George G. Rockwood
| George Gardner Rockwood | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
April 12, 1832 Troy, New York |
| Died | July 10, 1911 (aged 79) Lakeville, Connecticut |
| Resting place | Oakwood Cemetery (Troy, New York) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Photographer |
| Spouse(s) | Araminta Bouton |
George Gardner Rockwood (April 12, 1832 – July 10, 1911) was a 19th-century celebrity photographer. His New York City studio photographed over 350,000 persons.
Rockwood was born in Troy, New York, in 1832 to Elihu R. Rockwood, a hotel keeper, and Martha Gardner Burnham Rockwood. George's early education was at the Ballston Spa Institute, an elite boys' boarding school. Rockwood used to say that his mind was turned to inventions by meeting Samuel Morse when the inventor of the telegraph was exhibiting his instruments at the United States Hotel in Saratoga. Rockwood was a hallboy in the hotel at that time. Morse took a liking to the young Rockwood and took time to explain the workings of his invention. As a young adult, he worked in a printing office, and then became a reporter for the local Troy newspaper. The 1855 New York State Census lists George living in Troy with his wife Araminta, newborn daughter Mary and a female servant, with his occupation listed as restauranting.
He took up photography in St. Louis in 1853 and in 1858 produced the first carte de visite made in the United States. His first subject was Baron Rothschild. Mrs. August Belmont was the first woman of whom he made a vignette carte de visite. He was an inventor as well as a photographer and made many improvements in the tools of his trade.
Rockwood moved to New York in 1857 and went into partnership with his brother, Colonel Elihu R. Rockwood. The studio in which Rockwood and his brother came to be best known was in the Roosevelt Building at Broadway and 13 Street. It was in this studio that the Rockwoods met, photographed and made friends with so many of the famous men and women of their time. During the Civil War, Rockwood's brother Elihu enlisted, and George worked as a war photographer, working out of a mobile field van. His brother achieved the rank of colonel while serving with the 10th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.
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