I’m a digital collage artist and photographer. As a collector of early portrait photography—daguerreotypes, tintypes, and cabinet cards from the 1800s—I’m fascinated by these mysterious and sometimes haunting photographs of long-forgotten people. Driven by this constant intrigue, I create whimsical worlds using their images, reawakening lives that could have easily been forgotten. I call this "The Forgotten Lives Project", but I hope that they will no longer be forgotten.

In this gallery you will find the original, unedited portraits alongside the final pieces. Note: for optimal viewing, choose 'Large Image View' in the bottom left corner of this page.

- David

Ye say they all have passed away,
That noble race and brave,
That their light canoes have vanished
From off the crested wave
That 'mid the forests where they roamed
There rings no hunter's shout;
But their name is on your waters,
Ye may not wash it out.

- Lydia Huntley Sigourney