This early photograph of the exterior of a Greek Revival-style house measures 2 2/5” x 3 1/4”.  Images taken outside are rare as the photographic process was cumbersome and conditions had to be just right for a good exposure. This image shows a home style popular in America from the 1830s through the 1850s particularly among the growing middle class. It illustrates how a home during this time was situated on the property and the various elements in the domestic landscape. The museum has a very small collection of early photography and we are working to expand it so that it is both representative of the types of images people owned at the time, the progress of the photographer’s craft, and to inform our collecting in other areas (such as historic fashion, furnishings and homes in general).