The “Whitman” daguerreotype of Edgar Allan Poe was taken in Providence, Rhode Island at the studio of Masury and Hartshorn, the same studio that took the “Ultima Thule” daguerreotype just four days prior on November 9, 1848. It is the only known photograph of Poe that he commissioned himself. Sarah Helen Whitman likely accompanied him to this sitting, as this photo was taken as an engagement gift to the poetess. Due to these circumstances, the daguerreotype was named after her.

Poe is wearing his old military frock coat and glaring at us with his piercing eyes from a three-quarter angle. Poe considered this image the best likeness he ever had taken, however, Sarah Helen Whitman disagreed with that sentiment. In an 1874 letter to Poe biographer John Henry Ingram, Whitman said, “This picture of mine has been hidden away all these years because I thought it did not represent him truly, but many persons who have seen it lately think it has the best expression of any picture yet taken of him.”

The engagement between Poe and Whitman only lasted a month, but Whitman cherished this daguerreotype for the rest of her life. At seventy one years old, Whitman must have sensed her shortening life and knew that she needed to put the daguerreotype into good hands. On August 20, 1874, she gave the daguerreotype to her friend, William Coleman, who was a photographer in Providence for most of his life. Coleman was a photographer for most of his life, so Whitman knew that he would take proper care of such a priceless artifact. This must have been a special memento to Coleman, since he had met Poe during his visits to Providence.

Coleman passed the daguerreotype down to a few different owners before his death in 1908. One of those people had given it to its final home, Brown University, on January 1, 1905. It remains in their collection today and can be viewed by appointment at the John Hay Library.