This vintage photograph features a handsome young boy dressed in dark clothing. He is holding a stick of some kind. Is it a toy? It almost looks like a sword. It has been pointed out to me by a Cabinet Card Gallery visitor that the boy actually has a violin under his arm. The “stick” is likely a bow. The child appears to be wearing a uniform (band?). The boy is identified on the reverse of the photograph. His name is Elsworth Baker Tolman and he lived most of his life in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He was born in 1891. His father and mother were named Elmer and Adrianna respectively. The boy’s father was a musician. The 1910 census shows that Elsworth was working as a dry goods salesman. Elsworth was in the Army during World War l. He was a Captain and was assigned to an Engineering unit. Records from the 1930’s reveal that he was working as an engineer and in 1939 he married Dorothy Tolman. In 1940, he was employed as a fire insurance Engineering Inspector. This photo was taken by Martin H. Frommell at his New Bedford, Massachusetts studio.
THE CABINET CARD GALLERY 