Wordless Wednesday No. 5 Puzzle
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
My daughter, The Historian, found this photograph of Alexander Hamilton at the New York Public Library Digital Gallery. It's categorized with other famous American statesman, including photos of William Lloyd Garrison (famous abolitionist), of Robert C. Winthrop (early Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives), of Albert Gallatin (U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under President Jefferson), and a photo of the elderly John Quincy Adams.
I have but ONE question that perhaps you, dear reader, can answer....
What is wrong with this photograph?
Leave your comments.... :)
Well, since Hamilton died in 1804, I would guess that is not a REAL photo of him since I read that cameras were not in existence until about 1820.
Alas, one of the problems of looking at these images in a gallery, out of context with the work in which it was published. It is, of course, an "actor" posing as AH. This is from a large multi-volume work that included many such images. At first glance, you might think this was indeed real.....if you weren't sure of the exact dates of AH's death or of the earliest cameras.
But if you saw the photographs of "George Washington" in an earlier volume, you'd probably know for sure that they aren't the real folks!
Correct you are!!
The man posing as Hamilton is not truly Alexander Hamilton... however, he does resemble him closely. It is uncanny how much this young man resembles Hamilton. I believe he is posing in front of The Grange, Hamilton's New York home in (now) Haarlem. Could be a relative, a grandson?
This gives the impression that photography was invented during the Revolution!
He certainly would not have been wearing his uniform afterwards!
I never thought about AH never wearing his uniform again... probably correct, Tour Marm.
Glad to see your comments back at my blog! :D
