Young America. The daguerrotypes of Southworth & Hawes.

From the "blurb" we cite:
"From 1845 to 1862, the Boston partnership of Albert Sands Southworth and Josiah Johnson Hawes maintained the most celebrated photography studio in the United States. Taking as their subjects both the greatest personalities of the day, including political activists, abolitionists, and leading artists and writers of the American Renaissance, they also took remarkable outdoor views of the newly opened Mount Auburn Cemetery, American warships in dry dock, militias mustering on the Boston Commons, and street scenes below their windows. Unlike many early practitioners, Southworth & Hawes understood fine-art theory and sought to apply such principles to their photography, achieving a degree of artistry unrivaled in their profession. Transcending the mere recording of factual detail, their daguerreotypes reflect a quintessentially American aesthetic and embody an emerging national culture and spirit.
Accompanying a traveling exhibition of the same title, Young America is the most significant publication to date on Southworth & Hawes, featuring over 150 full-scale color reproductions as well as nearly 2,000 additional black-and-white illustrations. Edited by Grant B. Romer, Director of the Advanced Program in Photography Conservation at George Eastman House, and Brian Wallis, Director of Exhibitions and Chief Curator at the International Center of Photography, it includes critical analyses of the historical and cultural importance of the work of Southworth & Hawes by noted scholars in the field. Appendices include a chronology, an annotated bibliography, an exploration of the daguerreotype process, and a Southworth & Hawes family genealogy, making this catalogue an invaluable resource for researchers as well as general readers."