Five Cyanotypes Views of Lake Worth and the Royal Poinciana Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida, 1895

1895. Five views of Lake Worth Beach and Palm Beach in 1895.

The images are:

1) Ferry at Lake Worth with the Royal Poinciana Hotel in the distance. Captioned in the negative, "L.W.B. 9.14.95";
2) Lake Worth with the Royal Poinciana Hotel in the distance. Captioned in the negative, "L.W.B. 9.24.95";
3) View of Lake Worth with a pier in the foreground, possibly taken from a boat. Captioned in the negative, "L.W.B. 10.9.95";
4) Sail boat in front of the Royal Poinciana, captioned in the negative, "Lake Worth" (two versions, with different exposure times)
5) View of the Palm Beach Inn (?), later renamed The Breakers, under construction with the Royal Poinciana in the background (not dated, but the hotel opened in December 1895).

The negatives these views were printed from are of somewhat unusual size, measuring roughly 4-3/4 by 7-3/4 inches. All but one view have a horizontal orientation. Given that this size does not seem to conform to the standard halfplate negative (usually 5-1/2 to 6-1/2 inches in the long direction), one might speculate that the photographer made their own camera. The photographs are handcut, with somewhat uneven edges and of varying finished sizes, all roughly 5 by 8 inches. They are generally very good or better, with some toning and spotting. Uncommon subject matter.