At the beginning of July 1878, Whitman was invited by Napoleon Sarony to sit for a group of portraits. Perhaps the first American “celebrity photographer,” Sarony made much of his money selling portraits of famous figures from New York’s burgeoning theater scene, including Sarah Bernhardt, whom Sarony paid $1,500 for the rights to their session. From the mid-1870s to the early 1880s, he also photographed a number of well-known authors, including a famous session with Oscar Wilde during his tour of America in January 1882. Naturally, Whitman was flattered to be asked and on July 6, 1878, sat for nine photographs. Whitman wrote Harry Stafford on the afternoon after the sitting at "the great photographic establishment" at 37 Union Square that he "had a real pleasant time" (nyp.00407).
For more information on Napoleon Sarony, see "Notes on Whitman's Photographers."
Photographer: Sarony, Napoleon, 1821–1896
Date: 1878
Technique: photograph
Place: New York (N.Y.)
Subject: Whitman, Walt, 1819-1892 | New York (N.Y.)
Creator of master digital image: New York Public Library, Oscar Lion Collection
Rights: Public Domain. This image may be reproduced without permission.
Work Type: digital image
Date: ca. 1995–ca. 2000