James Presley Ball, Sr.

Place: Frederick County

Born: 1825

Death: 1904

Biography:

James Presley Ball, Sr. was an African-American photographer, abolitionist, and businessman born in Frederick County, Virginia, around 1825. He learned daguerreotype photography from John B. Bailey of Boston, who like Ball was "a freeman of color." Ball's work as a photographer and abolitionist made him a prominent figure in the African-American community.

Early Career

Ball opened his first studio in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1845, but it did not prosper. He then moved to Buffalo, New York, and later to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Richmond, Virginia, before returning to Cincinnati in 1849. In Cincinnati, Ball's brother Thomas Ball became an operator in his studio, known as "Ball's Daguerrean Gallery of the West" or "Ball's Great Daguerrean Gallery of the West."

Notable Works and Collaborations

One of Ball's notable collaborations was with Robert Seldon Duncanson, who worked in Ball's studio retouching portraits and coloring photographic prints. In 1855, Ball published an abolitionist pamphlet accompanied by a panoramic painting entitled "Mammoth Pictorial Tour of the United States Comprising Views of the African Slave Trade." Ball's daguerreotypes were also shown at the Ohio State Fair and at the Ohio Mechanics Annual Exhibition.

Awards and Recognition

In 1887, Ball became the official photographer of the 25th anniversary celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation. His studio, "J. P. Ball & Son, Artistic Photographers," was established in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Some of his notable photographs can be found on Wikioo.org, including a portrait of a woman wearing a long coat and bonnet, which is housed at the Cincinnati Art Museum. More information about James Presley Ball, Sr. can be found on Wikipedia and his profile on Wikioo.org.

• Ball's splendid mammoth pictorial tour of the United States (1855)
• Ball's Daguerrean Gallery of the West or Ball's Great Daguerrean Gallery of the West
• Photographs of P.T. Barnum, Charles Dickens, and Queen Victoria

Ball's work as a photographer and abolitionist has left a lasting impact on American history, and his legacy can be explored through his photographs and writings, including those found on Wikioo.org and Wikipedia.