Portraits on U.S. dollar bills were also taken from daguerreotypes made by Root, including portraits of Henry Clay on the $50 bill and Daniel Webster on the $10 bill. Root is also speculated to have made the portrait of Ulysses Grant on the $50 bill.[5]
The first daguerreotype Root ever made was in 1839 on solid silver. It was a view from one of the windows of the Philadelphia Mint. It was later featured at the Centennial Exposition.
Lacking success in painting, Root turned to photography in 1843 and opened a daguerreotype studio.
On June 20, 1846, he bought John Jabez Edwin Mayall's Chestnut Street photography studio that was in the same building as Root's residence in Philadelphia. Root had success as a daguerreotypist working with his brother, Samuel Root. The Root Brothers had a gallery in New York City from 1849 to 1857.[6]
Marcus Aurelius Root was awarded first prize at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851. He was also awarded first prize at annual exhibitions of the Franklin Institute.[7]
Misfortune and legacy
In June 1856, Root invested $40,000 in Mt. Vernon Hotel of Cape May, New Jersey, which was described as the world's largest resort hotel. It was entirely destroyed by a deadly fire three months later, losing Root's entire investment.[8]
While preparing for a New York City gallery opening in December 1856, Root was seriously injured in a train accident. He was standing on a train platform in Alliance, Ohio when two trains collided, throwing cars into the rotunda of the station and part of a hotel, killing 8 people including a man standing beside Root. Root's left leg was crushed and the thigh was severely fractured, leaving him crippled for the rest of his life. The engineer responsible fled according to newspaper reports. Root's lawyer collected the damages and absconded with the money.[9][10]
During his lengthy recovery, Root authored an exhaustive history of American photography, a book entitled The Camera and the Pencil. Root argued for photographers to be considered artists alongside painters.[11]
After falling from a streetcar in 1885 he spent the rest of his life in seclusion until he died from his injuries three years later, at his home in Philadelphia, on April 2, 1888.[12] He was buried at The Woodlands Cemetery.[13]
