PORTRAIT OF TWO HISPANIC MUSICIANS: TIN PAN ALLEY MEETS THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY

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Wow! I stumbled across this vintage photograph in an antique store in the Texas hill country. This great image features two men, who appear to be of Hispanic origin, playing a tune together. These country musicians are playing brass instruments. My best guess is that one of the men is playing a trumpet while the other is playing a tuba. The trumpet player looks quite intense while the tuba player appears to be “groovin”. The men are sharing sheet music which rests on a music stand. The sheet music is titled “The Witmark Folio”. The M Witmark and Sons company was a leading publisher of sheet music for the American “Tin Pan Alley” music industry. The firm was established in New York City in 1886. Marcus Witmark was legally the head of the company but it was actually run by his sons (Isidore, Julius, and Jay). The three sons were aged 14 to 17 when the company was established. The company published the music of many leading composers including George M. Cohan and Victor Herbert. M. Witmark and Sons was purchased by Warner Brothers in 1929. This vintage photograph measures about 6 1/4″ x 5 1/2″.

 

 

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Published in: on December 8, 2016 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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UNIFORMED BAND MEMBER AND HIS TUBA

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A uniformed band member poses for his studio portrait. He is holding his tuba and standing in front of a music stand. His plumed band hat rests on a large piece of furniture beside him. The photographer is unidentified. To view other photographs of musicians, click on the category “Musicians”.   (SOLD)

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Published in: on February 16, 2014 at 11:42 am  Comments (2)  
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UNIFORMED BAND MEMBER AND HIS TUBA IN JEWETT CITY, CONNECTICUT

This cabinet card features a uniformed band member and his tuba. At least I think it is a tuba but I would appreciate some confirmation from a cabinet card visitor well versed in identifying musical instruments. Note the sheet music clipped to his brass instrument  The musician has a terrific handlebar mustache and his cap indicates that he is a member of the “Ashland Band”.  This image was produced by the Brown studio in Jewett City as well as Moosup, Connecticut. Jewett City is a borough in the town of Griswold and Moosup is located in the town of Plainfield. Jewett City and Moosup are 12 miles apart. To drive from Jewett City to Moosup, one starts off on Ashland Street. I wonder if the “Ashland Band” is related to “Ashland Street”? Research reveals that the photographer William H. Brown was born in Packerville, Connecticut in 1853. His father was an overseer in the local mill. Brown was educated in public schools and his first job was as a store clerk. After three years of working in the store, he bought it and ran it for four years until he sold it. He then went back to work as a store clerk but bought a camera and for fun, photographed his friends and others during off hours. In a short time, it was clear that Brown had much talent in the area of photography. In about 1888 he opened a photography business. He had studios in Dayville and Wauregan. Later he opened galleries in Jewett City, Taftville and Moosup. Brown was married in 1874 to Miss Lillian Bennett and the couple had two daughters, Lillian and Alice.

Published in: on November 19, 2012 at 12:01 am  Comments (2)  
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THE BOYS IN THE BAND: TWO TUBA PLAYERS IN GRAND ISLAND, NEBRASKA

This cabinet card features two uniformed band members and their instruments, which according to my limited musical knowledge, are tubas. Note that the instruments have the written music  attached via musical symbol clips. Hopefully, a visitor to this site can leave a comment explaining the significance of the design of the clips. The musicians are handsome men and appear very serious as they pose for their portrait. The pin on the band members cap has the letters “DCB”. The meaning of this abbreviation is unknown. The photographic studio that produced this image was W. F. Kilborn of Grand Island, Nebraska.

Published in: on October 23, 2010 at 8:20 am  Comments (3)  
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