May 07, 2020 - Sale 2534

Sale 2534 - Lot 357

Unsold
Estimate: $ 2,000 - $ 3,000
(PHOTOGRAPHY.) [Warren, George K.; photographer.] Portrait of James Titus, a messenger and boot-black at Princeton. Albumenized salt print, 4 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches oval, on original plain 13 x 9 1/2-inch mount; disbound from an 1860 Princeton College yearbook, only minor wear to mount. [Princeton, NJ, circa 1860]

Additional Details

James Titus (circa 1792-1867) was a native of New Jersey who worked for many years as a servant at Princeton College. He was often known by the nickname "Navigator" and an obituary also described him as 'the old and respected professor of practical and applied moon-shine.' He owned his own home and raised a family in Princeton.
During this period, college yearbooks were custom-made to order from original salt prints; each student decided which portraits would be bound together. In addition to students from the graduating class and faculty members, other campus personnel and scenes were often available for inclusion. This portrait of Johnson was removed from an 1860 Princeton yearbook; identical portraits also appear in other 1860 and 1861 examples.