Let me introduce you to Nellie Ewing. She was five years old when she was photographed at Miller’s Art Studio in Sidney, Ohio. The photograph was taken in 1896. Nellie was a cute child and she had very long hair which the photographer has placed in the forefront of this image. Nellie appears to be a thoughtful little girl. The 1900 US census reveals that Nellie was born in 1881 in Ohio. At the time of the census she was living in Sidney with her grandmother Margaret Brown (age 70) and presumably her mother, Sara Ewing (age 41). All three women were employed. Nellie worked as a saleswomen; her mother was a seamstress and her grandmother was a nurse. A Sidney city directory (1902) shows that Nellie had switched careers and had become a stenographer. Little could be found about Miller’s Art Studio. However, it was discovered that the proprietor was Reinhard Miller who was born in Switzerland around 1865. He was active in Sidney in the late 1880’s and part of the 1890’s. In 1900 he moved to North Baltimore, Ohio; where he continued his profession.
LITTLE GIRL WITH VERY LONG HAIR IN SIDNEY, OHIO
FAMILY PORTRAIT IN CASSVILLE, WISCONSIN
A family of seven, wearing their Sunday best, pose for their portrait at the Chase studio in Cassville, Wisconsin. This is a serious family. The entire family is missing the smiling gene. In reality, they were likely instructed by the photographer to avoid smiling. Father and mother pose with their five sons; or is it four sons and one daughter? All five of the children have their hair parted on the side and this consistency may indicate that the youngest child is a boy. The subjects of this photograph are unidentified but an inscription on the reverse of the image states “to Mrs. Palmer”. E. W. Chase is listed as a photographer in the LaCrosse, Wisconsin city directory (1894). No other information about him could be located.
ATTRACTIVE AND FASHIONABLE COUPLE IN LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS (FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER WITH PHOTOGRAPHIC GENES)
An attractive and fashionable couple stand in front of the camera in this portrait by Duclos. The gallery was located in Lowell, Massachusetts. The couple in this photograph are very well dressed and likely affluent. The couple are unidentified. This is a lovely image but there was an error made in setting up the couple’s pose. Take a close look and see if you can find the photographer’s mistake. I will describe the error in the second-to-last sentence of this paragraph. There is only sketchy information about the photographer of this image. However, the information is pretty amazing. An article in the Nashua Telegraph (1909) is entitled “DUCLOS FAMILY OF PHOTOGRAPHERS: THREE GENERATIONS OF PICTURE TAKERS”. The story reveals that the family of Mr and Mrs Alphonse Duclos of Lowell,was a family of photographers. Both father and mother were photographers and each of their six children “have charge” of photography studios. Each of the married children were married to photographers and the one and only grandchild (age 12) was considered a prodigy photographer. The article reports where each of the members of the Duclos family worked as photographers. Sadie Duclos is the family member who operated studios (2) in Lowell. When setting up the pose and while photographing this image, Sadie did not notice one of the woman’s shoes sticking out from under her dress. To view the work of other female photographers, click on the category “Female Photographers”.
EARLY CABINET CARD PORTRAIT OF A PRETTY WOMAN IN CANANDAIGUA, NEW YORK
This cabinet card captures the image of a pretty young woman dressed in a fur trimmed winter coat and wearing a fancy hat. She is also wearing a necklace. The photographer who produced this image is Finley & Sons. The studio was located in Canandaigua, New York. This cabinet card likely dates back to the 1870’s. The Finley & Sons studio was established by Marshall Finley as a daguerreotype gallery. His son, Horace M. Finley (1839- ?) joined his father in business in the early 1860’s. The 1870 Ontario County Directory has an advertisement for the gallery. The ad reveals that in addition to “photographic work”, Finley & Sons (172 Main Streeet) was “Canandaigua’s Music Store”. The Finley’s sold pianos (including Steinway and Chickering brands) as well as other instruments and music supplies. In 1888, Horace Finley took on a partner named William N. Freeman. There are many stereoview cards, cdvs, and cabinet cards produced by this studio that can be found today as the Finleys were known to run a prolific studio. To view other photographs by Finley, click on category “Photographer: Finley”.
“WHEN I WORE A YOUNGER MAN’S CLOTHES” IN PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
An older man poses for his portrait at the studio of Adolph W. Rothengatter in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While looking at this photograph I thought of a line in the lyrics of Billy Joel’s song “Piano Man”. “When I wore a younger man’s clothes” popped into my head. Something about the image made me think that this elderly man was wearing clothing that he had not worn for many years. At the time of this photograph, I think he looked a bit out of place in his “business clothes”. My thoughts on this matter probably reflect some sort of ageism. However, they are my thoughts and for some reason I wanted to share them. The photographer of this cabinet card operated his own business but during his career he also had partnerships which included “Rothengatter & Dillon” and “Rothengatter & Casselberry”.
ENGLISH STAGE ACTRESS: ELLEN TERRY (THERE AIN’T NOTHIN LIKE A DAME!)
Dame Ellen Terry (1847-1928) was an English stage actress. The top cabinet card is from the studio of Campbell, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Ellen Terry was the leading Shakespearian actress in Great Britain. She was born into a family that was immersed in the theatre; and future generations continued theatrical pursuits; including grand nephew, John Gielgud (actor, director, producer). Ellen Terry began playing Shakespeare roles as a child and continued to do so. In 1878 she joined Henry Irving’s company. She toured Britain and the United States with great success. In 1903 she took over management of London’s Imperial Theatre and her focus included the plays of George Bernard Shaw and Henrik Ibsen. In 1916 she began acting in films and in 1925 she was made a “Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire”. Terry’s romantic life, including marriages and love affairs, make interesting reading. Research about the photographer of this cabinet card discovered his obituary in the New York Times (1912). The Times reports that Alfred S. Campbell (1839-1912) was a pioneer in the development of art photography. Among his accomplishments was the publication of an edition of the bible that was illustrated with photographs he took in the Holy Land. He emigrated to the United States on the invitation of famed photographer, Napoleon Sarony in 1866. Among his “intimate friends” were Henry Longfellow, Thomas Nast, and William Cullen Bryant . Visitors to the Cabinet Card Gallery can see photographs by Sarony under the category of “Photographer: Sarony” and can see a portrait of William Cullen Bryant under the category of “Journalist”. To view other photographs by Campbell, click on the category “Photographer: Campbell”.
The second cabinet card features Ellen Terry in the role of “Beatrice” in William Shakespeare’s play, “Much Ado About Nothing”. The Window & Grove studio of London,England, published this photograph. The studio operated in London from the 1870’s to at least 1908.
COSTUMED CHILD ACROBAT/CIRCUS PERFORMER
This cabinet card features a young boy who is likely a professional acrobat. The lad’s costume certainly is strongly suggestive that he is a circus performer. The child, as well as the photographer and the location of the studio, are all unidentified.
EVERYTHING’S COMING UP ROSES FOR PRETTY WOMAN IN GROTON, NEW YORK
A pretty woman wearing pinned roses on her dress poses for her portrait at a photographic studio in Groton, New York. The photographer’s name is M. W. Cooper. One source reports that he operated as a photographer in Groton in the 1890’s through 1900. Cooper is listed in the Ithaca (NY) city directory of 1890 under the category of Photographers. The directory confirms that his business was located in Groton.
MOTHER AND TWO DAUGHTERS POSE IN KIMONOS IN READING, PENNSYLVANIA
A mother and her two daughters pose in kimonos at the studio of John S. Fritz in Reading, Pennsylvania. There was a time when wearing this Japanese style clothing was quite popular in parts of the United States. This is apparent because it is not uncommon to find cabinet card era photographs with subjects wearing kimonos. A number of historical fashion experts visit the cabinet card gallery and hopefully some of them will weigh in on this subject. To learn more about photographer J. S. Fritz and to view more of his photographs, click on category “Photographer: Fritz JS”.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 