Walt Whitman by Napoleon Sarony, July 1878

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. But Sarony was famed not only for his celebrity subjects, but also for his amazing (and often bizarre) collection of settings, backdrops, and props. Apparent in this and another photo are Sarony's unconventional posing techniques. Naturally, Whitman was flattered to be asked and on July 6, 1878, sat for nine photographs. Of all of them, however, this is the most enduring, as it dramatically shows Whitman cast into the world of Sarony’s illusions. 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."