Blaul Art Gallery
1937 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia. PA
example from LOST GALLERY
Reverse of card at the left
Louis Blaul
(1854 - 1909)
Louis Blaul appears to have spent his entire business life in
Philadelphia, PA, moving his studio only three or four times.
Timeline
1854 Nov 18
Louis B Blaul born in Lancaster County, PA (Some documents say New
York)
1880 Jun 05
Philadelphia, PA, US census and city directory as copyist of
photographs with Eshback, Blaul & Co at 233 n 6th
1881 Sep 12
Blaul marries Mary Conrad Clendennon
1884 Jan 04
Philadelphia, PA, son Louis Adolph Blaul is born
1894 Nov & Dec
The Times (Philadelphia, PA) Nine small ads for studios at 56 n 8th
and 1937 Germantown
1888 Sep
The Times (Philadelphia, PA) Eight small ad for studios at 56 n 8th
and 1937 Germantown
1889
Philadelphia, PA, city directory as photographer at 1937 Germantown
with partner Adolph J Baumgardner
1890
Baumgardner is now partners with Louis H. Helbing
1894 May 21
Philadelphia (PA) inquirer news item about fire at 56 n 8th
1894 Nov & Dec
The Times (Philadelphia, PA) 12 small ads for studio at 56 n 8th and
1973 Germantown
1897 Jan 20
Philadelphia (PA) inquirer small ad for studio 56 n 8th and 1937
Germantown
1899 Sep 28
Philadelphia (PA) inquirer small want ad for retoucher at studio 56 n
8th
1900
Philadelphia (PA) Business Directory Blaul Art Gallery at 1937
Germantown, Philadelphia, PA, (Alonzo P Young); Blaul Louis 56 n 8th;
res 707 Berks (the Germantown address is not mentioned after this)
1902 May 06
Philadelphia (PA) Inquirer fined for open on Sunday, studio at 56 n
8th; res 707 Berks
1903 May and Oct
Philadelphia (PA) Inquirer 3 small want ad for studio at 56 n 8th
1904
Philadelphia, PA, city directory as photographer at 56 n 8th
1904 Mar 21
Philadelphia (PA) Inquirer small want ad for retoucher at 56 n 8th
studio
1906 Aug 17
Philadelphia (PA) Inquirer small want ad for lady for reception room
studio 56 n 8th
1908
Philadelphia, PA, city directory as photographer at 56 n 8th; res 447
n 3rd
1909 Nov 05
Louis Blaul Dies in Philadelphia, PA, after long illness
Business address summary
1880
Eshback, Blaul & Co at 233 n 6th
1894 - 1902
studios at 56 n 8th and 1937 Germantown
1890
studio at 56 n 8th and 1937 Germantown with partner Adolph J
Baumgardner
1891 - 1901
studios at 56 n 8th and 1937 Germantown
1902 - 1908
studio at 56 n 8th
The cabinet card at the top could have been finished between 1894 and
1900. Considering the design of the card, it was probably done in that
later part of that period.
Two more examples can be found at
Cabinet Card Gallery.
The (Philadelphia, PA) Times - 15 Sep 1888
The (Philadelphia, PA) Times - 21 Apr 1890
The Philadelphia (PA) Inquirer - 06 May 1902
The Philadelphia (PA) Inquirer - 07 Nov 1909
Here is an excellent example contributed by Brad Felmey. This card
has some important dating information written on the reverse that
sadly, informs us of the boy’s tragically short life. It says:
John Christi
Born - Mar 13, 1875
Died - Aug 21, 1890
Estimating the boy at 10 years old in the photograph would mean it
must have been finished in 1885. This certainly narrows the time frame
for when this imprinted design was used.
photographer: Blaul
56 N Eight Street and 1937 Germantown Avenue
Philadelphia, PA
example from contributor: Brad Felmey
reverse of card at left
photograpner: Blaul Art Gallery
1937 Germantown Av, Philadelphia, PA
example from contributor Barry McGowan
Reverse of card at left
Judging by the condition, this example of an imprinted reverse was probably in use early in the period between 1894 and 1901, when Blaul was at 1937 Germantown.
photographer: Blaul
Philadelphia
example from auction site
photographer: Blaul
1937 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA
additional example from an auction site
additional example of the reverse side of a cabinet card by Blaul; the design known to be in use sometime between November of 1894 and 1901
Additional example at the Allan Mays Flickr site
photographer: Louis Blaul
Philadelphia
example from auction site
photographer: Louis Blaul
56 N Eighth, Philadelphia, PA
Example from Mike Camero.
Photo is of his grandfather,
George Francis Daland Griggs.
reverse of card at left
According to
Cabinet Card Gallery: The son, Louis Adolph Blaul (1884-1954) was a law student at the
University of Pennsylvania when his father died. He left his law
studies to take over his father’s business.
Indeed, city directory listings for Louis Blaul Photography carry on
to 1950. (No Philadelphia city directories available after 1950.)
1910 - 1916
Philadelpia, PA, city directory Louis Blaul photography at 56 N Eighth
and 5613 Germantown Av
Apparently Louis Blaul jr closes the studio at 56 N Eighth in 1916 and
concentrates on the location at 5613 Germantown Av.
1917, 1918, 1919, 1921, 1922, 1923
Philadelphia, PA, city directory, Louis Blaul photography at 5613
Germantown Av
1924, 1925
Philadelphia, PA, city directory, Louis Blaul photography at 5611
Germantown
1930
Philadelphia, PA, city directory Blaul Studio, 6211? (printing copy
obscured)
1935
Philadelphia, PA, city directory, pages missing
1950
Philadelphia, PA, city directory, Blaul Studio at 334 E Cheltn Av
No Philadelphia city directories available after this date
photographer Louis Blaul
56 N Eighth and 1937 Germantown Av
Philadelphia, PA
example from auction site
reverse of card at left
photographer: BlaulPhiladelphia
example from auction site
photographer: Blaul
Philadelphia
example from pinterest
photographer Louis Blaul
56 N Eighth and 1937 Germantown Av
Philadelphia, PA
example from Garrison House Ephemera
reverse of card at left
photographer: BlaulPhiladelphia
example from Wiki Commons
Philadelphia, PA
example from auction site
The example at the right is a post-card style. It was contributed from Cracow, Poland. The embossed address shows that it was done at the 56 N 8th studio in Philadelphia. It would have been finished between 1894 and 1916 but probably well after 1900. Great example!.
56 N 8th, Philadelphia, PA
example from contributor G Kuczek in Cracow,Poland
56 N 8th, Philadelphia, PA
example from contributor MMontgomery
(example highly restored)
The example at the left:
Blaul studio was at the 56 N 8th address from 1894 on into the 20th century so it's fairly sure the photo was not taken before 1894.
After George Eastman began selling his “Kodak” about 1889, the popularity of the professional photograph studio went into a sharp decline. The professional galleries had to come up with attractive presentations for the customer’s portraits. This included the embossed style of this card.
The card itself is a good clue. The embossed (“blind-stamp”) blank cards were, in general, not even available before about 1890. And the popularity of the cabinet card format (4.25 X 6.5 in.) itself went into sharp decline at the turn of the century to be replaced by the easel backed mounts and the matted folders.
1937 Germantown Av, Philadelphia, PA
example from contributor Lisa B
Philadelphia, PA
example from contributor Lisa B
This card is an example of the style of card mountings emerging after 1900. The cabinet card format (6.5 X 4.25) was losing favor as rapidly as it gained popularity back about 1865.
The dates 1884 and 1902 are written on the reverse, too faintly to be seen here. These dates seem to be the date the subject was born, 1884, and the date the photo was taken, 1902. This would make the subject 18 years old which is consistent with the age he appears in the photograph.
56 N 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA
This card is 6"x9"
example from contributor EBassett
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.
Aditional 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.
Just found a different version of Louis Blaul studio cabinet cardstock.
ReplyDeleteGreat! Send a scan or photo, including the edges, to the address in the profile. I'll add it to the page.
DeleteI just found an envelope full of my Ziesel ancestors' pictures, many (most) of them done at the Blaul Studio. They're incredible and many of them are in excellent condition. Treasures!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment and congratulations! You have found some rare treasures indeed! They are more than 120 years old!
DeleteThe Blauls are my ancestors and I became a photographer - makes me so honored and proud.
DeleteI would love to gather copies of their work. Would people be willing to send them to me also?
Ah! Finally found the studio responsible of my Great grandfather's photograph! Would you like me to send?!
ReplyDeleteAll examples are welcome! Send a good scan or photo, including the edges, to the email address in the profile at the bottom of this page. Thanks!
DeleteLooking for photo of Myrtle E Bishop nickname Betty. Parents Forrest and Myrtle . It was her 6th grade photo and she was 12. The pic stayed in the shop window for years Taken aproximately 1932? They also lived in Germantown .
ReplyDeleteSorry I can't help with your quest. 1932 would be well past the cabinet card era which is the focus of this research. Good luck with your search; I know how frustrating it can be!
DeleteHello. I have inherited family cabinet cards from the late 1800's but they do not have any indication on them as to who they are. Most of these were taken by Louis Blaul, Snyder & Walton, Dunshee, Grier, Dehls, Brownworth, Santman, Applegate, and Zorn. Do you have any suggestions on how I might go about identifying who are in these photos? I thought I read somewhere that photographers from that era would sell their stock to others when they closed their business. Thanks for any insights!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. Yes, equipment and negative files were often passed on to the next photographer. However, I am finding many cases where the negatives and business records were lost in a fire or otherwise destroyed. The old nitrate based materials were quite unstable and prone to bursting into flames. Many of the old galleries and studios were second floor businesses which fell victim to fires in the businesses on the ground floor. I’ve read of studios upstairs over restaurants and even blacksmith shops.
DeleteIn the case of Theodore Gubelman, after he died, his sister carried all his negatives out to the back yard and burned them. His son sold the glass negatives for scrap.
If a photographer’s records have survived, they are often in the hands of a local historical society or museum. It is a possibility, but I have not found any case where the photographer’s records were preserved and found helpful in identifying the subjects in individual photographs.
All of which is to say, it is probably not going to be a fruitful line of research.
The best method so far has been to narrow down when the photograph was made, based on the physical location printed on the card itself. Then decide which family ancestor was near the location during that time. The apparent age of the subject is a helpful clue. In the case of groups, the family makeup will help.
The card itself is sometimes clue to it’s age also. IN GENERAL: Lighter weight cards are earlier, thicker cards are later. Straight edges and square corners are earlier; deckled, scalloped, embossed, beveled and gilt are later edges.
I wish I could be more help, I know how agonizing the search can be. The email address is in the profile below.
Thank you for your response! This has been very helpful.
Delete