This summer, we’ll be exploring photography at Historic Sugartown through a series of photography classes held right here in our historic village.
But why photography?
For one thing, photography was one of the most remarkable inventions of the 19th century — and it deserves a place in our 19th-century village. Early photography was very different from the instant digital images we take today. Creating a photograph required patience, preparation, and time. In many ways, the process reflects one of Historic Sugartown’s central goals: encouraging visitors to slow down and experience the past at a more thoughtful pace.
There is also a more personal connection. One of Sugartown’s own residents went on to become a professional photographer.
A Sugartown Resident’s Story
Phineas Waterman, son of Joseph Waterman — likely among the earliest inhabitants of Sugartown — inherited part of the village following his father’s death in 1813. At the time, Phineas was only six years old. When he reached adulthood, he began building both a career and a home of his own. His house, constructed around 1835 and still standing today at the corner of Dutton Mill and Sugartown Roads, remains a physical reminder of his connection to the village.
By the 1830s, Phineas had learned the trade of cabinetmaking and furniture making. However, as discussed in a previous Spoonful blog entry, the Waterman family — like many Americans — felt the effects of the economic downturn known as the Panic of 1837. Eventually, the three Waterman brothers who inherited property in Sugartown relocated to Philadelphia in search of new opportunities.
Isaac Waterman moved first, opening a tavern at 329 High Street by 1843. Joseph followed in 1846, establishing the Waterman Western Exchange Hotel. Phineas likely joined them around 1847, according to Quaker Monthly Meeting records. By the 1850 United States Census, he appears in Philadelphia living with Joseph at the Western Exchange Hotel and working once again as a cabinetmaker.
But his career was about to change.
From Cabinetmaker to Photographer
Between 1852 and 1863, Phineas Waterman worked as a professional photographer — embracing one of the newest technologies of his era.
During these years, he frequently partnered with other Philadelphia photographers, including Adolphus Bradley (1852–1854), Johnson (1856), Isaac B. Taylor (1857–1859), and Edward C. Austin (1861). City directory listings suggest that Waterman worked with several photographic processes popular at the time, likely beginning with daguerreotypes and tintypes in the 1850s before transitioning to ambrotypes in the early 1860s.
Waterman disappears from Philadelphia city directories between 1864 and 1866, but reappears in 1867 living with his brother Isaac and once again working as a furniture maker — a profession he continued until his death in 1875.
What Survives Today?
Unfortunately, very little of Phineas Waterman’s photographic work is known today. A small number of images survive in various collections, though none are currently held at Historic Sugartown. Still, these scattered examples provide a fascinating glimpse into the career of a Sugartown resident who participated in one of the century’s most transformative artistic and technological movements.
You can view an example of an image created by Waterman and Adolphus Bradley here:
https://curiosity.lib.harvard.edu/harrison-d-horblit-collection-of-early-photography/catalog/69-W160545_URN-3:FHCLHOUGH:84382
And an image of Joseph Waterman’s Western Exchange Hotel in Philadelphia can be viewed here:
https://digital.librarycompany.org/islandora/object/digitool%3A63564
