PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG COUPLE IN INDEPENDENCE, KANSAS

A young couple poses for their portrait at the Stone Front Gallery in Independence, Kansas. The photographer was Al Brown. The photographer created a nice scene for this portrait. The young woman, in a very fancy dress,  is holding a posted envelope in one hand and a letter in the other. She is standing next to a small table which holds a book and a framed photograph of a child. The husband is dressed in a suit and is wearing a corsage. He has an appearance of being dazed by the process of being photographed. What is that item on the floor leaning on his chair. Is it a large envelope, magazine or newspaper? Whatever it is; it certainly does not enhance the photograph. The couple in this photograph are identified by an inscription on the reverse of the photograph. The woman’s name is Sue Singleton or Sue Singletore (last name not completely legible). The husbands first name is very difficult to decipher. The first letter of his name either begins with an “H” or an “A”.

Published in: on October 8, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (2)  
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PORTRAIT OF A BRIDE AND GROOM IN OMAHA, NEBRASKA

This wedding photograph features a beautifully dressed and handsome bride and groom at the Emory studio in Omaha, Nebraska. The couple are wearing large rose corsages as well as wedding bands. The photographer utilized a wonderful backdrop in posing the newly married couple. A photographer historical directory indicates that Horace S. Emory (1864-1922) operated as a photographer in the 1880’s and 1890’s. He also appears in the US Census in both 1900 and 1920. His occupation is listed as photographer in both censuses. His wife’s name was Mary Emory. The Bulletin of Photography (1922) reported that Emory was working for the Dean Studio in Omaha when he “dropped dead on January 11th. He had just completed taking a photograph”. He was 58 years old.

Published in: on October 5, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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PORTRAIT OF A COUPLE IN CHATSWORTH, ILLINOIS (JOSEPH AND ELLA FRANCIS)

This cabinet card features a couple posing for their portrait at the studio of A. H. Hall in Chatsworth, Illinois. The gentleman has an interesting long and narrow beard, The woman has a dress with many buttons and is wearing a pin on her collar. Note the mans hat is on the floor directly in front of where the couple is sitting. It is not uncommon to see cabinet card portraits that include hats prominently displayed on the floor. Perhaps the hats were viewed as important enough to belong in the picture but it was considered inappropriate to wear hats indoors. The couple in this photograph are identified on the reverse as Joseph and Ella Francis.  Investigation reveals that Joseph Francis served in the civil war. In 1864 he enlisted as a private in Company D of the Illinois 45th Infantry Regiment.He mustered out as a private in 1865.  The 1880 US census identifies Joseph S. Francis (1846-1930) as a farmer of Irish descent living in Illinois. The 1910 census finds the Ohio born, Francis living in Forrest, Illinois and working as a railroad car inspector. He was 64 years old at the time and living with his wife Ella Svedaker Williamson Francis (1862-1938) and four of their children. The 1930 census that Joseph Francis, at age 84, was still employed. He was working as an assessor for his township. Research found death certificates for both Joseph (1930) and Ella (1938).  The photographer of this image was Albert H. Hall. The History of Livingston County (1878) provides a brief biography of Hall. He was born in 1849 and at age 22 went to Chicago to learn the trade of photography. In 1872 he moved to Chartsworth and opened a photography and gem gallery. He married a woman named Dora Knapp.

Published in: on September 20, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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HANDSOME COUPLE AND AN OPEN BOOK IN GLATZ, GERMANY

This photograph features a nice looking well dressed couple posing with an open book. The photographer is Joseph Meier of Glatz, Germany. The city of Glatz is located in lower Silesia. A date written on the reverse of the photograph indicates that it was taken in 1914.

Published in: on September 15, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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ATTRACTIVE VICTORIAN COUPLE IN NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND

Studio Karoly produced this cabinet card portrait of an attractive couple in Nottingham, England. The gentleman in the photograph has a terrific mustache, striped pants and a polka dot tie. Note his pocket watch and pocket handkerchief. He is fashionably dressed and so is his wife. She is holding flowers and is wearing a very busy hat. The photographer, Frederick Karoly is mentioned in The Law Times (1894) in regard to his entering bankruptcy. A photograph of Karoly’s appears  in The Photogram (1895) in an article about artificial light portraiture.

Published in: on August 25, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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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”.

Published in: on August 8, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (4)  
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HANDSOME COUPLE IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

This photograph features an attractive couple posing for a photographer in Chicago, Illinois. The photographer’s last name is Banks and his studio was located at 2445 Kensington Avenue. The couple is very well dressed and share very serious expressions.The gentleman has a terrific mustache which curls at both ends. The couple are unidentified and no biographical information was found about the photographer.

Published in: on July 22, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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ATTRACTIVE YOUNG COUPLE FINDS FORTUNE IN CALIFORNIA

In the 1880’s and 1890’s many people came to California to seek their fortune. The couple pictured in this cabinet card found a fortune. The fortune was not gold or money; instead it was E . W. Fortune, a Los Angeles photographer. The couple probably wasn’t disappointed in this excellent image. The subjects are well posed and the photograph has wonderful clarity. The well dressed and handsome gentleman has a neat beard and is holding a book on his lap. He is wearing a pocket watch. The young woman in the portrait has a pretty dress and is wearing a bracelet on her wrist and a pin on her collar. Judging by their general appearance, the couple seems to have been financially well off. The pair are identified on the reverse of the image as Mr and Mrs W. R. Williams. A genealogical investigators heart sinks when he or she sees a name like “Williams” needing to be researched. There are generally just too many “Williams” to sort through, and the researcher ends up with multiple  people who fit the description of their quarry. As expected, research gleaned no biographical information about Mr. and Mrs. Williams. The photographer of this cabinet card operated his studio in Los Angeles, California. The address was 151 South Spring Street. City directories for Los Angeles list Fortune operating as a photographer between 1888 and 1893. He certainly may have conducted his business both before and after those dates but no confirmation could be found.

Published in: on July 16, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (3)  
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WEDDING COUPLE IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

This photograph features a bride and groom on their wedding day. The bride is wearing a beautiful white wedding dress and has a flower bouquet on her lap. The handsome groom is wearing a corsage and has a small pocket watch hanging near the top of his vest. Judging by their fashionable wedding attire, this couple appears to be well-to-do. The wedding portrait photogrrapher was Friesleben of 3932 State Street, in Chicago, Illinois. Louis W. Friesleben is listed by one source as operating his photographic studio from the State Street address between 1887 and 1900. An 1893 portrait taken by Friesleben of Plains Indians, who were part of an exhibit at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago,  is part of the collection of photographs that can be seen in the online National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.

Published in: on July 10, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (2)  
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ATTRACTIVE SWINGERS IN NAPOLEON, OHIO

This cabinet card features a handsome couple that likes to swing. The husband is a hunk and the wife is pretty. Both are dressed well. Wait a minute! Where is your mind taking you? I’m not referring to that kind of swinging.  I’m talking about playground type swinging, like kids do.  The photographer of this image is G. W. Gardner & Son: “Photographic And Portrait Artists”. The Gardner studio was located in Napoleon, Ohio. Apparently, many people liked to swing during the cabinet card era and you can see a number of photographs of swingers by clicking on Cabinet Card Gallery’s category “Swing”. George W. Gardner was born about 1829 in Cayuga County, New York. He began as a daguerreotype artist in Seneca County, Ohio in about 1850. He moved to Napoleon in 1865 and operated a studio from about 1870 until about 1900. He was assisted by his son George W. from about 1880 through about 1900. (George W.  following in his fathers footsteps is reminiscent of  another George W. following in his father’s footsteps slightly more than a century later). Later a second son, Cecil L. (1875-1960), followed his father and brother’ career path (are you reading this, Jeb?). George W. Jr also had two children enter the photography business in Napoleon.  Joseph Gardner (1873-?) was a photographer and Mary D. Gardner was a photo retoucher. Both were active in 1900. To view other photographs by the Gardner studio, click on the category “Photographer: Gardner”.

Published in: on July 2, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (3)  
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