Edward Gibson Harris

Born Edward Gibson Harris in 1854, Harris became Daytona, Florida's first year-round photographer with an established studio from 1883-1906. In April of 1883, Harris and his wife, Nellie, along with his parents relocated from Cincinnati to Holly Hill, where his father established a grocery store along the Halifax River.

There were three known locations of Harris’ studio in Daytona – North Beach Street (1885-1888), Volusia Avenue near Beach Street (1888-1897) and South Beach Street just south of Orange Avenue (1897-1906). Nellie Harris is believed to have helped in the photography studio as an assistant, painting studio backdrops of topical settings and hand-coloring portraits.

It is estimated that Harris took between four and five thousand images during his 23-year period as a professional photographer in Daytona, based on the numbering system with which he signed his work. The Southeast Museum of Photography owns a significant portion of this collection.

Source: Biography taken from the website of the Southeast Museum of Photography at Daytona State College, article entitled (Re) Framing Florida. Accessed 12/1/2023. https://southeastmuseumofphotography.org/reframing-florida-artists