Plumbe, John, 1809-1857

At the time this diary was written John Plumbe was a civil engineer in Sinipee, Wis. and Dubuque, Iowa waiting for a commission from the United States Congress to survey the route for a transcontinental railroad. In 1840 he took up photography as a career after seeing the work of a daguerreotypist in Washington, D.C. The following year he opened a gallery in Boston and eventually maintained galleries in thirteen cities. Plumbe opened the nation's first Washington, D.C. gallery in 1844. By 1848 Plumbe was experiencing financial difficulties and many of his studios had closed. He gave up photography and returned to Dubuque, Iowa after a trip to California during the gold rush. He took his own life in Dubuque in 1857 by cutting his throat.

From the description of John Plumbe diary, 1838 Oct. 17-1839 July 5. (Iowa Sate Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 70659528