Albert C. Carpenter

Photographer: A. C. Carpenter
715 Main Street, Kansas City, MO.

This Carpenter is not the same as in
Bloomer with Carpenter. That Carpenter is probably Marion S Carpenter

Albert Carpenter was a difficult photographer to trace. He moved around a lot and used variations of his name. Also complicating research, there seems to be more than one person by exactly the same name, two of them with a wife of the same name. (See 1913)

Further, it didn’t help that his last name is also a common word. Searching newspapers brought up carpenter and builder want ads and carpenter union stories.

Albert C. Carpenter
(Mar 1847 - 31 May 1927)

1848 Mar -
Albert C Carpenter born in New York
1883
Kansas City, MO, city directory, not listed
1884
Kansas City, MO, city directory Albert Carpenter at 1810 Summit; no occupation shown
1885
Kansas City, MO, city directory A. C. Carpenter not listed; J Harvey Scotford listed as photographer at 715 Main

1886
Kansas City, MO, city directory as Photographer with Scotford and Co. at 715 Main; J. H. Scotford and Co. is listed as J. H. Scotford and A. C. Carpenter, photographers
1887
Kansas City, MO, city directory Albert C Carpenter as photographer with Scotford and Co. at 715 Main; the only photographers appearing in the business listings are George Atkinson, Harman Brown, Zachariah T Riggs and William J. Robinson.
1888
Kansas City, MO, city directory as photographer at 715 Main; also has a business listing
1889 & 1890
Kansas City, MO, city directory as photographer at 715 Main
1891
A. C. Carpenter apparently left Kansas City and moved to Springfield MO. about Sept of 1891. Daily ads appear in the Springfield Leader newspaper all through Sept and Oct that year.
1892
Tacoma, WA, city directory as Carpenter and Co; res 917 s C

1893
Tacoma, WA, city directory as photographer at 917 1/2 South C AND 5-6 31-32 Collier-Hardenberg bldg.; res same
1895 - 1900
Tacoma, WA, city directory as photographer at 917 ½ South C; listed in business pages
1900
US census as photographer at 917 1/2 South C Street
1901 & 1902
Tacoma, WA, city directory rms YMCA bldg; no occupation given, not listed in business pages
1903 & 1904
Tacoma, WA, city directory rms YMCA bldg; as photographer; not in business pages
1905
Tacoma, WA, city directory has two listings: in the regular residential section Albert C Carpenter is listed as living at 2 YMCA building and in the “Additions and Removals” section he has moved just before publication to 809 s Yakima av
1906 & 1907
Tacoma, WA, city directory as photographer with Holt Art Co; res 934 ½ s C

Timeline continued in the next row

1908 & 1909
Tacoma, WA, city directory as photographer with Holt Art Co; res 701 St Helens av
1910
US census lists Albert working at retail art store; res 710 St Helens av ; wife Caroline E; Tacoma, WA, city directory lists Albert C (Holt Art Co) 765 s C
1911
Tacoma, WA, city directory not listed; Holt Art Store at 765 s C is listed in business pages
1912
Tacoma, WA, city directory art goods 1137 s C; res 123 The Montello; wife Carrie E; also listed a couple lines later, A C Carpenter clerk, 1137 1/2 s C, wife Bertha
1913
Tacoma, WA, (Polk’s) city directory art goods 1137 s C; res 1137 ½ s C; wife Carrie E
1913 (to demonstrate the confusion)
St Louis, MO (Gould’s) city directory lists Carpenter A C Mrs, res The Buckingham and just a few lines later lists Carpenter, Carrie C wid Albert C res 2541 Maiden Lane (below) (Note: photographer A. C. Carpenter had already moved to Tacoma, WA, and in fact, had never lived in St Louis, MO, and didn't die until 1927)

1914
Tacoma, WA, city directory art goods 1137 s C; res 1137 ½ s C; wife Carrie E
1915
Tacoma, WA, city directory art goods 1151 Broadway; res same wife Carrie E
1916 & 1917
Tacoma, WA, city directory picture frames 1151 Broadway; res 1137 Broadway wife Carrie E
1918
Tacoma, WA, city directory no occupation; res 1137 ½ Broadway wife not listed; American Art Co listed at 1147 Broadway
1919
Tacoma, WA, city directory no occupation; res 308-311 s 9th wife not listed
1920
Tacoma, WA, city directory as “carp” res 308-311 s 9th wife not listed
1921 & 1922
Tacoma, WA, city directory as picture framer at 308-311 s 9th with Carrie
1923
Tacoma, WA, city directory no occupation shown, 308-311 s 9th with Caroline E

1924
Tacoma, WA, city directory as attendant at Meadow Park golf course; res same
1925
Tacoma, WA, city directory NOT listed in residential section
1926
Tacoma, WA, city directory listed in residential section as RD Meadow Park, WA; no occupation shown
1927
Tacoma, WA, city directory NOT listed in residential section
1927 May 31
Albert Carpenter dies at age 79 in Meadow Park, WA

Albert C. Carpenter was a photographer most of his life but moved often and didn’t always admit he was a photographer. He was working in Kansas City, MO, from 1884 until 1891 when he moved to Springfield, MO, where he operated a studio briefly, only two or three months.

He then appears next in Tacoma, WA. He operates at various addresses in Tacoma from 1892 to 1909 and then turns to the art supply and picture frame business for the rest of his life.

The cabinet card here must have been done between 1886 and 1890 when he his studio was at 715 Main in Kansas City, MO.

1888 Kansas City, MO, city directory

An example of one of the misleading items found. From the Newton, KS,Daily 1896

St Louis, MO, city directory 1913

Tacoma, WA, city directory 1913

Springfield (MO) Democrat - 02 Sep 1891

Springfield (MO) Leader - 08 Sep 1891

Kansas City (MO) Journal - 11 Apr 1897

example from G Martin

Detail from corner of matting on photographs
see below

Two photographs attributed to A C Carpenter purportedly taken on the way to the World's Fair in 1904

example from auction site

photographer: A C C Gallery
715 Main Street, Kansas City, MO
example from auction site

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