We have brokered a deal between Matthew R. Isenburg of Hadlyme, Connecticut and the Archive of Modern Conflict in Toronto (AMC Toronto) sending the Matthew R. Isenburg Collection of Photography to Toronto. AMC Toronto was represented by their agent, Neil MacDonald. The Matthew R. Isenburg Collection is considered the finest private collection of American photography extant encompassing photographs and ephemera, cameras and equipment, with an extensive library including manuscripts. It also has an international flavor including original manuals by Daguerre, two full plate daguerreotypes from Canada and a United Kingdom diary including an early daguerreotype housed in a China import box.

Highlights of the collection include a magnificent hand-carved and painted eagle with a wingspan of over eight feet with a whole plate daguerreotype of the Warren Light Guard as its centerpiece. Several of the soldiers pictured were amongst the first casualties in the American Civil War. There are more than fifty Gold Rush daguerreotypes and dozens of Gold Rush letters, lots of ephemera related to the Gold Rush including a painting, broadsides and sheet music. The early American camera collection is unparalleled, and includes mercury baths and chemical bottles with original labels. There are dozens of whole plate daguerreotypes by the elite daguerreian firm Southworth & Hawes including four whole plate stereo pairs. The Southworth & Hawes collection includes their partnership agreement, a posing chair and family albums. There is a half plate daguerreotype of the U.S. Capitol and a daguerreotype of Billy Bowlegs (Seminole ‘Alligator Chief’.) There are examples of Mother-of-Pearl daguerreotype cases in every size. The collection is simply unparalleled.

AMC Toronto should be universally commended for this transaction for their intent is to keep the Matthew R. Isenburg Collection intact. Their foresight in acquiring such an extensive collection is a bold and brilliant move and one that will have lasting impact.