Platt D. Babbitt (May 22, 1822 – August 21, 1879) was an American photographer best known for his photographs in the area of

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York (s ...

. His photographs captured people standing near the edge overlooking the falls. He also photographed wintery scenery in the area.

Life and work

Babbitt was born in

Lanesborough, Massachusetts Lanesborough is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,038 at the 2020 census. History One of the first Berkshire communities ...

. He opened a gallery on Ridout Street in

London, Ontario London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...

in November 1850. He advertised as an itinerant in Niagara Falls. By 1853 he was established at Niagara Falls, NY, in a pavilion overlooking the falls from where he sold

daguerreotype Daguerreotype was the first publicly available photography, photographic process, widely used during the 1840s and 1850s. "Daguerreotype" also refers to an image created through this process. Invented by Louis Daguerre and introduced worldwid ...

s and

ambrotype The ambrotype, also known as a collodion positive in the UK, is a positive photograph on glass made by a variant of the wet plate collodion process. As a cheaper alternative to the French daguerreotype, ambrotypes came to replace them. Like a ...

s to visitors. His photographs captured people standing near the edge overlooking the falls. He also photographed wintery scenery in the area. Babbitt photographed Joseph Avery on July 17, 1853 holding onto a log in the rapids above the falls. Avery was one of three men who lost their boat in the current. As the boat capsized, two of the men went over the falls and died, but Avery was able to hold on to a log pinned amongst rocks for 18 hours before succumbing after a series of failed rescue attempts.The Blue and Gray in Black and White: A History of Civil War Photography
by Bob Zeller pages 11, 12 Babbitt continued in business until his death in 1879. His work includes glass stereo view images. Newspaper accounts report that he also made diapositive "window hanger" images. At least one of his stereo negatives is credited on an Anthony paper stereo view. He corresponded with

Southworth & Hawes Southworth & Hawes was an early photographic firm in Boston, 1843–1863. Its partners, Albert Sands Southworth (1811–1894) and Josiah Johnson Hawes (1808–1901), have been hailed as the first great American masters of photography, whose wor ...

and purchased one or two of their parlor stereoscopes.Platt D. Babbitt
Luminous Lint Photographer George Barker worked for Babbitt in

Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagar ...

. The '' Niagara Falls Gazette'' reported that Babbitt committed suicide on the morning of August 21, 1879 by drowning himself at

South Wales, New York South Wales is a hamlet in the towns of Aurora and Wales in Erie County, New York, United States. WGRZ's broadcast tower and in-house weather radar are based in the hamlet. The Gow School is located in South Wales. Notable people * Wally Sc ...

Erie County, New York Erie County is a county along the shore of Lake Erie in western New York (state), New York State. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the population was 954,236. However, in the 2023 census, the Erie County population was 946,147 ...

. He had been suffering from fainting spells and weakness.The Niagara Falls Gazette August 27, 1879 His wife found his hat atop driftwood in Cazenovia Creek and then his body in the creek. Babbitt had emptied his pockets of papers and money before his death, and had fastened a short rope around his neck and the other end around a flat stone. He was buried in Cincinnati.

Gallery

File:Grove scenery - winter, by Babbitt, Platt D., d. 1879.jpg, Grove scenery, winter File:Scenes below Table Rock, by Babbitt, Platt D., d. 1879.jpg, Scenes below Table Rock

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Babbitt, Platt 1822 births 1879 deaths 19th-century American photographers Niagara Falls Suicides by drowning in the United States 1870s suicides Suicides in New York (state) Deaths by drowning in New York (state)