Cabinet Card Photographers: February 2020

Friday, February 28, 2020

B W Barrett

Photographer: B. W. Barrett
Home Portrait Co.
41 N. Main St. Kokomo, Ind.
example from LOST GALLERY

There were many newspaper articles mentioning B. W. Barrett in North Carolina, Georgia, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Louisiana. None of these could be connected to being a photographer in Indiana.

There were many small ads for Home Portrait Co. in Indiana newspapers of Indianapolis, Bookville and Fort Wayne but none seemed connected to a studio at 41 N Main, in Kokomo, IN.

Unfortunately too, there are no Kokomo, IN, city directories available before 1913.

Home Portrait Company of Indianapolis apparently had several people working under that name as photographers and agents.

Here are a few cabinet card era photographers named Barrett:
Mrs B. J. Barrett of Pasadena, CA
B. W. Barrett of London, England
Charles Barrett of San Francisco, CA
C F Barrett of Hamptonm, IA
Charles W. Barrett of Springfield, MA
Frank W. Barrett of Barre, VT
George Barrett of Philadelphia, PA
James W. Barrett of Lockport, NY
J. W. Barrett of La Salle, IL
Robert W. Barrett of New York, NY

One could speculate that B. W. Barrett of Kokomo, IN, was only in business a short time. Perhaps if another card done by B W Barrett turns up it will help pinpoint this photographer. One that is dated would help a lot.

Photographer: B. W. Barrett
Home Portrait Co.
41 N. Main St. Kokomo, Ind.
example from auction site

photographer:W F Barrett
Attica, IN
example from auction site
(No connection has been made
with B W Barrett of Kokomo, IN)

photographer: W F Barrett
Attica, IN
example from the collection of mj aux on Flickr
(No connection has been made
with B W Barrett of Kokomo, IN)

photographer: Barrett
1114 Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL
example from auction site
no connection to Barrett of Indiana has been made

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.

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Welch

Welch's Lightning Studio

Welch, ___ - Humbolt, NE
Welch, ___ - Ithaca, Albion, Battle Creek, MI
Welch, ___ - Marshall, MI
Welch, Alvin R - Battle Creek, MI
Welch, Anson Lewis - Richmond, Memphis, Port Huron, MI
Welch, Blanche C - w/ Magerkurth Studio, Salina KS
Welch, Frank B - Stubenville, Cincinnati, OH
Welch, Frank Eugene - Albion, Bay City, Onsted, Pontiac, MI
Welch, G J - Niagara, NT
Welch, J F - Cincinnati, OH
Welch John C - Sandy Lake, PA
Welch, M C - Chagrin Falls, OH
Welch, Michael - Frankfort, MI
Welch, Norma Pearl, Mrs, - Fulton, West Bay City, Onsted, Waterford, MI

There were at least 14 possibilities for the Welch that imprinted cards with “Welch’s Lightning Studio”

This cabinet card was found in Hays, KS, but that is no indication of where it was taken. Another example found on the net was taken apparently in Michigan. And of course, there may have been more than one "Welch's Lightning Studio."

A small ad was found for Welch’s Lightning Studio in a Ness City, Kansas newspaper.

If further information surfaces it will be added here.

Subject identification on reverse indicates it was taken in Michigan
(From Rescued Family Photographs)

Ness City (KS) County News - 28 May 1892

photographer: Welch Lightning Studio
example from Oldcabinetcards.com

photographer: Welch
Lightning Studio
example from auction site

photographer F E Welch
Bay City, MI
example from contributor:
Melissa Hicks
melissa_hicks66@yahoo.com

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.

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Jesse Orville Johnson

This is a special page for three cabinet cards by a very interesting photographer from the collection of rfinch on Ancestry.com

from the collection of
rfinch on Ancestry.com

Jesse Orville Johnson
(1833-1915)

Timeline
1833 Jul 18
Hancock, NH, J Orville Johnson is born
1857 Feb 27
Evening Star (DC) item Johnson Gallery at 809 Pennsylvania; res 447 M st nw
1860 Jul 11
US census Essex MA as House of Correction as “Dague Artist” for “Passing Counterfeit Money”
1862
cabinet card information “Established 1862” 467 & 469 Pennsylvania
1863
Civil War registration as Artist
1864 Nov 07
Evening Star newspaper Washington DC marriage to Emma Amanda Austin
1869 Jan 11
Washington DC birth of son Frank Elmer Johnson
1870 Aug 10
US census Washington DC as photographer; brother Frank at same address

Continued on next row

1872 Nov 03
Washington DC birth of daughter Ella Mae Johnson
1875 Feb 27
Washington DC Evening Star classified ad shows residence as 447 M street nw
1878
Washington DC city directory as photographer at 809 Market Space nw
1880
US census Washington DC as photographer at 809 Market Space nw; brother Frank at same address
1900
US census Washington DC as photographer at 469 Pennsylvania ave
1910
US census Washington DC as proprietor of studio at 467 Pennsylvania ave
1915 Mar 11
J Orville Johnson dies in Washington DC

The US census for 1870 and 1880 show Orville and his brother Frank living at the same address. During this period was probably when the operated as “Johnson Brothers” gallery. The cabinet cards here were probably done after this when Orville appears to be operating alone at 467-469 Pennsylvania ave.

Washington DC, Evening Star - 07 Nov 1864

News Journal - 12 Nov 1896

Evening Star - 27 Feb 1875

News Journal - 12 Nov 1896

National Republican - 2 Dec 1874

Washington Times - 12 Mar 1915

photographer: Johnson Brothers
467-469 Pennsylvania Av
Washington, DC
from Cabinet Card Gallery

Slightly smaller than a cabinet card
photographer: J. Orville Johnson
467&469 Penn Ave
Washington, DC
Sent to LOST GALLERY by contributor GGC

photographer: Johnson Brothers
467-469 Pennsylvania Av
Washington, DC
example from auction site

reverse of card at left

photographer: Johnson Brothers
467-469 Pennsylvania Av
Washington, DC
example source unknown

photographer: Johnson Brothers
467-469 Pennsylvania Av
Washington, DC
example from auction site

photographer: J Orville Johnson
457-459 Penn Av. washington, DC
example from auction site

Not the one you were looking for? Here's the photographer's INDEX by name. Listed here are all the Cabinet Card photographers of the 19th century found in LOST GALLERY. This is a work in progress. For a look at the original postings go to LOST GALLERY.

Joseph Adam Rogers

Photographer: J A Rogers
Uhrichsville, OH

reverse of the card at the left

Photographer: J A Rogers
Uhrichsville, OH

reverse of the card at the left

The two cabinet cards above contributed by the family of William Birdsall Bullers and Great Granddaughters of John Lewis “Pop” Bullers .

Joseph Adam Rogers
(1852 - 1909)

Clues to the life of J A Rogers, photographer, are very scarce. He appears in three US census reports, a few documents concerning his children and little else.

A Cincinnati, OH, newspaper classified ad tells of a gallery for sale in an unnamed “county seat” with interested parties to contact him in Bedford, IN.

A small classified ad in 1895, April 23, says that J A Rogers wants to sell a photograph gallery in a town that is a county seat. Rogers may be contacted in Bedford, IN.

The 1908 Cleveland, OH, city directory lists J A Rogers as a salesman for Dodd-Rogers Company. Then the 1909 Cleveland city directory lists J A Rogers’ wife Florida as a widow.

1852 Nov
Freeport, Harrison, OH, state records, Joseph Adam Rogers is born to Thomas Rogers and Lucinda Quillen
1876
Washington, PA, J A Rogers marries Florida Elizabeth Brydges

1878 Jan 23,
Burgettstown, PA, son Jesse Eugene Rogers is born
1878
American Journal of Photography vol 11. 1990- article says J A Rogers photographs the Solar Eclipse of that year; Location not shown
1880 Jun 18,
Burgettstown, PA, US census as photographer
1882 Sep 07,
Burgettstown, PA, son James Franklin Rogers is born
1886 Jun 03,
Uhrichsville, OH son Joseph A Rogers is born
1890 May 07,
Uhrichsville, OH, son George Brydges Rogers is born
1892 Jul 25,
Uhrichsville, OH, Son Paul Harrison Rogers is born
1895 Feb 12 and Apr 23
Cincinnati (OH) Enquirer classified ad for photograph gallery for sale in county seat; contact J A Rogers who is apparently in Bedford, IN
1900 Mar 01
Twin City (Ulrichsville, OH) News item says Clyde Rogers is “here” visiting his parents (in Ulrichsville, OH)
1900 Jun 12, Apr 12
Mill, OH, US census as photographer
1904
Cleveland, OH, city directory, NOT listed

1905
Cleveland, OH, city directory as photographer at 2809 (old) Euclid av; res 204 (old) Doan
1906
Cleveland, OH, city directory as photographer at 2800 (old) Euclid av; res 1849 Coltman rd
1907 and 1908
Cleveland, OH, city directory as salesman for Dodd-Rogers Co; res 1585 e 11th ne
1908
Sometime after the publishing of the 1908 Cleveland, OH, city directory and the publishing of the 1909 edition, Joseph Adam Rogers dies
1911 Jul 11
Ontario, Canada, marriage licenses for son Joseph A Rogers Jr, says he is also a photographer

There are no addresses imprinted on the cards at the top of the page, only the town of Ulrichsville, OH. From the elaborate design and good condition of the examples, one might conclude that they were finished in 1900 or after.

However, these cards were probably finished while Rogers was still living in Ulrichsville, known to be between June of 1886 and July of 1892. No city directory or other documents are available to show exactly when Rogers actually moved TO and FROM Ulrichsville, OH. It could have been as early as 1882 and as late as 1900.

Sandusky (OH) Register - 28 Dec 1892

Cincinnati (OH) Enquirer - 12 Feb 1895

Cincinnati (OH) Enquirer - 23 Apr 1895

(Ulrichsville) Twin City News - 06 Jul 1899

(Ulrichsville) Twin City News - 12 Oct 1899

(Ulrichsville) Twin City News - 21 Dec 1899

(Ulrichsville) Twin City News - 01 Mar 1900

(Ulrichsville) Twin City News - 05 Apr 1900

Dayton (OH) Herald - 10 Jul 1907

photographer J A Rogers
Ulrichsville, OH
example from auction site

photographer J A Rogers
Ulrichsville, OH
example from auction site
(really poor scan)

photographer: Rogers
Ulrichsville, OH
example from auction site
(This is not a cabinet card, and obviously from a later generation of studio portraits.)

photographer Rogers Photograph Gallery
Marshal and Kingman
(There is no State in the US with both towns)
(Probably NOT the same Rogers)
example from pinterest

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Charles Frank Smith

Photographer: Smith
Sterling, Illinois

There isn’t much about C F Smith in official records. There are only two city directory listings, 1908 and 1909, in Sterling, IL, where he lived all his life, but he is in newspaper items from the Sterling Standard and the Sterling Gazette that show him as a photographer from 1889 through 1895.

He is in the US Census of 1880 and 1900 as photographer. The 1910 US Census shows his second wife as widowed and his last child born in 1908.
Charles Frank Smith
(May 1857 - 1909)
1857
born in Iowa
1880
(US Census) as photographer in Sterling, IL
1889 Dec 14
newspaper item show he moved his studio building to the East part of town
1889 - 1895
newspaper items show him as photographer in Sterling, IL
1895 Dec 19
(Newspaper) as photographer; obit for wife Lyda/Lida
1898 Jul 29
married to 2nd wife Genevieve Pearl
1900
US Census - as photographer at 608 4th av
1908
birth of son Franklin
1909
city directory shows wife Genevieve as widowed
1910
US Census shows wife Genevieve as widowed

This cabinet card could have been done anywhere from about 1880 to 1900

photographer: Smith
cor Main & Madison streets, Peoria, IL
example from Peoria Historical Society