Sunday, February 7, 2021

Marion S Carpenter



Photographer:
Carpenter
Photographic Rooms
615 Main Street
Kansas City. Mo.

This is the reverse of the card on the left.

Marion Carpenter was photographer most of his life, taking out a decade from about 1870 to 1880 when he was in real estate.

There were many city directory listings for Marion Carpenter, photographer at 615 Main in Kansas City, MO. Most Kansas City, MO, directory listings show him as photographer. For at least the years 1892 and 1893 it appears the studio was named Margaret W Carpenter Photography, and the 1893 directory shows Marion as “manager of Margaret M Carpenter Studio”.

Marion S. Carpenter
(01 Sep 1829 - 11 Dec 1921)
Margaret Ward Carpenter
(22 Jun 1832 - 29 Mar 1906)

1829 Sep 01
Marion S. Carpenter born in Dayton, OH
1850
US census as daguerrian artist, age 21, living with parents in Dayton, OH
1854 May 04
Marriage to Margaret Ward in Ohio
1859
birth of Daughter Kate in Ohio

1860 Jul 19
US census as daguerreotypist in Hamilton, OH
1861
Cincinnati, OH, city directory as ambrotype and photographs, gallery 20 w 5th; res Mt Auburn; birth of son Marion in Ohio
1862
Cincinnati, OH, city directory as photgraphist at 22 w 5th; res Avondale
1863
Civil war draft registration as photographer; NOT in Cincinnati, OH, city directory
1864
Cincinnati, OH, city directory as photographer with J W Winder & Co; res Avondale
1865
Cincinnati, OH, city directory as photographer with J W Winder & Co; res Walnut Hills
1867 & 1868
Cincinnati, OH, city directory NOT listed in directory
1869
Cincinnati, OH, city directory as clerk at 67 w 3rd; res Walnut Hills
1870
US census as real estate agent in Cincinnati, Hamilton, OH
---continued next row---


1871 through 1880
Cincinnati, OH, city directory NOT listed in directory
1882
Kansas City, MO, Times newspaper item, opens first gallery at 618 Main in Kansas City, MO (the 618 is probably a misprint as all other sources say it is 615)
1883 through 1893
Kansas City, MO, city directory - photographer at 615 Main, res same
1891
Kansas City, MO, city directory as photographer at 615 Main and 1404 Grand; res 307 Peery (307 probably a misprint, all other sources say 3017)
1892
Kansas City, MO, city directory as photographer at 615 Main; Margaret W Carpenter is also listed as a photographer at the same address and neither of them are listed in the business pages
1893
Kansas City, MO, city directory as manager of M W Carpenter photo studio 615 Main; res 3017 Peery
1894 through 1903
Kansas City, MO, city directory as photographer at 936 Main; res 3017 Peery
1904 through 1906
Kansas City, MO, city directory as Photographer at 27 ½ E 11th
1906 Mar 29
Margaret W Carpenter dies in Kansas City, MO
1908 & 1909
Kansas City, MO, city directory as photographer at 807 Walnut

1910
Kansas City, MO, city directory r 800 Walnut, no occupation shown and no business listing
1912
Kansas City, MO, city directory as photographer at res and bus - 618 Main
1913
Marion Carpenter dies of uremic poisoning at age 84

This cabinet card would have been finished in that period when he was at 615 Main between 1882 and 1892. Note that the 1912 city directory for Kansas City, MO, indicates he returned to the 618 Main studio the year before he died.

Note that James Thomas Bloomer worked as photographer in this studio from about 1891 to about 1897.

1888 Kansas City city directory
Note:both A C and Marion are listed

1889 Kansas City city directory

Kansas city Newspaper - 29 Mar 1906

photographer: Carpenter
615 Main Street, Kansas City, MO
example from auction site
(See timeline 1883 - 1893)
reverse of card at left


photographer: Carpenter
615 Main, Kansas City, MO
Example from an auction site
(badly cropped)


reverse of cabinet card on the left
photographer: Carpenter
615 Main, Kansas City, MO
example from auction site
(restored)
reverse of card at left
photographer: Carpenter
615 Main, Kansas City, MO
example from auction site

photographer: Carpenter
Kansas City, MO
example from nellieloweoldentime
(restored)

photographer: Carpenter
615 Main, Kansas City, MO
example from UMKC Digital Collection
photographer: Carpenter
615 Main, Kansas City, MO
example from auction site
(from about 1882-1893)

This cabinet card photograph was quite likely not originated by Marion S Carpenter. The original photographer was possibly D F Barry who was the artist behind many of the surviving portraits of Native American people in the late 19th century.

Many of the cabinet card era photographers with an established studio, kept a variety of cabinet card and cdv format photographs of famous people or events or just local scenes. These were "impulse" items as we call them today. They were displayed in the lobby and entryway of the studio and sold for a few cents each. These were the predecessors of the collectible "Cigarette Cards" and "Bubble Gum Cards" in later years.

The copyright laws were not what they are today and photographers could easily copy a photograph, reprint as many copies as needed on their own card stock and resell them.

photographer: Carpenter
936 Main street, KCMO
example from CurtJ on Flickr
(finished 1893-1904)

photographer: Carpenter
Kansas City
example from auction site

photographer: Carpenter
Kansas City
example from auction site

photographer: Marion Carpenter
Kansas City
example from Langdon Road
photographer: Carpenter
936 Main, Kansas City, MO
example from auction site
(finished between 1894 and 1903)

photographer Carpenter
615 Main, Kansas City, MO
example from Cabinet Card Gallery

reverse of the card at left
photographer: Carpenter
936 Main, KCMO
example from auction site (finished between 1894 and 1903)
Following are examples from some of the many photographers named Carpenter
See also: Albert C Carpenter page

The cabinet card at the right is damaged and is a marginal scan but it appears to be from "The Carpenter Studio, 75 1/2 High Street, Columbus (OH).

This one seems to be Bruce Carpenter. Here is a brief timeline of his career as photographer in Columbus, OH.

1870 through 1884
Columbus, OH, city directory, Bruce Carpenter NOT listed
1886
Columbus, OH, city directory, Bruce Carpenter NOT listed; Laura L Carpenter as Artist, res 193 Hamilton
1887, 1888
Columbus, OH, city directory, Bruce Carpenter NOT listed
1889
Columbus, OH, city directory, Bruce Carpenter, no occupation shown, res 457 s 4th
1890
Columbus, OH, city directory, “Brude” Carpenter, no occupation shown, res 457 s 4th
1891
Columbus, OH, city directory, Bruce Carpenter NOT listed

1892
Columbus, OH, city directory, Bruce Carpenter no occupation shown, res 457 n 4th
1893, 1894, 1895
Columbus, OH, city directory, Bruce Carpenter as photographer at Carpenter’s Art Gallery, 75 S High, res 457 s 4th
1896
Columbus, OH, city directory, Bruce Carpenter as photographer at Carpenter’s Art Gallery, 75 ½ s High; res 121 E Livingston
1897
Columbus, OH, city directory, residential page 207 missing; NO listing for Carpenter Art Gallery in business pages
1898
Columbus, OH, city directory. Bruce Carpenter, no occupation shown, No gallery in business pages; res 121 E Livingston
1899
Columbus, OH, city directory, Bruce Carpenter as clerk; res 121 E Livingston av
1900
Columbus, OH, city directory, Bruce Carpenter NOT listed

Clearly, Bruce Carpenter had a studio in Columbus, OH, from 1893 to 1896.


photographer: The Carpenter Studio
55 1/2 High St, Columbus, OH
(The scan is a bit blurry
but it appears that this is the address)
example from auction site

No connection has been made to
Marion S Carpenter.


The example at the right is by C C Carpenter of Collinwood, OH. So far no connection has been made to M S Carpenter.


photographer: C C Carpenter
Collinwood, OH
example from auction site

reverse of card at left

C H Devenny is reviewed on another page. So far the Carpenter in this partnership has not been identified.


photographer: Carpenter and Devenny
Louisville, KY

photographer: Carpenter and Devenny
Louisville, KY
photographer: Carpenter
Fort Bragg and Ukiah, CA
example from auction site
photogra\pher: C C Carpenter
Collinwood, OH
reverse of card at left
photographer: T H Carpenter
Bowie, TX

The card at the right was comtributed by
C Trusler.
Grant City, MO, is just 114 miles north of Kansas City,MO. and probably on a rail line. Many photographes kept small studios in neighboring towns that they visited periodically, weekly or monthly, and by appointment.

photographer: Carpenter,
Grant City, MO
example from contributor D Trusler
photographer: Carpenter
Fort Bragg and Ukiah, CA
example from auction site

The card at the left was finished by
A D Carpenter.

So far no connection has been made to A C Carpenter.

photographer: Carpenter
31 NW Third, Newark, OH
example from auction site
photographer: Carpenter
31 NW Third, Newark, OH
example from auction site
photographer: Carpenter
31 NW Third, Newark, OH
example from auction site
photographer: Carpenter
31 NW Third, Newark, OH
example from auction site
photographer: Carpenter
Pocatello, Idaho
example from auction site

Not the one you were looking for? Here's the photographer's INDEX by name.
ONLY Cabinet Card photographers found in
LOST GALLERY
are reviewed here.

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.

4 comments:

  1. I have some old family photos with this photographer listed, found thus blig via Google search!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks very much for your comment! I hope my research was helpful.

      Delete
  2. We found a Carpenter Photograph Rooms cabinet card photo identified as John Hogan /1862. I am doing research on John Joseph Hogan who later became the bishop of Kansas City. I don't know how to confirm that this photo is of the same person. Does this archive have such a photo with an accurate identification? Appreciate any light you can shed! Thanks - Crystal

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Crystal: Thank you for your interesting comment.

      Sorry, to my knowledge I have no photograph of John Hogan.

      The cabinet card format was non-existent before about 1866. The cabinet card format (4 1/4 X 6 ½) began in the US in late 1865 (as near as researchers can determine). So a Cabinet Card dated 1862 would be an incongruity. Also, I have found that the dates written on old photographs are often quite unreliable. They are commonly someone’s guess, trying to be helpful.

      The only other possibility that I can imagine is where the photograph itself is a copy of an earlier image such as a Cart de Viste and then converted to the larger cabinet card size but dated the earlier date. In most cases it is really difficult to tell a copy from the original unless you have both to compare.

      Photographs of important people, places and events were often printed in quantities and sold in the lobby of the studio as souvenirs. Copyright laws were very lax back then.

      My email address can be found in the profile just below the comment section.

      Delete