Carte de Visite, circa 1875 – 1883. Photographer:  Charles H. Tebo, Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Price:  $12.00            Size:  About 2 and 1/2 x 4 and 1/8″

Confident Ed

Ed, a sturdy and confident-looking boy of about five or six years old, has posed for this Carte de Visite, and there are at least a couple of possibilities for him from online records:  On the 1880 Federal Census there is the Edward H. Anderson, born about 1877 in Wisconsin, parents Joseph D. and Elizabeth A. Anderson, living in the town of Washington (just southeast of Eau Claire) or the Edward Anderson, born about January 1870 in Wisconsin from the 1870 Federal Census for Eau Claire, son of Norwegian born Ole and Emily Anderson.

Charles Hamilton Tebo, photographer

The photographer for this Carte de Visite was New York State native Charles Hamilton Tebo, born 1850 and per the CDV his studio location was on the “north side of Broadway”. Only one record was found for him under this occupation which was the 1880 census for Eau Claire, and surprisingly, no city directories were found for him as a photographer –  the closest directory record found after 1880 is not until 1889, in which he is listed as a grocer. So, this makes it a little more difficult to try to narrow down dates, to see if the photo is more likely of one of the two Ed Andersons mentioned above, or if it might be of a different Ed Anderson entirely. (Photos of the photographer and his family have been posted on Ancestry.com. family trees.)

Definition given

One more thing of note:  Look closely and you’ll see that someone drew lines on Ed’s hair in the photo. And in taking a look at the actual CDV, it appears this may have been done by the photographer, before processing the image. He probably thought the hair blended too much with the background and needed some definition.

Sources:  Edward H. Anderson. Year: 1880; Census Place: Washington, Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Roll: 1425; Page: 472D; Enumeration District: 135. (Ancestry.com).

Edward Anderson. Year: 1870; Census Place: North Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Roll: M593_1712; Page: 285B; Family History Library Film: 553211. (Ancestry.com).

Charles H. Tebo. Year: 1880; Census Place: Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Roll: 1425; Page: 439A; Enumeration District: 132. (Ancestry.com).

R. L. Polk & Co.’s Eau Claire Directory, 1889 – 1890. p. 311. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.