William Roe Howell

Place: Goshen

Born: 1846

Death: 1890

Biography:

William Roe Howell was a prominent New York City photographer of the 1870s, known mostly for portraits of political and theatrical celebrities. He was born in Goshen, New York in 1846 and died in 1890 of tuberculosis. Howell was awarded a special grand prize at the World's Fair held in Vienna, Austria in 1873. He closed his New York studio around 1880 and went into retirement. In 1886, he attempted to open a new studio in Washington, D.C., but disappeared two weeks before its formal opening, leaving his wife and five children penniless. He eventually returned to his family, but the studio was not a success. Howell died in 1890 at the home of fellow photographer, Lawrence Perkinson, and was buried at Slate Hill Cemetery in Goshen, New York.