MOM AND DAD AND THEIR EIGHT KIDS NICELY DRESSED IN MADISON, SOUTH DAKOTA

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This cabinet card is a portrait of a large family taken at the studio of A. T. Lewis in Madison, South Dakota. This family is well dressed and likely well-to-do. South Dakota was part of the Dakota Territory until it became a state in 1889. This knowledge reveals that this photograph was taken in 1889 or later. The city of Madison was named after Madison, Wisconsin. Wikipedia reports that the city’s original name was Herman and that it was founded in 1880. Abrah T. Lewis, the photographer of this image was married to Miss Sarah J. Norcott in 1873. She was also a photographer and is actually the more likely of the two to have taken this photograph. Mrs. Lewis tended to do portraits while Mr. Lewis focused on scenic views. Abrah Lewis was born in Oneida, New York in 1853. He next lived with his family in Canada between 1855 and 1873. In 1873, Abrah and his bride moved to Michigan and eight years later he lost his house to a forest fire (1881). Mrs. Lewis’s grandmother perished in the fire and she nearly lost her mother. The couple left for a brief stay in Canada and then settled in South Dakota and worked as photographers in Sioux Falls. Three years later they moved to Madison and opened a photography studio there that was predominately operated by Mrs. Lewis while Mr. Lewis attended to branches of the studio at Brookings, Elkton, and Arlington (all in South Dakota). The pair resided in Madison (five years), Huron (two years) and Clark (two years). Like many photographer of the cabinet card era, this couple kept moving. Their next stop was various locations in Iowa where they continued to work as photographers. One of their locations was a town called Rock Rapids. To view photographs by other female photographers, click on the category “Female Photographers”.

Published in: on February 27, 2015 at 7:19 pm  Comments (1)  
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THIN WAISTED YOUNG WOMAN IN A CHECKERED DRESS (PORTRAIT BY FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER)

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A young woman in a pretty checkered dress is the subject of this cabinet card portrait by the Kepler studio in Central City, Colorado. The woman leans on a wicker chair in an unconvincing thoughtful pose. Note the young lady’s unusual hair ornament. Something else unusual about this cabinet card is that the photograph was taken by a female photographer. The pioneer woman photographer was named Mrs. V. M. Kepler. The “Checklist of Western Photographers (1986) reports that Kepler was a photographer in Central City between 1896 and 1899.

 

 

Published in: on January 2, 2015 at 11:53 am  Comments (1)  
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PORTRAIT OF AN ELDERLY MAN: PHOTOGRAPHED BY FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER ADELE BECKER IN NEW YORK CITY

ADELE BECKERA older gentleman with a bushy mustache poses for his photograph at the Van Dyke Studio in New York City. Printing on the front of the cabinet card indicates that the owner and operator of the studio was Miss Adele Becker. A female owner of a photography studio was a bit unusual during the cabinet card era but the cabinet card gallery has developed a collection of cabinet cards produced by female photographers. Click on the category “Female Photographers”. In regard to Miss Becker, research yielded little information about her life or career. It is likely she bought the studio from Mr. Van Dyke.

 

Published in: on July 4, 2014 at 12:24 pm  Comments (3)  
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PORTRAIT BY FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER MADAME GAGNE IN MONTREAL, CANADA

MADAME GAGNE_0002This cabinet card portrait features a well dressed woman and was produced by a female photographer in Montreal, Canada. Madame Gagne ran a photography studio in Montreal in the 1880’s and early 1890″s. Gagne had studios at other locations in Montreal including 897 St. Catherine (circa 1885) and1823 St. Catherine (date unknown). She was located at the 211 St. Laurent address in 1895. She did a great deal of portrait work for the Chinese community. William Notman was the Montreal photographer associated with taking portraits of the elite. It is likely that Madame Gagne was married to fellow Montreal photographer, Edouard Gagne. The McCord Museum in Montreal has some of Madame Gagne’s work in their collection of historic local photographs.

Published in: on October 23, 2013 at 12:01 pm  Comments (1)  
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A BEREAVED WOMAN IN THE WOODS IN McPHERSON, KANSAS (FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER)

MRS VREELAND_0004This cabinet card features a well dressed woman dressed in black and holding a handkerchief. The woman appears to be dressed in mourning clothes. On the reverse of the cabinet card is the following pre printed quotation “Secure the shadow ere the substance fades”. This quotation was commonly used in the photographic community in advertising to encourage people to photograph their deceased relatives to keep their memory alive. The next part of the “secure the shadow” quotation is “Let nature imitate what nature made”. It was not uncommon to photograph corpses in life-like poses or in caskets, deathbeds, or other household furniture during the cabinet card era. See cabinet card gallery category “Memorial Card”. This photograph seems to be more of a mourning card than a memorial card, though one can’t be certain. The photographer of this image is Mrs. Vreeland who operated the “leading gallery” in McPherson, Kansas. To view other photographs by female photographers click on the category “Female Photographers”. To view other photographs by Mrs. Vreeland, click on the category “Photographer: Vreeland”.

Published in: on August 29, 2013 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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HANDSOME YOUNG MAN IN BANGOR, MAINE (FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER)

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A handsome young man preens for the camera at the Ramsdell & Halloran studio in Bangor, Maine. Writing on the reverse of the photograph is not totally legible but appears to state “Board of Editors” and “Kallour” or Kallow”. Despite the written clues on the reverse of the photograph, research did not uncover any information pertaining to this gentleman’s identity. Investigating did reveal that one of the photographers of this image was female. Miss Emily I Ramsdell (1856-1917) appears in the 1880 census as living with her parents in Atkinson, Maine and working as a school teacher. Examining several Bangor city directories reveals that she was employed as a photographer as early as 1892 and as late as 1914. The 1887 through 1899 directories show that she was partnered with Thomas F. Halloran. The Bulletin of Photography (1917) reports her death at age sixty-one.

Published in: on March 2, 2013 at 12:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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PORTRAIT OF A BRIDE AND GROOM BY A FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER IN ELROY, WISCONSIN

MISS CLIZBE_0003This cabinet card is a wedding portrait of a young unidentified couple. The bride is wearing a dark wedding dress and a long sheer veil. The groom is standing in the background behind the bench his bride is sitting on. The distance between the two removes the intimacy that we tend to see in modern day wedding portraits. The photographer of this image is Miss Carrie B. Clizbe whose studio was located in Elroy, Wisconsin. She is one of  a small group of female photographers operating during the cabinet card era. Research revealed very little information about Carrie Clizbe’s career as a photographer. The 1880 US census found Carrie (age 21) living with her parents and four siblings in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. Carrie was working as a “tailoress”. Her father had an interesting occupation. He sold patents. The 1900 and 1910 census does not list her as having an occupation. While investigating, I was able to locate a cabinet card produced by the Clizbe Sisters studio in Reedsburg. It is apparent that Carrie was once partners with her sister Martha. A directory of Early Western Photographers reports that Carrie’s studio operated in Elroy circa 1895. The web site for Reedsburg provides a short biography of the man that Carrie Clizbe married on 7/4/1900. Herbert H. Webb and two partners established a department store in Reedsburg called Webb and Schweke. It was known as ‘The Big Store”. Carrie died in 1921 in the city of Chicago. She is buried in Reedsburg.

Published in: on January 11, 2013 at 12:01 am  Comments (6)  
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A PORTRAIT OF A BOY AND A CHAIR BY MISS LIBBY IN NORWAY, MAINE (NOTED FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER)

MISS LIBBY_0007A young boy dressed in a double breasted jacket and wearing a tie poses for this portrait by Miss Libby of Norway, Maine.  Minnie Libby (1863-1947) had a sixty year business career in Norway, Maine. She was a very able photographer and also an eccentric. She was the daughter of a Maine born blacksmith who was also a carriage maker and dealer. The 1880 census lists her at age sixteen as being an artist. She was sent to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and developed an interest in photography. She worked as a studio photo retoucher while living in Boston. In 1882 she worked as a photo retoucher at the Anthony Crockett Picture Studio in Norway. In 1885 her father constructed a building to house her first studio. By the 1890’s Miss Libby was quite successful. In 1905 her father helped her buy a new studio which caused some controversy in the town of  Norway. The seller of the building neglected to tell his tenant, a photographer, that the building was sold. The tenant photographer took ads out in the local paper denouncing the underhanded business practices of Miss Libby who ultimately occupied the building. Miss Libby’s response to the ads was to take out her own ads in which she said that she would use the advertising space to talk about her business, and not to make misleading statements about her competitors. In 1940, Life Magazine discovered Miss Libby. They did a feature on her life as a photographer, both past and present. Minnie Libby also produced oil paintings while working as a photographer. She was a talented artist and did many paintings of plants and flowers as well as landscapes. The Life Magazine article describes Miss Libby’s appearance. She most often wore knickers, men’s shirts, and a flowing bow tie. She was also described as a “first class photographer”. To view other photographs by Miss Libby, click on the category “Photographer: Libby”.

Published in: on December 19, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN IN GARDINER, MAINE (FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER)

 

FEMALE PHOTOG_0002This cabinet card features a bust portrait of a young woman. This is likely an early image from the cabinet card era. The photographer of this image is “Mrs. Barker” of Gardiner, Maine. Research found very little information about this pioneer female photographer. The 1880 United Startes census reveals that Julia R. Barker lived in Gardiner, Maine and worked as a photographer. Her husband, Eugene Barker, was employed as a railroad engineer. Both were 35 years old at the time of the census.

Published in: on December 12, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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PORTRAIT OF CHARLOTTE CASTERLINE IN BATAVIA, NEW YORK (FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER, 1898)

The subject of this portrait is Charlotte Casterline of Hammondsport, New York. Her name is pencil written on the reverse of the photograph along with the initials “G. S. N. S.”. The image is dated “1898”. The photographer of this portrait is Ada Houseknecht of Batavia, New York. Research found a cabinet card photographed by Houseknecht Brothers studio located at 106 Main Street in Batavia. The studio was active from 1880 until 1949. A separate investigation revealed that Batavia was the home of a studio operated by Beecher (1858-1930) and Ada Houseknecht (1871-?). Beecher went to work for photographer William Wilson in 1880 and bought out the studio. Ada started as a photo retoucher but became a full time photographer with her husband, Beecher. She was one of the first female professional photographers in the state of New York. She took over the studio when Beecher died in 1930. Little could be discovered about Charlotte Casterline. The 1899 Annual Report of the Superintendent (New York) notes that Charlotte graduated from the Normal School in Geneseo, New York. She was 0ne of the few students in the school who majored in science. After completing some research about Miss Casterline, it seems likely that this photograph was taken at her graduation from the Geneseo State Normal School (G. S. N. S. ?).

Published in: on September 29, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (1)  
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