William Henry Tipton (1850–1929) was born in Gettysburg, and began apprenticing to photographer brothers Isaac and Charles Tyson at the age of twelve. Although the Tysons closed shop during the Battle of Gettysburg, “According to Tipton’s obituary, Tipton assisted Mathew Brady, the famous Civil War Photographer, in photographing scenes of the battlefield in the days following” (“William Tipton”). In 1866 Tipton and a partner, Robert Myers, purchased the Tyson studio, and in 1880 Tipton went into business on his own, as the W. H. Tipton Company. He photographed views of the battlefield, war monuments, and the surrounding town, and made portraits of tourists and veterans. He also served on the Gettysburg town council and was active in the Republican Party, serving a term as a state representative. He championed several controversial efforts to promote Gettysburg tourism and commercialize memorialization of the battlefield.

This Tipton cabinet card photo features McAllister’s Mill Dam.  Sight of an Underground Railroad stop and scene of some of the fight for Culp’s Hill, the mill and dam are shadows of their former selves but changed the landscape during the battle with an expansive pond that swamped low lying areas of the sector. By the 1870’s, the mill’s owner has passed and the upkeep was neglected until its eventual ruin.  Tipton took this photo downstream from the dam before its collapse returned Rock Creek to the level seen today along the battlefield. The photo is in good condition and the mounting card has typical but minor edge and corner wear along the left side front. Small pin-sized ink spotting is noted across the front of the photo and mounting card. The photo is flanked by text on either side which reads “GETTYSBURG BATTLE FIELD VIEWS BY/W. H. TIPTON BATTLE FIELD PHOTOGRAPHER GETTYSBURG, PA”. The reverse features a detailed logo with ornate borders and engraving style scenes of the 1^st Massachusetts monument, the National Cemetery, and the Valley of Death. Overall measurements are 6.5” x 4.3”.

Tipton’s photographic collection – including early prints such as this – helped to shape popular memory of the battle and are an important but rare record of the Gettysburg battlefield’s evolving place in history.  This print is part of a singular private collection and archive acquired by the Horse Soldier and would make quite the unique and important addition to any Civil War or Gettysburg-centric collection.  [cm][ph:L]

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