lettering advertises the services of photographer Lewis Dowe, a portraitist who also published postcards and stereoviews. Easier to miss in the image is a mannequin perched above the awning to promote the studio. The flurry of activity below Dowe’s storefront and the prime location of the outfit, poised between a tailor and a saloon, speak to the important role of photography in town life.

[Dowe's Photograph Rooms, Sycamore, Illinois], Lewis Dowe (American, active 1860s–1880s), Albumen silver print from glass negative — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: [Dowe's Photograph Rooms, Sycamore, Illinois]

Artist: Lewis Dowe (American, active 1860s–1880s)

Date: March 1865

Medium: Albumen silver print from glass negative

Dimensions: Image: 5 7/8 × 7 5/8 in. (14.9 × 19.3 cm)
Sheet: 5 7/8 × 7 5/8 in. (14.9 × 19.3 cm)
Mount: 8 × 10 in. (20.3 × 25.4 cm)
Frame (approx): 14 x 17 in.

Classification: Photographs

Credit Line: William L. Schaeffer Collection, Promised Gift of Jennifer and Philip Maritz, in celebration of the Museum's 150th Anniversary

Object Number: L.2019.57.607