Daniel Bendann (1836 - December 6, 1914) along with his brother David Bendann were American Civil War Era photographers known for their elegant photographic backgrounds.[1] Daniel founded their gallery, Bendann Brothers, in 1859 and it remains in the family as of 2019, considered Baltimore's oldest gallery.[1][2][3]

Daniel Bendann
Daniel Bendann c. 1910
Born1836
Germany
DiedDecember 6, 1914
Baltimore, Maryland
OccupationPhotographer
Known forBendann Brothers Backgrounds

The brothers were born in Germany but the family moved to Richmond, Virginia where Daniel worked for the Whitehurst Studio.[2] He opened his own studio first in Richmond and later Baltimore, Maryland where he employed his brother David.[4] By the 1860s they were one of the largest photographic studios south of Philadelphia and the largest Jewish-owned studio in the country.[2]

Bendanns Backgrounds Advertisement from Charles Hearn's book The Practical Printer

The Bendanns had a system which they patented, whereby photographic studios could purchase negatives for their “Bendann Brothers Backgrounds” that they could use in their own photos.[5] The Bendann Brothers received a National Photographic Association Holmes Medal in 1872 for this invention.[6]

Together they took portraits of many well-known people including Edgar Allan Poe, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Presidents Buchanan and Hayes, and Johns Hopkins.[7][8]

David Bendann left Bendann Brothers in 1874 to open Bendann Art Galleries. Daniel stayed with the studio, retiring around 1900.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b Falk, Karen. "Passages Through the Fire". Jewish Museum of Maryland. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  2. ^ a b c d Blum, Isidor (1910). The Jews of Baltimore. Baltimore MD: Baltimore, Washington Historical review publishing company. p. 161. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  3. ^ McNatt, Glenn (2004-01-08). "A panoramic view of photography". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
  4. ^ "About Photographicus Baltimorensis". Photographicus Baltimorensis. 2010-05-25. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
  5. ^ Improvement in photographic backgrounds
  6. ^ Hearn, Charles W (1875). The Practical Printer. Philadelphia: Benerman & Wilson. pp. 76–80. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  7. ^ "Photography during the Civil War". 2015-10-27. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
  8. ^ "mperial Hand-Colored Photograph of a Victorian Woman by Bendann". Cowen's Auctions. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
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