Old Homesteads & Good Residences

May 15 to November 15, 2019

The Northern Survey Company of Albany, NY was established in 1878 and stayed in business for 2 decades until about 1900. Its owner and manager, Corydon Waterman Higgins, sent itinerant photographers across New York State, western New England, and even into the Midwest, to take photographs of houses, farms, businesses and public buildings. Prints were developed from Higgins' own dry plate glass negatives at the Albany offices, and then salesmen were sent back to the communities to find customers.

Today these photographs can be identified by "Northern Survey Co. of Albany, N.Y." printed boldly on their mats, but many are unidentified as to individual subjects or locations.  Often a number and surname notation by the company are found on the back of the photograph, but this information doesn't help pin down the location.  Where we can, we've written captions based on further research with the help of clues from family members or donors, or any other written notations on the photographs themselves.