The daguerreotype above is making a return
visit to flickr after an absence of more than six months. It was first posted
in December 2007 when I was a new flickr user. The title then was
"Daguerreotype - One Eyed Man with Harpoon" which was what we thought
it was when we acquired it over 30 years ago. There was some discussion with
members of the Whaling group about the identification of the rod he is holding.
It was decided that it was not likely a harpoon. What was it?In
December 2008 there was a post that sent us off in a new direction. A flickr
member posted a comment "maybe you found a photo of Phineas Gage? If so,
it would be the only one known." A quick Google introduced us to the
bizarre life of Phineas Gage and we were hooked.
Remember Phineas Gage?
The 1800s railyard foreman that got the three foot metal rod through his head and lived to tell about it? (Psych. 100 people, come on.) Turns out the only known photo of him showed up on Flickr one day as "Daguerrotype: One-Eyed Man with Harpoon." The internet set 'em straight.