23 Forster Street

Between birth and death resides the short glow of an ember known as life. For centuries artists have sought to convey depictions of life’s brief moments using various forms. Their efforts have produced splendid works that are still marveled at today, but to one degree or another they lacked a realism and authenticity that would not come about until 1839 with the public unveiling of the daguerreotype. From that moment on photography would revolutionize the world by capturing the essence of life like nothing else before. And one Pennsylvania man would extend the reaches of this technology to blur the very lines between life and death at his humble studio at 23 Forster Street.