Edgar Decker

Photographer: E. Decker
143 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
example from LOST GALLERY
(finished between 1884 and 1901)

Edgar Decker
(1833-1905

Cleveland, OH, city directories were available for almost every year of Edgar Decker’s career in photography. The US census for 1870, 1880 and 1900 agreed in each detail.

1833
New York, Edgar Decker is born to David Decker and Hannah Van Aken
1853
Cleveland, HO, city directory, Decker NOT listed
1859 Feb 18, Mar 07
Cleveland (OH) Daily Leader small ad says Edgar Decker is an agent for Ashland Coal Oil
1856
Historic Camera, E Decker moves to Cleveland, OH
1860 Jul 06
Cleveland (OH) Daily Leader small item says Decker has taken the Fine art Hall in the Melodeon building
1860 Nov 15
Cleveland (OH) Daily Leader display ad for Cleveland Fine Art Hall photographs, 205 Superior, E Decker agent

1861
Cleveland, OH, city directory E Decker as agent photographic artist, 205 Superior, res 279 Prospect
1861 Jan 28, 1861 Jul 27
Cleveland (OH) Daily Leader display ad for Cleveland Fine Art Hall photographs, 205 Superior, E Decker
1861 Oct 28
Cleveland (OH) Daily Leader small item mentions Decker’s Gallery
1863
Cleveland, OH, city directory “Edgward” Decker as photographer: res 279 Prospect (could be employed at another gallery)
1864, 1865
Cleveland, OH, city directory Edgar Decker as photographer at 249 Superior; res 279 Prospect
1865 Oct 21
Cleveland (OH) Daily Leader small item mentions that C E Wilber is working for E Decker
1866
Cleveland, OH, city directory Edgar Decker as photographer at 241 Superior; res 278 Prospect
1867 to 1883
Cleveland OH, Edgar Decker as photographer at 243 Superior, res 279 Prospect

1884, 1885, 1886, 1887, 1888
Cleveland, OH, city directory, E Decker as photographer with Decker & Wilbur (C E Wilbur) at 143 Euclid; res 531 Prospect
1889
Cleveland, OH, city directory, Edgar Decker as photographer with Decker and Wilber at 143 Euclid (business pages only)
1890
Cleveland, OH, city directory, Edgar Decker as photographer at 143 Euclid Av (bus pages only)
1891
Cleveland, OH, city directory, E Decker as photographer at 143 Euclid Av; res same
1892, 1893, 1894
Cleveland, OH, city directory, E Decker as photographer at 143 Euclid Av; res 878 Bolton
1895, 1896
Cleveland, OH, city directory, E Decker as photographer at 143 Euclid; res 415 Bolton
1897, 1898
Cleveland, OH, city directory, E Decker as photographer at The Decker Studio, 143 Euclid; res 415 Boulton

1899
Cleveland, OH, city directory, E Decker as photographer at The Decker Studio, 143 Euclid; res 1679 Lamont
1900
Cleveland, OH, city directory, E Decker as photographer at The Decker Studio, 143 Euclid; res 1679 Lamont; also listed with Decker studio is G M Edmondson, res 143 Euclid
1901
Cleveland, OH, city directory. E Decker as photographer at Decker and Co, ; res 1679 Lamont; Geo M Edmondson is now at Edmondson studio
1902
Cleveland, OH, city directory, E Decker as photographer at Decker and Co, 721 Hough Av; res 1679 Lamont; also listed in ad J C Clark res 210 Crawford

1903
Cleveland, OH, city directory, E Decker as photographer at Decker and Co. 721 Hough Av; res 1679 Lamont; also listed in ad, J C Clark, res 721 Hough Av; E Decker also listed as vice president of the B A Brigden Co, photographers 990 The Arcade; res 1679 Lamont; No evidence in directory that the Decker studio carried on under his name beyond this year
1904
Cleveland, OH, city directory, E Decker as vice president The B A Brigden Co, photographers, 990 The Arcade; res 1679 Lamont; Frank C Wells is at 721 Hough
1905
Cleveland, OH, city directory, Edgar Decker as retired; res 9902 Lamont (same building, number change only from 1679)
1905 Dec 05
Cleveland, OH, FindAGrave, Edgar Decker dies at age 72

photographer Decker
Cleveland, OH
example from auction site

reverse of card at left

From Historic Camera website:
E. (Edgar) Decker was born in New York to David and Hannah Van Aken Decker in 1833. His childhood was spent on the family farm and he attended public schools until age 13, when he became a mercantile clerk to help support his family. After seven years, he went into business for himself, enjoying some success as a merchandiser.

After relocating to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1856, Mr. Decker resumed his interest in photography, which began during his years as a teen merchant. He married Julia English in February 1857, and two years' later he felt sufficiently confident enough in his artistic abilities and business prowess to open his own photographic studio at 249 Superior Street, in a partnership with Thomas T. Sweeny.

Mr. Decker's Civil War portraits of Ohio's Western Reserve regiments cemented his reputation as an excellent portrait photographer. He would later photograph famed ornithologist and John James Audubon biographer

Francis Hobart Herrick, Union General Philip Sheridan and Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, James Garfield, Rutherford B. Hayes, and William McKinley.

By 1870, the successful business was selling 1800 dozen photographs and had expanded to include four assistants. As Mr. Decker's business grew, so too did his need for a larger studio.

After his partnership with Mr. Sweeny ended, he established another successful alliance with gifted retoucher and crayon artist Charles E. Wilber (or Wilbur). The Decker & Wilber Studio, which later moved to 143 Euclid Avenue, became one of the most illustrious portrait galleries in Ohio.

Following Mr. Wilber's retirement, Mr. Decker - whose establishment was renamed simply the Decker Studio - maintained the highest aesthetic and moral standards believing one could not be sacrificed without adversely affecting the other. He was one of the first photographers to infuse humanity into the often austere daguerreotypes and ambrotypes.

He later applied the same uncompromising expertise to his oil crayon and watercolor works, copying, and photographic enlargements. With Mr. Decker's success came increasing professional and civic responsibilities. He became a member, director, and later president of the National Photographic Association, and also served on the Cleveland city council. In 1889, Mr. Decker was awarded the Photographers' Association of America's prestigious Eastman cup for his impressive bromide enlargements.

In July of 1900, failing health forced Mr. Decker into retirement. Thankfully, he left his business in the capable hands of his latest partner George Mountain Edmondson, who was at the time Vice President of the Photographers' Association of America, and would become himself one of the Midwest's finest photographers. Pioneering photographic trailblazer E. Decker died on December 1, 1905.

Cleveland (OH) Daily Leader - 18 Feb 1859


Cleveland (OH) Daily Leader - 07 Mar 1859

Cleveland (OH) Daily Leader - 06 Jul 1860

Cleveland (OH) Daily Leader - 15 Nov 1860


Cleveland (OH) Daily Leader - 27 Jul 1861


Cleveland (OH) Daily Leader - 28 Oct 1861

City Directory ad from 1864


Cleveland (OH) Daily Leader - 17 Nov 1865

Cleveland (OH) Daily Leader - 03 Jul 1865


Cleveland (OH) Daily Leader - 21 Oct 1865

Photographer: E Decker
Cleveland, OH
example from LOST GALLERY

Considering the style of the card at the left, it was probably done around 1878-1880.

Photographer: Decker
Cleveland, OH
example from auction site

Photographer: The Decker Photo. Co., Nos. 141, 143, 145 and 147 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio.
From the collection of KEN on Flickr

Edgar Decker was at Euclid Avenue in Cleveland after about 1880

photographer: Decker and Wilbur
Cleveland
example from CurtJ on Flickr

reverse of card at left

An example sent by D Molchan prompted a display of the few reverse designs found for Decker and Wilbur.

Decker and Wilbur reverse
contributed by D Molchan

Decker and Wilbur reverse
example from Google (poor scan)

Decker and Wilbur reverse
Example from auction site

Decker and Wilbur reverse
example from Biblio
(Badly treated, but added here because it includes an additional stamp showing the card was finished after the Decker/WIlbur partnership ended.)

photographer: E Decker
249 Superior Street. Cleveland, OH
CDV example from James Agnew on Flickr

reverse of CDV at left
(If the man in the photo was about 40, then this cdv would have been finished about 1865)

photographer: Decker
Cleveland, OH
Example from auction site
(Note: Owner dated 1874)

photographer: E Decker
Cleveland, OH
example from Library of Congress

reverse of card at left

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.

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