City directory ad, about 1905

Per the above ad, Gibson, Sykes & Fowler were the successors to J. K. Stevens & Sons. See John K. Stevens, Trade Card for related information.

  Union Postal Clerk ad, 1910

Countless mentions of this prominent Chicago photography studio can be found online; appearing in the business directory as early as 1905 (55 McVickers Bldg.) and mentioned in the society page of the Tribune as the photographers for an engagement photo in 1926. This time frame is just a general estimate for them, and curiously, census records during this time reveal little, if anything. But we do know that Gibson was David E. Gibson; Sykes was Melvin H. Sykes; and Fowler was A. E. Fowler. Melvin Sykes also appears to have operated on his own; records were found for him from 1905 through 1923; and appearing as Melvin H. Sykes, Inc. in 1923.

Some random references for Gibson, Sykes & Fowler

1906 – Mentioned in thanks for supplying some of the photos of orphaned babies that were advertised in Good Housekeeping. The children were waiting to be adopted. (Wow, how times have changed!)

1912 and 1918 – Chicago business directory listings gave their address as 32 S. Wabash.

Below, an example of a 1917 engagement photo done by Gibson, Sykes & Fowler, that appeared in the Chicago Daily Tribune, 28 October, 1917:  Miss Myrtle Mitchell, of Negaunee, Michigan, daughter of Mrs. Samuel Mitchell. Myrtle was noted for “her charm and cleverness.”

1921 – Associated Portrait Photographers held their November meeting at the Gibson, Sykes & Fowler studio. There were over eighty members that attended.

Sources:  Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

C. W. Bryan & Co., 1906. Good Housekeeping. p. 638 (Google eBook)

Donnelly, George A., The Union Postal Clerk, Vol. 4-6. Dec. 1910. p. 23 Web accessed June 7, 2015. (Google eBook.)

“Miss Myrtle Mitchell” (photo). Chicago Daily Tribune. 28 Oct. 1917: p. 4. Web. (newspapers.com)

Abel, Juan C. (Ed.). (1921) Abel’s Photographer’s Weekly, Vol. 28. p. 542. (Google eBook)

“Miss Laura Marie Sampson” (photo). Chicago Sunday Tribune. March 24, 1926. p.4. Web. (archives.chicagotribune.com)