Sepia Saturday # 180 - World War I Era Nurses

My posts have been rather sporadic lately mainly due to the health of my husband who has needed all my extra attention because of severe back pain.  He has been unable to work for over six weeks and has been advised he needs back surgery.  Unfortunately for him, nursing is not one of my better qualities, but I have tried to do my best to attend to him. To top it off this past week my company instituted corporate cuts and I find myself unemployed and could use a little TLC.  When I saw the prompt for this week's Sepia Saturday the nurse in the photograph reminded me of a photograph that I have that fits the bill so I drug it out of my collection today for your review.  

This photo shows what I believe to be six World War I era nurses.  They are identified on the back as: (1) Mrs. Hugh Gilbert, (2) Mrs. I. Haines Dickinson, (3) Mrs. Geo. W. Heusel Jr. (4) unknown, (5) Miss Helen Heusel and (6) Mrs. A. S. Harkness.  The last woman I believe is possibly related to a woman I mentioned in an earlier post, Mary Fairlamb Harkness of Pennsylvania.  The location is unknown, but my guess that these nurses served stateside.

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Fashionable Friday - Early 1860' s New York City Woman (Pregnant?)

This lovely New York City woman was photographed by famed photographer Bogardus about 1863 - 64.  She is wearing what appears to be a light, cotton print dress with short sleeves so my guess would be that this photograph (CDV) was most likely taken in warmer months.  She is also wearing a dark colored, light and lacy shawl-type covering.  Something about this photo strongly suggests to me that she is pregnant.

Bogardus was Abraham Bogardus (1822 - 1908) was an American Daguerreotypist and photographer who is reported to have made some 200,000 daguerreotypes during his career.  He was born in Dutchess County, NY and went to New York City in 1837.  In 1846 he learned the art of Daguerreotypy from G.W. Prosch and after only two weeks instruction opened his own studio at 363 Broadway becoming very successful at his craft. He was so successful he opened several locations.  With the popularity of the Carte-de-Visite he was said to have produced up to 100 dozens of CDV's per day.

In 1869 Bogardus was elected the first president of the national Photographic Association, a postiion he held for seven years.  His contemporaries were Jeremiah Gurney, Matthew Brady, Lawrence, Insley, Hass, Harrison and Hill, the brothers Meade, Lewis, and Bogert.  After a long and successful career he retired in 1884.

I previously posted another of his photographs and you can see it here:

http://forgottenfacesandlongagoplaces.blogspot.com/2012/09/fashionable-friday-1860s-woman-freelove.html

Wedding Wednesday - Late 1880's Austin, Texas Newlyweds

This cabinet card, although a bit faded, is still a great photograph of a lovely bride and her groom from circa 1889 Austin, TX.  The bride is wearing a lovely white gown with fitted bodice, high neck and the shoulders have the slight puff seen in the late 1880's.  Her headdress is also quite lovely with the small white buds, I'm not sure what they are called, but I have seen them on other photographs in this time frame.  They are also on the groom's matching boutonniere. He is seated with his hand in jacket - I have never understood the significance of this pose - and the bride has her hand resting on his shoulder.

The back of the photograph has a very interesting photographer's mark, note the dragon breathing fire in the upper left hand corner.  The photographer was Harvey Roberts Marks (1821 - 1902) well-known Daguerrean and photographer, born in New York City and according to "Pioneer Photographers From The Mississippi To The Continental Divide" he had an illustrious career criss-crossing the country from San Francisco (1851) Baltimore, MD (1851 - 1853) to Mobile, AL (1855 - 1859) to Houston (1865-1867) to Austin(1870 - 1902).

In February 1851 in San Francisco he daguerreotyped the castaways of the Japanese ship Eriki-Maru while they were aboard the US revenue bark, Polk.  This was substantiated two years later by the "Illustrated News" who published three wood engravings of these sailors with the comment that the illustrations were after daguerreotypes by H. R. Marks of Baltimore.  See here for a photo of one of the castaways.

Marks won a number of awards during his career including January of 1853 from the Maryland Institute  the "highest premium for the eminent superiority of his Pictures" and seventeen prizes at the 1880 Capitol State Fair in Austin.  He also was the vice president of the national Photographic Association in 1874 and 1881 and was a life member.   He also served as a captain  in the Houston Battalion of militia infantry during the Civil War.  There are cartes de visites still existing  with his Houston imprint of uniformed Confederate officers.

He is said to have the longest career of any Austin photographer in the nineteenth century.  He was pre-deceased by his wife Emily and three children and left his estate to his long time assistant George H. Berner.

Source:  Pioneer Photographers From the Mississippi to the Continental Divide, 1839 - 1865 by Peter E. Palmquist, Thomas R. Kailbourn.  Stanford University Press, Stanford California, 2005.  Google eBooks.

Sentimental Sunday - Women with Hats - 1860's Illinois "Scarlett O'Hara-like" Woman

There is something about this photograph that reminds me of "Scarlet O'Hara."  I'm sure it must be the young woman's stylish hat, but it could just be her expression.  While nowhere near as striking as Vivien Leigh, this young woman, identified only as "Lizzie" was still quite lovely.  This CDV was probably taken between 1864 - 1869 so is indeed in the right time frame as Gone With the Wind.

The hat is a small boxy thing with a brim covered with what looks like little flowers and is secured under the chin with satiny ties.  It covered with some type of lace and the right side appears to have something like a feather protruding up over the top.  I tried to blow up the photo, but could not get a good view of these items.  One other item to look at, she is wearing what appears to be a wedding ring and I have to wonder with the dark hat if she was not in the latter part of mourning.

The photographer was E. Cummings of Elgin, Illinois.  I did not have much luck finding any information on Cummings although I did find an E. Cummings, photographers in the U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists on Ancestry.com who listed his address as Elgin and occupation as photographer in 1865.  I also found an Edward A. Cummings of Elgin who enlisted in Company I, Illinois 127th Infantry Regiment on 5 Sep 1862 and mustered out 20 Jun 1865.  His death was listed as 23 Aug 1922, Illinois death rolls.  I suspect this is the same person.  

Sepia Saturday #177 - Children on Fences, Columns, Rocks & Other Photographer's Props

I have a lot of wonderful old children's photographs and for some reason rarely post child photos so when I saw the theme prompt for this week's Sepia Saturday I decided to share some of my favorites.  Here are just a few:

This first photo (CDV) is a very young, unidentified Trenton, NJ girl taken between 1864 and 1866 as evidenced by the revenue stamp on the back.  Such a little sweetheart and look at her darling dress.  The photographer was Aller & Brown of Trenton.  This little miss is posing on the photographer's fake balustrade railing.

This next photo (cabinet card) features five young Michigan siblings and their dog posed next to a faux fence and pile of hay.  The photographer was Dave Bradbeer of Charlevoix, Michigan.  This photograph was most likely taken in the late 1880's.

 

Next up is a cabinet card featuring an 1890's boy wearing Little Lord Fauntleroy attire holding the obligatory whip.  This was a very popular costume for boys to wear for their photographs in the 1890's.  This particular young boy was posed by photographer Strunk of Reading, PA seated on a large "rock."

 

This young girl from Trenton, NJ is quite a picture in plaid posed next to a "stone column" and behind an "iron gate."  I've posted  this cabinet card before, but I think she deserves another mention - just love her entire outfit.  The photographer was J. E. North of 31 Centre St.  This photo is also from the 1880's.

 

This young lad leaning on the "stone column" is quite dapper in matching jacket and knickers with  hat and cane and take a look at those plaid leggings!  What a good looking young man.  No photographer is listed, but the boy is identified on the back as Howard Prue Price, I believe.  My guess is this cabinet card is from the late 1870's.

 

And finally we have this sweet young girl leaning on the photographer's "stone fence".  Such a sweetie in her simple dress and lace collar and notice the necklace with long chain around her neck.  The photographer was H. S. Stephens of Rushville, Indiana.  This photo was probably taken in the late 1880's.

If you have enjoyed these photos I hope you will hop, skip or jump over to Sepia Saturday to see even more wonderful photos.