The Pearl is a Gem

Each issue is eight pages, each page 6.5" x 8.25." The topics are local history. Each issue includes three 3" x 3" photographs pasted onto pages 1, 4 and 5.

The photographic subjects are:

January	A view of Saugerties; The old [covered toll] bridge; The new bridge.
February	"Ury;" or, The Barclay Residence; Main Street, north side; Main Street, south side.

March	The old lead mill; Partition Street, east side; Partition Street, west side.
April	Henry Ostrander, D.D.; The old Dutch Church at Kaatsbaan; The old Brick Church.
May	Entrance to the Plattekill Clove, Catskill Mountains; "Lower Pearl Falls," Plattekill Clove, Catskill Mountains; "Upper Pearl Falls," Plattekill Clove, Catskill Mountains.
June	From the roof of the Phoenix [towards the Hudson]; Residence of Mr. Francis Pidgeon, on the banks of the Hudson; Residence of Mr. Geo. W. Washburn at the Stony Point, on the Esopus.
July	St. Jerome [from a crayon drawing, by Miss Anna A. Hermans]; Ulster Iron Works; Sheffield Paper Mills.
August	Tower on Mt. Airy; The Air Line [a ferry], The Ansonia [a paddlewheel vessel].
September	Martin's Hotel at Glasco; St. Mary's R. C. Church; Glenerie Falls, from road to Kingston.
October	Congregational Church; Rough and Ready [fire apparatus]; Minnehaha [fire apparatus]
November	Portion of Washington Avenue [Kingston], View on the Esopus, looking east, View on the Esopus, looking south
December	Reformed Church; The Dam; Market Street Square

In the final issue [in December] the proprietors deliver their valedictory:

"The publication of our little gem has not been without its anxieties and hard work, which will be conceded when we say that it has required nearly 10,000 photographs during the year, and over 250 sheets of legal cap MSS.

The peculiar nature of the illustrations has subjected us to many delays in consequence of the weather, and then again at the start it was a question whether the idea of illustrating a paper with photographs was feasible or not; our year of experience has proved that it is; but not upon any larger scale do we believe it could successfully be carried on than that used in The Pearl."

On eBay I occasionally see early photographs. They are usually a bit later and mostly stereopticon double images on card stock and fetch from $15 to $60 depending on the subject. The images in this magazine generally are more interesting. They are marginally smaller and intended to capture what was important in the community at that time. In that moment there was across America a sense of loss as the last survivors of the Revolutionary War passed away taking with them their memories of the Revolution, the founding of the nation, the War of 1812 and the early years of development. Hundreds of books were published locally between 1845 and 1875 to capture these fleeting memories. This book, while late for the genre, is special for being a photographic account, a local photographic account at that. In its own way it provides a clearer story of life in small town America than simply words or illustrations could do. Construction was wood and brick. The air was clear, the streets wide and empty, the dress quite formal and the tone proud.

The second set of issues included: May, 1; June 1; July 5; August 1; September 1; October 2; November 2; and December 1. All the images are interesting. The July issue, by luck, the best.

Between 1860 and 1885 photographic images are occasionally included in small-run publications. Such material adds depth and complexity to a collection. In the final issue the publishers say they have printed 250 copies. The second lot of monthly issues appears to have been the publisher's unsold material. How many complete sets exist today? Probably very few. In October I found many good things but nothing better than this.

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The Pearl is a Gem

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