Edward F. Hartley, Chicago Photographer

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Annieoakley

We love these photo studio illustrations with the studio name appearing multiple times (eight in this case, including the name under the building). The block on the sidewalk is called a carriage step, carriage stone or mounting block, if you were wondering. The above is the reverse of the Cabinet Card in the prior post.

Most of what appears presently online for Edward F. Hartley (1847 – 1887) comes from obituaries; some of the information we found conflicts, that being his year of marriage, studio location prior to Chicago (Jacksonville or Decatur but no record was found of either in city directories or newspaper ads) and whether he competed for professional photographer association prizes. In any case, Hartley was a very successful and well-known Chicago photographer whose studio was located at 309 W. Madison Street since at least 1877. The son of Methodist minister Charles Hartley and his wife Louisa (Louisa’s given name per the 1850 Federal Census; however her maiden name wasn’t located.) Edward Hartley was born in Wadsworth, Ohio, on November 9, 1847, (per the Daily Inter-Ocean.) On October 5, 1871 (or 1873) he married a judge’s daughter, Virginia Boyd; they had no children. Below an excerpt from Edgar E. Boyd’s Record of the Boyd Family: John Boyd from Scotland and Descendants, which was compiled in 1913:

Below, two obituaries, from, left to right, from the Decatur Daily Republican (Decatur, IL) and the Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago, IL) and a funeral announcement from the Inter Ocean.

Below, a humorous analogy in advertisement by E. F. Hartley, showing the shrewd businessman in action. The “Sign of the Rooster” mentioned at the bottom of the ad, can be seen in other ads put out by him, as in the insert below, a rooster standing atop another rooster, victorious. (We found another, showing Hartley’s rooster having completely beaten down the competition. That one was too graphic for our sensibilities, and we remind ourselves that this was the 1880s…probably what we today would view as negative in advertising (therefor to avoid) was perhaps just seen as getting the point across. The dogs at the trough image is a little rough, too. No pun intended 😉 As for the $2.00 Cabinet Cards, this price was for twelve Cabinets and one panel, a smokin’ hot deal for the public, to be sure.

Below, from a couple of our readers (thank you!)….see the comment from J. Hill. Here’s the beautiful shadow box and a close-up in sepia of the handsome, newly-married couple, names unknown, photographed by the Hartley studio. Note the bride’s lace at the neck (unusual by today’s standards I think, because it’s not symmetrical) love her dark gloves, the beautiful embroidery on the bodice…and very unusual, that white piece of fabric sticking out below the bodice, seemingly so random, but in a way balancing out the lace on the neck in the overall effect. And those would be artificial orange blossoms (most likely made from wax) in the bride’s headpiece and the groom’s boutonniere, that now lovingly surround the Cabinet Card. Orange blossoms were worn and made popular by Queen Victoria at her wedding to her beloved Prince Albert.

Update: In response to a query from a reader, for the question of whether the Hartley studio continued after his death in 1887….There is a possibility that Edward’s brother, Charles F. may have continued with the business, more research will be forthcoming. Below, the news clipping on Hartley’s will appearing in Chicago’s The Inter Ocean:

Sources: Ancestry.com. Illinois, Marriage Index, 1860-1920.

Year: 1850; Census Place: Lawrence, Stark, Ohio; Roll: M432_731; Page: 94A; Image: 196. (Ancestry.com).

“Passed Away” Decatur Daily Republican (Decatur, Illinois) October 13, 1887, Thur, p. 3. (Newspapers.com).

“The Final Reward. Edward F. Hartley, the Well-Known Photographer, Answers Death’s Dread Summons.” Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago, IL) Vol. 16, Issue 199. October 10, 1887, p. 5. (Genealogybank.com).

“Laid to Rest” October 13, 1887, Thur, p.3 The Inter Ocean (Chicago) (Newspapers.com).

“Public Patronage Trough” Chicago Daily Tribune. March 15, 1885, Sun, p. 2. (Newspapers.com).

“Hartley’s Rooster” Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago, IL) Vol. 16, Issue 44. May 7, 1887, p. 4. (Genealogybank.com).

Hamilton, E. L. “With quiet determination, Queen Victoria chose a white wedding dress, launching the trend that endures to this day.” March 20, 2018. https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/03/20/queen-victoria-wedding-dress/ (accessed November 6, 2018).

“Edward F. Hartley’s Will.” The Inter Ocean (Chicago, IL). November 2, 1887. Wednesday, p. 10. (Newspapers.com).

A Nice Gentleman, Chicago 1891

Posted on March 6, 2016 by Annieoakley

Cabinet Card photo. 1891. Photo studio: Hartley, 309 W. Madison St., Chicago, Illinois.

Price: $10.00 Size: 4 and 1/4 x 6 and 1/2″

Sometimes we get lucky with names, sometimes not: Here’s a beautiful Cabinet Card portrait of a kind-looking older gentleman, maybe in his seventies or eighties. The writing on the bottom says (insert your best guess here on the name) “D. A. Tibbles. 1891.” So, Ancestry, Find A Grave and city directories were searched but we couldn’t find anyone under the possible last name of Tibbles or variations to fit his initials (and alternates) and time-frame.

The photo was taken by a photographer at the Hartley Studio, located at 309 W. Madison St. in Chicago. See the next post.

Colby & Wilson Cabinet Card, Meredith, NH

Posted on December 5, 2015 by Annieoakley

Cabinet Card photo of a little boy, (love the expression) about three years old, posed standing with hands in pockets, dressed in a long wool-looking coat with contrasting darker-colored cuffs and collar, the collar buttoned snug at the neck, and a winter hat with tassel. Someone, at some point, took the liberty of filling in the eyebrows and darkening the eyes a little.

It’s more probable than not that the little boy in this photo is the son of Fred Canney, according to the writing on the back which shows, “Mrs. Fred Canney. Meredith, N.H.” If this is correct, then it’s possible that this is a photo of Wilfred A. Canney, born about 1883; son of Fred Canney and Annie Martin. Wilfred married Alice B. Cummings on December 1, 1908 in Meredith, NH.

The photography studio of Colby & Wilson is more of a mystery. Nothing was found in online searches other than an image of the reverse side of one of their cabinet cards, currently appearing on Pinterest, though there are several possibilities showing up for individual photographers in other New Hampshire cities.

Cabinet Card, Meredith, New Hampshire. Circa 1886.

Price: $7.00 Size: 4 and 1/8 x 6 and 3/8″

Source: “New Hampshire Marriage Records, 1637-1947,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FLCN-D71 : accessed 5 December 2015), Fred J. Canney in entry for Wilfred A. Canney and Alice B. Cummings, 01 Dec 1908; citing Meredith, , New Hampshire, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, Concord; FHL microfilm 2,057,690.

Minneapolis Beauty By A. Larson

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Annieoakley

Cabinet Card. Circa 1884 – 1905. Photographer: Anton Larson, 313 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Price: $15.00 Size: 4 and 3/16 x 6 and 7/16″

This Cabinet Card shows a photo of a very poised and lovely young woman, probably a resident of Minneapolis, though we couldn’t know for sure. What immediately draws our attention is the large round brooch fastened at the collar. This is “an image within an image” kind of thing (love that) and it shows what appears to be a painting on porcelain of a young girl wearing a bonnet. The piece is bordered with a row of, I believe the term is “brilliants” or what we might call rhinestones, today. It would have been a favorite piece of jewelry, no doubt, and deservedly so. A row of interesting-looking metal buttons runs down the front of the woman’s close-fitted jacket or bodice of the dress (if this was a one-piece outfit.) White lace shows from underneath the stand-up collar; the collar’s points being just slightly turned down near the brooch. Her hair is side-parted and swept up with a little height at the back, adding an extra touch of elegance.

The photographer is Anton Larson, whose career will be explored a little more in the following post, but he worked out of the 313 Washington Avenue South address starting around 1884, according to city directories, and through at least 1905.

Myrtle Olson, San Francisco, Circa 1897

Posted on June 20, 2015 by Annieoakley

Here’s a Cabinet Card of adorable Myrtle Olson, about seven or eight years old, posed for the photo wearing a plaid dress with long sleeves which are puffed from elbow to shoulder, a white collar and button-top boots.

Myrtle appears to be the daughter of Andrew P. Olson and Lina (Mayrisch) Olson, and is on the 1900 Federal Census, for San Francisco, with her mother (widowed) and older siblings, Bertha, Andrew and Emily.

The photo artist…

The studio address on the back shows 17 1/2 Treat Ave, the name being a little hard to read there; the first guess at it was …?…J. Van der Kaali [?] & Co. But luckily the photographer was found in the 1897 San Francisco city directory with a residence address of 17 Treat Ave, and with name clarified as William Vanderkay. Further verification (with middle initial and double “a” in Kaay, matching the stamp on the card) appears in the 1901 city directory for William J. van der Kaay, showing an address of 629 Union. Both directories list his occupation as photographer.

Cabinet Card, Circa 1897. Photographer: William J. Van Der Kaay & Co.

Availability Status: SOLD. Size: 4 and 1/4 x 6 and 1/4.”

Sources: Year: 1900; Census Place: San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Roll: 107; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 0292; FHL microfilm: 1240107.

“Lina Olsen.” Ancestry.com. California, San Francisco Area Funeral Home Records, 1895-1985

Crocker-Langley San Francisco Directory, 1897. p. 1712. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989.

Crocker-Langley San Francisco Directory, 1901. p.1796. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989.

Frederick Russell Pope

Posted on November 22, 2014 by Annieoakley

Cabinet Card, circa 1896. Photographer: Duryea, Brooklyn, New York.

Price: $20.00

Cabinet Card showing a beautiful photo of young Frederick Russell Pope, estimated age about four years old, taken by the Duryea photography studio, Brooklyn, New York. Russell was born May 25, 1892, in Brooklyn, according to his passport application made twenty-three years later. He is dressed and with hairstyle in the mode of the day, when it was common for young boys to be outfitted in what we today would just think of as girls’ clothing, and with longer haircut, shoulder length in this photo. The outfit is a plaid, pleated skirt; white blouse with scalloped lace edging, a ruffled collar and cuffs that turn up as far as the elbow; and a large light-colored plaid ruffled bow at the neck.

Here is Russell’s photo from his passport application: a handsome young man at age 25. The passport shows his residence as 412 Avenue C, Brooklyn; that he was applying for the passport to travel to Germany and Switzerland, to reside abroad temporarily for about a year; and that his occupation was “Student & Teacher.”

Russell’s parents are William Pope and Annie Long, both born in England. He married M. Irene Decker, and he died July 16, 1940 in Greensboro, North Carolina, at age 48 (always sad to see the death certificates of people we feel we just got to know slightly through their photos, especially when the person dies young or relatively young.) The death cert shows he was a teacher, and residing at Guilford College, NC.

The 1930 Federal Census for White Plains, NY shows Russell, wife Irene and their three daughters, Ethel, Virginia and Joyce. Russell’s occupation on this census is Professor at “New York University” which may not have been the actual university name.

As to the photographer, there is more than one possibility for this last name in Brooklyn. We’ll do more research and update here asap.

Sources: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; NARA Series: Passport Applications, January 2, 1906 – March 31, 1925; Roll #: 277; Volume #: Roll 0277 – Certificates: 11501-11900, 20 Nov 1915-30 Nov 1915 (Ancestry.com)

North Carolina State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics. North Carolina Death Certificates. Microfilm S.123. Rolls 19-242, 280, 313-682, 1040-1297. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, North Carolina. (Ancestry.com)

Year: 1930; Census Place: White Plains, Westchester, New York; Roll: 1666; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 0370; Image: 408.0; FHL microfilm: 2341400

Family Portrait By J. R. Johnson

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Annieoakley

Cabinet Card, circa 1880s – 1890s. Possible photographer: J. R. Johnson. Possible location California.

Price: $6.00

The fourth of four Cabinet Cards found in the small Soquel, CA antique and vintage shop, and it’s possible they may have come from the same family, but unknown. There is no photographer printing or stamp on the front or back but there is a name on the back, (above the unfortunate tear) possibly a signature which shows “J. R. Johnson.” I think this may be the photographer’s name rather than the name of the father or son in the photo, or person it was given to. The odds are stacked against for this one in finding i.d. – common last name, first initials only, no location. But it’s a wonderful photo, even though the faces of the three, especially the mom and son, are very light. The photo shows a young couple, and their probably five or six-year old son. The man is seated on a wooden chair with his around around his son, the woman standing with her hand on her husband’s shoulder, and the boy standing next to his dad with his hand resting on the dad’s crossed leg: a typical family pose of the day. Some interesting details to pick out in this photo are the woman’s rather tight-fitting gloves; the fact that she holds probably a white handkerchief in her left hand which seems a little out of keeping with her black or dark very stylish dress; the boy’s woolen sailor suit (wonderful sailor design stitching) with cap, high button boots and his toy rifle (or possibly a real one or maybe just the photographer’s prop); the man’s jacket and vest in subtle plaid and his bow tie of a different plaid material…. And it looks like this photo was taken outdoors in front of a photographer’s backdrop of a city park. But all in all, a beautiful family photo.

Modesto Siblings By Hanson

Posted on September 28, 2014 by Annieoakley

Cabinet Card, circa 1892 – 1898. Photographer: Frank Henry Hanson.

Price: $15.00

This Cabinet Card was likely done by Frank H. Hanson who is mentioned in the same book about Modesto that was just referenced two posts ago (re fellow photographer William Brown.) And this is the third of four that were found together in Soquel, CA. The little girl in the last post almost looks like she could be the sister of these two, but we don’t know for sure, since there are no names on any of the four. This photo shows a child maybe one year old? a boy or girl (so hard to tell at this age since the boys were also dressed in beautiful cotton or linen gowns like this one) and the older brother in short pants, double-breasted jacket and pale striped shirt with just the large ruffled collar showing. The older child wears a round brooch of some sort on his jacket lapel. This decoration is intriguing since even up close we can’t see what design it holds, but we can picture the mother getting the children ready at home, pinning the brooch on the lapel….The younger child is seated on a wooden chair of bamboo? on a tasseled coverlet or rug. The photo composition is interesting: both children are gazing into the camera, but especially interesting is the similar arm and feet placement – the similar stance of the older child to the “stance” of the chair – left legs slightly forward and standing on the prominent fur rug, and rights back slightly and just off the rug. It’s seems like when we notice these types of things, as touched on above re the brooch, it really makes us feel transported back in time, in this case to this Modesto studio in year 1890-something or so. We have insight into the photographer’s thought process and suddenly we are there…we picture him lining up the shot….

At the bottom right under the photo is the photographer’s stamp in red showing “Hanson Modesto, Cal.” On several of the California Voter Registration records for years 1892 – 1898, Frank Henry Hanson is recorded as occupation photographer, born in Michigan 1868 -1870, residence E. Modesto, and is described as 5′ 8 and 1/2″, light complexion, brown eyes and light hair. (Two of three records say brown eyes, the other gray.)

Sources: Mathes, Wayne A., and the McHenry Museum. Modesto. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 2011. (Google.com partial book view)

California State Library, California History Section; Great Registers, 1866-1898; Collection Number: 4 – 2A; CSL Roll Number: 134; FHL Roll Number: 978590. (Ancestry.com).

Little Cutie

Posted on September 28, 2014 by Annieoakley

Cabinet Card, circa 1880 – 1900.

Price: $8.00

Second of four Cabinet Cards that were found together, and that may or may not be related. No identifying information on this one for the adorable little girl or the photographer. But she is posed standing on a chair that has a fringed rug or coverlet draped over it. She must be blonde and have light blue (or green) eyes. She wears a cute pale gingham dress with a set of ruffles for a collar out of the same material. And it looks like there is also a ribbon worn above the collar with a bow off to the side. On the collar is a pin that says “Baby.” (Awww!) Best of all, besides that beautiful expression, is the spiked hairdo – very in style now in 2014.

Modesto, California Gentleman

Posted on September 28, 2014 by Annieoakley

This Cabinet Card and the next three were found together, at a small antique and vintage store in Soquel, California. It’s possible but unknown for sure whether the people in these four photos are related. This one is a sepia-toned rendition of a handsome mustachioed gentleman who appears to be in his twenties or early thirties. He is formally posed with one hand behind his back, holding his derby hat (a.k.a. bowler in the U.K.) in the other, and gazing off to his right. He wears a suit with vest and a knee-length coat with wide lapels, over a white shirt and a white or off-white probably silk tie. The backdrop is a country setting showing the dreamy outline of trees and bushes and a suggestion of a stone pathway abutting a low stone or concrete railing. Also, just to mention a couple of the other details in the photo – we see, of course, the subject’s watch chain on display as part of his attire, but what takes closer inspection is the shirt cuff appearing under the coat sleeve. The cuff appears to be of the stiff and possibly detachable variety. (For a shirt cuff-related trade card see an earlier post on this website entitled: B. J. Stone Trade Card, New Haven, CT

Underneath the photo in gold-tone script appears, “Brown, Photographer,” and off to the right, in smaller lettering, “Modesto, Cal.”

The photographic artist for this photo is believed to be William Brown (1838 – 1893) who was a prominent Modesto photographer. No other possibilities jump out at us in our searches in this area for a photographer under this last name and for the time period of roughly 1870 – 1900, when the Cabinet Card was popular. According to author Wayne A. Mathes and the McHenry Museum, William Brown had a photographic gallery as early as 1871, which is the date given for a shop that he established on Front Street, a.k.a. Ninth Street, in Modesto.

Cabinet Card, circa 1871 – 1880s. Photographer: William Brown.

Price: $15.00

Sources: Year: 1880; Census Place: Modesto, Stanislaus, California; Roll: 84; Family History Film: 1254084; Page: 333C; Enumeration District: 094; Image: 0669. (Ancestry.com)

Mathes, Wayne A., and the McHenry Museum. Modesto. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 2011. (Google.com partial book view)

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Category Archives: Cabinet Cards

Edward F. Hartley, Chicago Photographer

A Nice Gentleman, Chicago 1891

Colby & Wilson Cabinet Card, Meredith, NH

Minneapolis Beauty By A. Larson

Myrtle Olson, San Francisco, Circa 1897

Frederick Russell Pope

Family Portrait By J. R. Johnson

Modesto Siblings By Hanson

Little Cutie

Modesto, California Gentleman