On this day (December 13) in the year 1845, JML Scovill wrote the following letter to "A.S. Southworth & Co.: - - - - - - - - - - - - Philad Dec. 13th, 1845 Messrs. A.S. Southworth & Co. Gent. I have just received a letter from my brother asking what kind of a stamp or laybill he should have made to put on the holders & the swing beam. He proposes to have a stand cast say (not much like the drawing) & have the letters faced down & put a brass laybill on the back plate of the holders. Also he thinks it would be better & less trouble as there is & will be many little expenses & accounts to keep to fix on a sum we shall pay you on every sett sold instead of keeping an accurate account & then dividing equally the profits. If that was agreed on we would have them stamped Southworth & Hawes Patent 1845 Scovills propritors. What say you to our paying you three dollars on each sett sold & we to make no charge of the $40.00 advanced to you to make none for what you have paid. I wish you to write us Waterbury by the first mail after this is received, for he writes me he shall have some finished in all next week to have the laybills put on for market, we shall calculate to get one on to every operator in the United States within 12 months. If this proposition should not meet your views write us what yours are. All we want is to save the trouble of keeping the account, as many will have to be sold by agents & commissions & expenses to be paid & presume some may never get paid for though we shall try to sell for cash. We shall also have to sell to some for less if they purchase to sell again. We shall try to get $12.00 for the minimum 1/4 holder & frame which will be the principal ones sold the holders for 1/2 & whole sizes will have to be sold for about what they cost & not a great many wanted at that when sold at wholesale say $10.00. Now don't fail to write and put it in the mail before I go to Boston to have you hand it to me there. Mr. Mayall says the one he has answers a good purpose. We have had a real cold day here. Respectfully yours JML Scovill Saturday evng 10 o'clk * * * * * * (The apparatus in question is apparently the same as listed in Barger, M. Susan, "United States Patents Related to the Practice of Daguerreotype" in "The Daguerreian Annual 1996" as the following: USP 4573 13 June 1846 "Plate holder, self-regulating suspension." Southworth and Hawes, Boston, Massachusetts Plate holder for use during the polishing of plates. POR (1846): 264. JFI 44 (1847): 89. Text cited from a transcript of an original manuscript in the collection of Matthew R. Isenburg.) -------------------------------------------------------------- 12-13-97