Say cheese! August 19 marks World Photography Day, a “celebration of the art, craft, science and history of photography.” Believe it or not, modern photography is only about 200 years old, but in that time, it has grown from a slow and complex chemical process to a largely digital medium. Today, people regularly carry a camera with hundreds of photos tucked in their pockets, and humans have been able to take pictures of objects as small as atoms and as giant as galactic clusters.
Another aspect of photography is historical, and the library has that covered too! Alongside a vast index of historical newspapers in Regional Business News and a collection of postcards in NJ Historic Postcard Images Collection, we also have a photograph collection that’s available for use by the public. The collection features notable people, places and events around Burlington County, as well as genealogical donations that include well-known surnames from the area. If you are interested in using our photo collection for family or local history research, simply stop by the reference desk at the Burlington County Library to inquire about these hidden treasures. These are just a small sampling of Burlington County history that can be found in our New Jersey Room!
Back before smartphones made selfies routine, getting your picture taken was an occasion in itself. Early photography was labor and time intensive, so much so that it made portrait taking practically impossible; no one could keep still long enough! But by the 1860s a series of innovations meant that photography was available to the masses, with cartes des visites (CdVs) becoming the most popular form. French for “visiting card” these small photos were cheap to produce and easily duplicated, and became a true global craze after Napoleon III’s visit to an Italian photo studio in 1859. CdVs were not only given to family and friends, but jump started American celebrity culture with people seeking to collect images of the country’s most famous individuals including President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist Sojourner Truth.
Photography studios like Swaim’s allowed the citizens of Burlington County to join in the craze, which only grew with the onset of the Civil War. Before departing for the battlefield countless soldiers had their portraits taken and given to loved ones to remember them by. The New Jersey State Archives has an example of Swaim’s handiwork in this portrait of QM Samuel Reed of the 1st NJ Volunteers.
