Cornerspotter is a Curbed Philly feature in which we show you a historical photo of the city and you tell us where the photo was taken. The prize? Your name here along with our promise to spot you for a soft pretzel. Send your guesses to our tipline: philly@curbed.com
We absolutely love this photo from 1860. Philadelphia was an important city in the history of early imaging. Philadelphia photographer Robert Cornelius was an early pioneer of daguerreotype technology, and Center City had photo studios on almost every block in the 19th century. Other famous Philadelphia photographers included William Rau, who traveled around the world in the company of fellow photographer Edward L. Wilson, the editor of the nationaly regarded magazine The Philadelphia Photographer. In the late 19th century, the Photographic Society of Philadelphia brought Alfred Stieglitz to serve on a jury at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. We could go on—and on. It's hard to overstate the city's role in the development of this new medium, which makes us unaccountably proud.
Now: Where was this lovely photo taken?
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