This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/gVB.2ACI/2845.1 Message Board Post: Eleanor, The earliest known photograph was made in 1826. In the 1830s, the daguerreotype (a unique silver image on glass which changes from negative to positive depending on the angle of light) was developed and patented. Daguerreotypes were expensive, and not that prevalent except in larger cities or the among the affluent who could afford them. In the early 1850s, the Ambrotype (a positive image on glass) was developed, but this process was somewhat short lived. Ferrotypes (often called Tintypes) were developed in the mid-1850s, and became the most popular form of photography for the general masses for several decades. Paper photography was also developed in the mid-19th century, and such photographs were often mounted on cardboard backings of various shapes and sizes (cabinet cards, carte-de-visites). These were prevalent from the Civil War era onwards. It is important to understand that many of our early ancestors in Johnston County were agragrian people of humble means. For a lot of them, photography would not have been something known or commonplace to them until the later half of the 19th century (post Civil War) or even the 20th century. Most of the resident photographers in Johnston County would not have been active until probably the 1890s and afterwards. James William "Billy" Langdon of Four Oaks was one of the early photographers in Johnston County. John L. Johnson also operated a small studio at his home in Pleasant Grove Township. There were doubtless others as well. Aside from these local photographers, only if an ancestor went to a studio in a city such as Raleigh would they have had a photograph made in the late 19th century. Your ancestors Brissie and Justice Parrish pre-date photography. They were farming people, and would not have had painted portraits. Again, only your family members living in th! e later half of the 19th century and afterwards would have probably had photographs made. A good basic outline of the history of photography can be found at this web link: http://www.photo.net/history/timeline You might benefit from consulting the photograph collections at the Johnston County Heritage Center in Smithfield. They have a large collection of photographs of Johnstonians which have been donated or copied by various individuals. Many of them are from the collection of Mr. Harold Medlin in Benson, who has copied vast numbers of old photos of people and places associated with Johnston County over the years. I hope this information is helpful to you.