The Rochester Vault

This curated gallery represents the highest-value “Tier 1” assets of the Tom Muir Wilson Archive. Hand-selected during the initial 2022 extraction from the Byron Barn, these 19th-century daguerreotypes were intentionally separated from the bulk inventory for their exceptional historical and familial significance.
A Note on the Rochester Vault Archive: Following technical review by specialists from the Daguerreian Society, these 19th-century cased portraits have been categorized by their specific chemical processes. While originally grouped as a foundational archive, we are now identifying individual plates as Ambrotypes and Tintypes (Ferrotypes), dating primarily to the mid-1850s and 1860s transition period.

While the broader collection of global artisanry and the expansive East Rochester climate-controlled negative archive represent the Professor’s professional travels, these plates are the internal, familial origin point of the Wilson legacy. Each piece has been securely curated in our Rochester vault since 2022 to ensure stabilization and preservation.

To maintain the integrity of this collection, these pieces are associated by lineage and provenance, serving as the physical precursors to the tens of thousands of Ektachrome and panoramic records currently under archival management.