Name/Title
Photo of Peter ErbenEntry/Object ID
100277Tags
Peter ErbenScope and Content
(AI) ased on the uploaded images, this is a beautiful 19th-century cased photograph—likely a daguerreotype or ambrotype—accompanied by a handwritten identification slip.
Here is a breakdown of what is shown:
The Identification
The handwritten slip on the velvet/fabric lining of the case reads:
Peter Erben
Historical Context
Peter Erben (1771–1861) was a prominent early American organist, composer, and organ builder based in New York City.
Musical Legacy: He served as the organist for several notable New York institutions, most famously Trinity Church in Manhattan during the early 19th century.
Family Trade: He was an influential figure in early American church music, and his son, Henry Erben, went on to become one of the most celebrated and prolific American pipe organ builders of the 19th century.
The Photograph
The Image Type: Given the reflective metal-like or glass appearance, the ornate brass matting, and the protective leather/wood folding case, this artifact dates from the 1840s to the 1850s.
The Subject: The portrait captures Erben in his later years, sporting the distinctive high collar and facial hair style typical of the antebellum era.
