Background
Edward Anthony was born in 1818.
Edward Anthony was born in 1818.
In 1840 Edward Anthony participated in a survey of the U.S.-Canadian borders, making daguerreotypes of the terrain; this was the first such use of photography by the government. During the year 1847-48 he established a daguerreotype- supply business under his own name. In 1852 his brother joined the company, which was then renamed to include both their names. The firm eventually merged with Scovill & Adams (1901) which, in 1907, became known as Ansco (it later merged with Agfa [1928] but in 1943 dropped that name, henceforward to be known simply as Ansco). In 1881 the company introduced dry plate outfits. With his brother Henry, Edward published The Anthony Photographic Bulletin (1870).
Anthony's was the world's first photographic supply house. With his brother, he pioneered the wet-plate process in the United States. He financed Thomas C. Roche and Mathew B. Brady to cover the Union armies (1861-65). In 1853 he established and financed the world's first photography contest; that same year, his portrait was used as the first photographic magazine illustration in the United States. He introduced celluloid cut film in 1888. In 1876 his firm received an award for "lanterns and graphascopes" at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia.