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Edward Martin and either Alice Clayton or Jane Gray, presumably taken shortly after Martin's handcart company arrived in Salt Lake City, circa 1857. Martin, a noted Salt Lake City photographer, is best known as the captain of the ill-fated Martin handcart company. Photo provided by Church History Library, courtesy of Church News.2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.This story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media.
By Trent Toone, Church News
Edward Martin is best remembered for serving as the captain of the Martin handcart company, a group of more than 500 pioneers who started their journey late and encountered heavy snow and severe temperatures in Wyoming before reaching Salt Lake City in November 1856.
What many may not know is that several years later, Martin became a prominent photographer. He captured images of many early Latter-day Saints, including members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and most of the bishops serving in Salt Lake City wards. He also photographed several buildings in the city, most notably the Salt Lake Temple and Tabernacle.
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After serving as captain of a handcart company in 1856, Edward Martin became a prominent photographer in Salt Lake City, Utah. This image was on the back of one of his portraits in 1867. Photo provided by Church History Library, courtesy of Church News.2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Many of his images are preserved and available for viewing digitally in the Church History Catalog using these search terms: “Martin, Edward, Photographer, 1818-1882,” according to Church History Department blog post by Jeff Morley. Photographs, videos and other resources are available through the catalog but may require submitting permission to access.
Here are some photos and links to Martin’s collection in the Church History Catalog.
Salt Lake Tabernacle Photograph, Circa 1868
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Photograph of the Salt Lake Tabernacle taken by Edward Martin in 1868. Photo provided by Church History Library, courtesy of Church News.2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Portraits of Salt Lake City Bishops, 1867
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Left, Edward Hunter and Leonard W. Hardy, members of the Church's presiding bishopric. Their photographs were taken by Edward Martin in 1867. Photo provided by Church History Library, courtesy of Church News.2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Leading Women in Zion, Circa 1867
This is a group portrait of Zina D. H. Young, Bathsheba W. Smith, Emily Dow Partridge Young and Eliza R. Snow. Zina, Bathsheba and Eliza all served as presidents of the Relief Society, while Emily served as a Relief Society teacher.
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A group portrait of Zina D. H. Young, Bathsheba W. Smith, Emily Dow Partridge Young, and Eliza R. Snow, taken by Edward Martin in 1867. Photo provided by Church History Library, courtesy of Church News.2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Brigham Young, Circa 1867
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A colored portrait of Brigham Young, circa 1867, taken by Edward Martin. Photo provided by Church History Library, courtesy of Church News.2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Twelve Apostles, Circa 1867
This montage of individual portraits consists of, in order of appearance (but not entirely in order of seniority), from left to right starting at the top: Orson Hyde, Orson Pratt, Wilford Woodruff, John Taylor, George A. Smith, Ezra T. Benson, Charles C. Rich, Lorenzo Snow, Erastus Snow, Franklin D. Richards, George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith.
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Montage of individual portraits of members of the quorum with Orson Hyde as the senior member and Joseph F. Smith as the junior member. The portraits were taken by Edward Martin in 1867. Photo provided by Church History Library, courtesy of Church News.2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Salt Lake Temple,Circa 1864
This is a photograph of an engraved perspective study of the Salt Lake Temple with inscription on the back that reads, “Temple as it’s to be finished at Great Salt Lake City, size 186 ½ by 99-, height 100 feet, towers 200 feet, walls 8 feet thick.”
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Photograph by Edward Martin in 1864 of an engraved perspective study of the Salt Lake Temple with inscription on the back that reads, "Temple as it's to be when finished at Great Salt Lake City, size 186 1/2 by 99-, height 100 feet, towers 200 feet, walls 8 feet thick." The original perspective was drawn in 1855 by William W. Ward. Photo provided by Church History Library, courtesy of Church News.2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.See more of what is in the Church History Library’s collections at Catalog.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
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