The daguerreotypist James Presley (J.P.) Ball born in 1825 in Virginia, probably a freeman. As a young man he learned daguerreotyping and opened his first studio in Cincinnati at age twenty. The city was a center for anti-slavery activity as well as the photographic arts, and Ball became a leader in both. He wrote and published a pamphlet depicting the horrors of slavery to accompany a large panorama in his gallery, and served as the official photographer for a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. By the 1850s, his business had achieved tremendous success. Frederick Douglass, Jenny Lind, and the orator, Henry H. Garnet, among other notables, sought out his services, he became quite affluent. Continue reading here.
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Hello, my name is Elise McCune and I live in Australia. I am trying to trace the idendity of a photo taken by Ball in 1847. It is a half-length portrait seated with left arm resting on table with tablecloth. Created 1847 by James Presley Ball.It is of a striking woman with dark hair parted in the middle and wearing earrings and what looks like beaded braclets which are the same on each arm or it could be beaded cuffs. Any information would be appreciated. elisemccune@ymail.com is my email address...thank you
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