C. 1860's Civil War Officer Imperial Cabinet Photograph by Isaiah West Taber

  
PHOTOGRAPHER : Isaiah West Taber (see bio below). SIZE : Board measures 5.25" x 8.5", and mounted photo measures 4.875" x 7.625". Isaiah West Taber was born on August 17, 1830, in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He began his career as a daguerreotypist in the early 1850s, working in Syracuse, New York, and later traveled extensively, including a voyage to California and a stay in the South Pacific. During the 1860s and 1870s, Taber became well known for his portraiture and landscape photography.

He opened a successful studio in San Francisco and became one of the leading photographic entrepreneurs on the West Coast. Taber was closely associated with the dissemination of images documenting California's development, including mining, railroads, urban expansion, and natural landmarks such as Yosemite Valley.

In the 1870s, he acquired many of the negatives of Carleton Watkins, a fellow landscape photographer, and began printing and distributing them under his own name, expanding his catalog and commercial reach. Taber's studio became a hub for both local and international clientele, including notable public figures and visiting dignitaries. Taber also participated in several exhibitions and produced albums of views intended for both domestic and foreign audiences. His work helped shape public perception of the American West during a period of rapid growth and transformation. As a publisher, he issued stereoviews, cabinet cards, and large-format prints. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire destroyed his studio, negatives, and much of his life's work. This loss marked the end of his photographic career. He spent his remaining years out of the public eye. Isaiah West Taber died on February 22, 1912, in San Francisco.

His photographic legacy is significant for its role in chronicling the visual history of the 19th-century American West and contributing to the broader appreciation of photography as both an art form and a documentary tool.