Eight weeks in North America

Abstract

In 1853, Robert Stephenson (1803–1859) travelled to North America, principally in connection with the design and construction planning of the Victoria Bridge across the River St. Lawrence at Montreal for which he was the Consulting Engineer. He travelled via New York in both directions, and apparently on his return journey, he took time off to visit the studios of the Meade brothers, Henry and Charles, to have a daguerreotype portrait taken of himself. The image was seemingly privately owned until it was acquired by Bill Becker, proprietor of the American Museum of Photography, in 2017. The author was consulted about the image and confirmed that it was indeed that of Stephenson. The image has now been acquired by Mark Andrews (Member) of Toronto, who has kindly agreed to its publication, for the first time, in the International Journal. To accompany its publication, the background story of the eight weeks Stephenson spent in the United States and Canada has been researched, to set the context for his visit and the photograph.