William H. Tipton

Who was William H. Tipton?

William H. Tipton was a noted American photographer of the second half of the 19th century, most noted for his extensive early photography of the Gettysburg Battlefield and the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Tipton was born in Gettysburg. He studied photography as the apprentice of Charles and Isaac Tyson, who were among the earliest Gettysburg photographers. In 1868, Tipton purchased much of assets of the Tyson studio and went into business for himself. He became quite popular as an outdoor portrait photographer, taking thousands of photographs of visitors to the Gettysburg battlefield, where he established Tipton Park. By 1888, he had produced an estimated 5,000 views of the battlefield of Gettysburg and more than 100,000 portraits.

He eventually became one of America's best known photographers, but images of Civil War battlefields remained a mainstay, including Antietam and Harpers Ferry.

He is interred in Evergreen Cemetery in Gettysburg.