Tuesday, May 5, 2020

James A McFadden of Boston


Photographer: McFadden
6 Winter St,. Boston

The sketchy story of photographer James A. McFadden was even made more difficult because there was another James McFadden living in the same town, at the same time, with fathers with the same first name, John. The two James A. McFaddens even lived in the same boarding house one year. The second James McFadden was just two years younger worked making window shades and Venetian blinds.

James A. McFadden
(1857 - 1894)

1857 Apr 13
Lawrence, MA, state records, James A McFadden is born to John M McFadden and Rachel J Orr
1877
Boston, MA, city directory, J A McFadden NOT listed
1878
Boston, MA, city directory, Jas A. McFadden as photographer, rms 149 Shaw ave; not in bus sect

1879
Hudson, MA, town records, James A. McFadden and Martha J. Maiteland are married
1880
Boston, MA, city directory, J. A. McFadden as photographer, bds 19 Buckingham;
1880 Jun 11
Boston, MA, US census, James A McFadden as photographer; wife “Mattie G” (millinery); brother John A, as window curtains
1881
Boston, MA, city directory not available
1881 Jun 20
Boston (MA) Post, news item, Fire burns out McFadden Millinery at Green Bay, WS
1882
Boston, MA, city directory James A. McFadden, photographer at 6 Winter, bds 41 Buckingham (also in bus sect);
Note: the 1882 Boston, MA, city directory also lists at 41 Buckingham: John McFaden as Mason, J Otis McFadden prop Boston Shade co; Mrs J A McFadden (Barry & McFadden millinery)


1883
Boston, MA, city directory, James A. McFadden, photographer at 6 Winter, bds 41 Buckingham (also in bus sect)
1884
Boston, MA, city directory, (No residential section, bus sect only) James A. McFadden, photographer at 6 Winter; wife Martha NOT listed in Millenry
1885
Boston, MA, city directory, J. A. and Mrs. Martha McFadden are not in this directory; brother J Otis, prop Boston Shade is listed, bds Berkley cor Columbus Av
1886
Boston, MA, city directory, J. A. McFadden, res 55 Appleton, bus sect as McFadden and Shaw, photographers at 913 Washington with William F. Shaw;
1887, 1888
Boston, MA, city directory not available
1889
Boston, MA, city directory, James A. McFadden rms 55 Appleton, listed as working at 122 Elliot but does not say what business; NOT listed in Business Section; Wife M J McFadden is NOT listed
William F. Shaw listed as photographer in the business section;
A. A. Glines is photographer at 6 Winter

1890
Boston, MA, city directory, James A. McFadden, rms 55 Appleton, no occupation shown; Neither McFadden nor Shaw are listed in the business section
1891
Boston, MA, city directory not available
1892
Boston, MA, city directory, James A. McFadden NOT listed in res or bus sect; Mrs M J McFadden, Millinery Goods at 591 Washington; res 8 Hollis
1893
Boston, MA, city directory, J. A. McFadden NOT listed; Mrs M J McFadden as Millinery Goods at 546 and 591 Washington, res 130 Dartmouth
1894
Boston, MA, city records, notation of death of James McFadden at West Bridgewater and James McFadden at Bridgewater
1894, 1895
Boston, MA, city directory Mrs. M. J. McFadden, millinery goods, 546 and 591 Washington, h 2 E Brookline


Boston, MA, city directories and the US Census of 1880 find James McFadden in Boston as a photographer from about 1878 to 1890. He appears to have been located at 6 Winter, Boston, MA, only one time, in 1882.

Efforts to document the actual date of death for James A McFadden have been unsuccessful. He does not appear in the photograph business, in Boston, after 1889.

Boston Globe
21 Jun 1881

Boston Globe
03 Aug 1894



Example of Glines, mentioned in timeline at 1889

photographer: Arthur A Glines
6 Winter St, Boston, MA
Example from auction site (See mention at 1889 in timeline
reverse of card at left
photographer: McFadden
6 Winter St, Boston, MA
example from LOST GALLERY
photographer: McFadden
913 Washington, Boston, MA
example from auction site
photographer: McFadden
913 Washington, Boston, MA
example from auction site
McFadden of Bath, ME

Bath, Maine is only 150 miles from Boston, MA. It is quite possible that J A McFadden had a studio there but no documentation has been found. There is no similarity in the imprints.


photographer: McFadden
Bath, ME
example from auction site

photographer: McFadden
Bath, ME
example from auction site
McFadden of Millersburg, OH
No connection has been found to McFadden of Boston so far.


photographer: J J McFadden
Millersberg, OH
example from auction site

So far no connection has been made to J A McFadden of Boston.


reverse of CDV at left
McFadden of Buffalo, NY
No connection has been found to McFadden of Boston so far.
photographer: McFadden
Buffalo, NY
example from auction site
McFadden of Paducah, KY
No connection has been found to McFadden of Boston so far.
photographer: McFadden
Paducah, KY
example from auction site

Not the one you were looking for? Here's the photographer's INDEX by name. All the Cabinet Card photographers of the 19th century found in LOST GALLERY are listed there.

This is a work always in progress.

Additional information and New examples are always welcome. Any additional information will help narrow the time that these precious antiques were made.

All submissions should be free of glare and shadows.
Do not crop.
Leave a border around each card. The edges are sometimes an important clue to the age of the card.

Email to the address found in the profile at the bottom of this page.

Some examples on this page have been enhanced or restored for clarity and presentation here.

This page is free for educational and research purposes only but, as always, if the original owner of any of these examples objects to the use on this page, just let me know and they will be immediately removed.

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