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.

Fashionable Friday - Rose Pierce, 1890's (Edwardian Era) Doctor's Wife

This lovely young is identified on the back of this cabinet card as Rose, Rollin Pierce's wife.  The lovely Rose obviously posed for this cabinet card in sometime in the 1890's as evidenced by her dress and the photographers imprint at the bottom.  I suspect this photo to have been taken around 1894 - 1895.  Rose was married to Dr. Rollin Pierce (see photo below).  I thought it would be easy to identify Dr. and Mrs. Pierce, but I had no luck finding them on Ancestry.com or on Google.  I tried using variations of Rollin Pierce's name but struck out.  Such a shame, they are surely someone's ancestors.

Rose is wearing the very typical large puffy sleeves seen in the 1890's and the teeth-like cut of the bodice is somewhat unusual.  Her collar sits high on her neck adorned with one button and she is wearing a string of beads above that.  Her photograph was taken by photographer Stigleman & Son located at 826 Main St., Richmond, IND.  Interestingly enough, Stigleman is actually "Rolland" Stigleman who had a studio in Richmond until he sold it in 1898.  He took over the business from his father George after the business was destroyed by fire.  I posted a photo taken by George Stigleman previously and I believe these photos were bought together in a large group so it is possible they may be related.

Rose's husband, Dr. Rollin Pierce looks quite fashionable himself in this photograph which was probably taken around 1896 give or take a year.  He is wearing a dark colored three piece suit with white high-collared shirt and white bow-tie.  He was a very handsome young man.  The photographer was Wright and Holloway, 510 1/2 Wabash Ave., Terre Haute, IND.

Fashionable Friday -"Easy on the Eyes" 1890's Richmond, IN Gent

My Fashionable Friday posts tend to feature women in lovely, voluminous dresses with intricate designs and eye-catching accessories. Today I decided to change it up a little bit by throwing in this extremely good-looking young gentleman from Richmond, IN.  I purchased this cabinet card with the same group of photos I discussed in a recent post so perhaps he is related, but unfortunately he is unidentified.  He appears to be somewhat prosperous and is wearing from what we can see a fashionable suit with overcoat. Although a bit faded and having a few spots, this picture is still amazing as you can even see the white-on-white design on his tie.  I estimate this photograph to have been taken between 1890 - 1894.

The photographer was W. Blanch Ward of the Chicago Art Gallery at 704 Main Street in Richmond.  I could not find any information on the photographer, he or she was listed in the Richmond City Directory in 1886 and 1888 at 704 Main Street.  The back of the photo is bare, but the photographer's mark at the bottom is quite unusual.

Mystery Monday - Two Ladies from Indiana - Are They One and The Same?

Some time ago I bought a large group of photos from the same vendor and most were from the same few counties in Indiana.  Initial research seemed to indicate that several of the people who were actually identified were most likely related in some way.  The two cabinet cards I am posting today feature women, one from Tipton County, IN and the other from Wayne County (Richmond), IN.  The features on these two women are so similar that I strongly believe it is possible they are one and the same.  Of course, neither photo has anything to identify either subject.  They both appear to have been taken in the same time frame, late 1880's to mid 1890's.

Unk Tipton, IN Woman & Children ca late 1880s - early 1890's

The first photograph shows a young woman in her late twenties to early thirties posed with two young girls, most likely her daughters.  This photograph was probably taken between 1888 and 1892.  The photograph was taken at Hysman's Studio in Tipton, Ind. Hysman was Henry Hysman born ca 1840 in Indiana, married Mary Thatcher May 1865 in Tipton.  He enlisted in the Civil war as a Private on 15 Aug 1861 and served in the 22nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry.  He was promoted to a full Corporal and mustered out on 24 Jul 1865.  He suffered some type of injury as he applied for an invalid pension on 27 Jul 1872.  He died on 21 Jan 1892 and is buried at Fairview Cemetery in Tipton County.  The inscription on his stone says, "Died for His Country."

Unk Richmond, IN woman ca 1890 - 1894

The second photo shows the subject in a traditional singular pose and was probably taken about 1890 - 1894.  The photographer was West End Studios, Stigleman & Son, Richmond, Ind established in 1867 by George Walter Stigleman.  Stigleman was born in 1836 in Wayne County, Indiana, married his wife (Elizabeth) Caroline Bailey about 1859 and  and their first son Edward followed his father into the family business as evidenced by the 1890 Richmond City Directory, "GW Sr. & Son (Geo W. & Edward Stigleman) proprs of the East End Gallery, photographers, 826 Main." There was a second son George, Jr. and it appears he  moved to Denver, CO and started his own photography business there.  In 1894 the Stigleman's Indiana studio was destroyed by fire as reported by the  "Photographic Times & American Photographer, Volume 25 (Google eBook).  Most equipment and negatives were a total loss.  The mother had died in May of 1892, George Sr. died a year after the fire in May of 1895.  I could not find any record of what became of son Edward but it appears that a third son Rollin rebuilt and took over the studio until 1898 when he sold it to Edwin F. Dalby of Richmond.

Mystery Monday - 1886 Girl from Jefferson County, IL - Who is She?

When I saw this cabinet card come up for sale on eBay, I knew I had to have it. This beautiful young woman with the winsome look on her face had her photo taken by Mr. & Mrs. Jas. Hitchcock of Mt. Vernon, Ills, my hometown.  I am fascinated with the photography of Major James Hitchcock who lived and worked in Jefferson County, Il from about 1870 until his death in 1916. I have collected a few of his photographs, but this is by far my favorite to date.

When I received this photo in the mail I was excited to see that there was handwriting on the back and thought that the subject was identified.  Upon closer examination, sadly it appears that the words say, "got home from Bonnie (or Rome) this AM Aug 30th 1886." Such a disappointment, but at least it helps to date the photograph.

Major James Hitchcock was a well-known Mt. Vernon citizen, coming to the city in 1870 from Indiana after the Civil War.  He was born in Gibson County, Indiana in December 1843 to John William and Margaret (Brasher) Hitchcock.  In 1862 he enlisted in the 71st Indiana Infantry, Company E, and transferred to the 6th Indiana Cavalry in February 1863. In 1864 in a disastrous attempt to release prisoners held at the notorious Andersonville, GA prisoner of war camp, he and 2,000 others were captured by Confederate troops and was himself held as a P.O.W. for nine months. He was taken from Andersonville to "somewhere in Florida" along with other prisoners where they were able to make their escape along the way.

In May of 1868 in Richland County, IL he married Annie E. Gardner and by 1870 they were living in Jefferson County, IL with a one year old daughter Barbara (Ruby).  A son Ray was born in 1873 and a daughter Ethel in 1879.  For many years he and his wife operated an extremely successful photography studio at 219 South Tenth Street in Mt. Vernon, IL (Jefferson County).  He was well respected for his craft and his photos documented most of the history of Jefferson County and the surrounding areas between 1870 - 1910.  His wife died in 1912 and Hitchcock was reported to be grief-stricken.   He died four years later on 2 Jan 1916 and he and his family are buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Mt. Vernon.

Sources:  Ancestry.com

Thomas A. Puckett, Mt. Vernon, A Pictorial History, 1991

The Headlight, 1898

Sepia Saturday #136 - Professional Baseball Player & Scout John Ralph "Jack" Warner

I posted a brief blurb earlier about my great-grandaunt Wave Bruce's husband John Ralph "Jack" Warner who was for a time a professional baseball player in the 1920's and 1930's.  This week's Sepia Saturday illustration comes from the AG Spaulding Baseball Collection and although I have two reproduction cards of Uncle Jack's there are numerous others of his out there that I cannot afford to purchase.  When I Google him I can find a number of great old photos.  The photo left is from the 1933 Goudey Baseball Card collection when Jack played for the Philadelphia Phillies at second base.

Jack was born 29 Aug 1903 in Evansville, IN to Norman and Emma Warner, the fourth of five children. On September 24 1925 he debuted in the major leagues at age 22 for the Detroit Tigers and was their third baseman for the 1926 and 1927 seasons. He played alongside the legendary Ty Cobb and in 1926 won a $25 bet from Cobb by beating him in a footrace. Click here to see a great team photograph where Jack is sitting next to the great Ty Cobb? It the 1926 team profession photograph, about 1/3 the way down the screen and Jack and Ty are the two in the very middle of the photo.

His best year was 1927 when he played 138 games at third base and finished among the American League leaders in at bats (559), outs (431), and hit by pitch (6).  In 1929 he was traded to the Brooklyn Robins (1929 - 1931) and finished his career with the Phillies in 1933 playing his final game on September 30 1933. After his playing career he was a scout for the Chicago Cubs. He spent 12 seasons as a coach for the Los Angeles Angels farm club and was a West Coast scout until he retired.

I found Uncle Jack and Aunt Wave in the 1940 Los Angeles Census where he listed his occupation as professional ball player. They lived for many years in California before returning to Illinois upon retirement. He died in Mt. Vernon, IL at age 82 on 13 Mar, 1986 and is buried at Memorial Gardens.

For more great American baseball stories swing on over to Sepia Saturday!

Those Places Thursday - Indiana -Civil War Era Mother & Child

This CDV photograph of a mother and child taken in Bristol, Indiana does not identify the subjects, but from the stamp on the back we know it was taken between 1864 and 1866.  The photographer was L. H. Maffit.  Mom looks a little stunned.