An Early Emerson
This previously unknown photograph of Ralph Waldo Emerson has been acquired by the William Munroe Special Collections at the Concord Free Public Library in Concord, MA.
We’re pleased to share news of a recent acquisition by our friends at the Concord Free Public Library: a previously unknown photograph of Ralph Waldo Emerson that’s believed to be among the earliest images of him. The carte-de-visite portrait is from an original daguerreotype taken circa 1848 in Liverpool, England and shows a faint smile on Emerson’s face as he looks down at a book. A Massachusetts collector discovered the striking photograph in a recent purchase and shared his find with the library, where the William Munroe Special Collections curator, Anke Voss, was able to confirm its rarity.
This image of Emerson joins an extensive collection of materials related to the Emerson family and RWE’s life and work that are held at the Concord Free Public Library and available to the public, both in-person and online. To learn more about this new acquisition and the William Munroe Special Collections, please see the library’s announcement here.
The December 5, 2025 issue of The Concord Bridge newspaper also featured the story of this exciting discovery on its front page, and that article can be found online here.
