Miller (1857–1911), born in Cross River, New York, was the son of a farmer. At age fourteen he entered the Washington County Seminary in Fort Edward, New York, graduating from it while still a teenager. He then became a member of the seminary’s faculty as well as its librarian. Already a local lecturer and a rare-book collector by the age of seventeen, he later became a well-known speaker on the lyceum circuit and built a large book collection. The letter he sent, requesting a photograph, is not known to survive, nor has any evidence been found that Clemens was acquainted with him. Clemens sat for this photograph on either Saturday, 14 November, or Monday, 16 November, while in Boston after his “pedestrian” excursion with Twichell. The studio owned by George Kendall Warren and managed by Sumner B. Heald moved from 289 Washington Street sometime before 1 July 1875, but Clemens must have purchased a good supply of these prints, because he continued to use the photograph with this address on the back at least until mid-1877 (see also 12 Dec 74 to Warrenclick to open link). He apparently used the same image as late as 1882 or 1883, but the source of those later copies has not been determined. Clemens presumably sent Miller a print of this “latest” photograph on or about 2 December, when he also sent one to Howells (Seminary, 2; John Homer French, 134, 682, 743; Yankee Magazine, June 1970, 78; Boston Directory: 1874, 445, 931, 1089; 1875, 430, 908, 1064; May 77 to Mrs. Wetherbee, C; Maggs 1988, lot 35).