Family Portraits

In 1944 William Hodges donated a number of early photographs to the Columbiana collection. His grandfather, Edward Hodges, had married Sarah Ann Moore, sister of the amateur photographer Nathaniel Fish Moore. Hodges thought the photographs had been taken by William Moore, but the Columbiana Curator, Milton Halsey Thomas, recognized them as more likely to be the work of Nathaniel Fish Moore.

In the portraits below, Nathaniel Fish Moore captures his cousin Clement Clarke Moore (CC 1798) and one of his daughters playing chess. Clement C. Moore is best known for his work ’Twas the Night before Christmas. Also featured in this gallery are his brother William Moore and Pierre Toussaint. Toussaint came to New York from Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) as an enslaved person and eventually became a popular hairdresser to the ladies of New York as well as a well-known philanthropist. One of his hairdressing clients was Sarah Ann Moore, the photographer's sister. The Moores and Toussaint were all also neighbors. Nathaniel and Sarah Ann lived for a time at 70 Franklin Street and Toussaint lived (and owned the house) at 144 Franklin. 

Unidentified Portraits