It is apparent that there were two businesses titled “St Louis Art
Co” in existence at about the same period in the late 19th century.
One was IN Saint Louis, MO, mostly at 715 Olive. The heart of the
business was art, etchings, paintings and sculpture. They also sold
picture frames and art supplies. There is little evidence that they
dealt in photography.
The other Saint Louis Art Co was a railroad car sometimes called the
Palace Railroad Art Studio, which circulated in the central US. So far
records have been found placing the car in Tennessee, Texas and
Kansas. One newspaper item mentions that there were at least four
photographers involved, another says there were five.
The railroad car studio advertised heavily in some towns which helps
outline some of their locations and time periods. Piecing together the
dates of the ads and some information contained in the items, a
partial itinerary of the St Louis Art Co railroad car, can be
assembled. But there are still many gaps.
1889 Sep 12
Hiawatha, KS, Kansas Democrat small ad for Hutchings Railroad Art
Car
1891 Oct 01, 08
Nickerson (KS) Argosy small ad for photo car
1891 Oct 16, 23, 30; Nov 06, 13
Marion (KS) Record small ads
1891 Nov 12, 19, 21, 23, 26
Peabody (KS) Gazette-Herald small ads
1892-1893
Nothing found for these years as yet
1893 May 23
St Louis (MO) Post-Dispatch news item from Sherman, Texas, says
photographer William Whiting age 28, working as retoucher for the St
Louis Art Co has committed suicide. It might be assumed that the
Palace Railroad Car was in or near Sherman, TX, at that time. (The
paper assumes that it is the St Louis Art Co based locally at 715
Olive. No other connection between the two businesses has been found.
)
1894 Mar 09 thru Jul 10
Austin (TX) American Statesman small ads for St Louis Art Co and/or
Palace Railroad Art Studio
1895 Jun 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16
Pine Bluff (AR) Daily Graphic six small ads for the Palace Railroad
Art Studio
1895 Oct 29, 31; Nov 01, 02, 03, 05, 06, 07
Vicksburg, MS, Daily Commercial Herald nine small ads for the Palace
Railroad Art Studio
1897 Dec 03
Weekly Columbia (TN) Herald three small ads
1898 Mar 31; Apr 01, 02, 04, 07, 08, 11, 12, 13,
The (Moline, IL) Dispatch small ads for Railroad Art Studio
1899 - 1905
Nothing found for these years as yet
1906 Mar 01, 08, 15: Apr 05, 12, 19, 26; May 03, 10, 17;
The New Era (Formoso, KS) small ads for railroad studio
1906 Apr 12, May 17, 22, 24, 31; Jun 07, 14, 21, 26, 28; Jul 05,
12, 26; Aug 02, 06; Oct 04, 11, 18, 23, 25; Nov 01, 05, 08, 15, 22,
29; Dec 06, 13, 27
Cawker City, KS Ledger small ads for St Louis Art Co in Cawker City
Update: 03 Aug 2018
Four more examples of cabinet cards from
St Louis Art Co
were found in Ada, OK
A new example was sent by G Groth
St Louis Art Co
It has an added clue or perhaps an added mystery: "Villa" is included
in the imprint.
Family history of Tom Brown, the ancestor in the portrait, indicates
that the photograph was probably taken before about 1910.
Below is the only mention of "Villa" in any records found so far about
the St Louis Art Co. The name may have been used early on and then
dropped.
It appears that "St Louis Art Company" may not have been in or even
near St Louis, MO, any more than the "Paris Art Studio" of Cassville,
MO, was in France.
1893 May 23
St Louis (MO) Post-Dispatch news item from Sherman, Texas, says
photographer William Whiting age 28, working as retoucher for the St
Louis Art Co has committed suicide. It might be assumed that the
Palace Railroad Car was in or near Sherman, TX, at that time. (The
paper assumes that it is the St Louis Art Co based locally at 715
Olive. No other connection between the two businesses has been found.
)
Austin (TX) American Statesman - 05 Apr 1894
Austin (TX) American Statesman - 18 Apr 1894
The example at the right is from the family of John and LaVena Watts Green. The identity of the subject is unknown.
If you have any information about this card,
contact J Ariciu at jeariciu@gmail.com
Example from contributor J Ariciu
(Note: this imprint differs from all the other cards on this page)
Contributed by G. Mankins
"This one is of two sisters—Sarah Frances Risinger Rutherford (left) and Elizabeth Jane Risinger Callens (right) I believe the photo was taken in the 1890’s in Texas. They lived in the Waxahachie area of Texas.' -- G Mankins
Contributed by G. Mankins
Contributed by G. Mankins "Picture of 3 young men believed to belong to either the Rutherford or Risinger family from the Waxahacie area of Texas." -- G Mankins
Saint Louis Photo and View Co
No connection has been made to
Saint Louis Art Company
example from auction site
Note the card on the left is from the St Louis
PHOTO Company
It is not the same as the St Louis Art Co.
Above is an example of a reverse side imprint showing woodcut of a
"Palace" railroad car. This was used by photographer Frank J Haynes.
The St Louis Art Co might have used similar imprints. None have been
found.
photographer: Palace Railroad Photograph Studio
actual photographer unknown
That chair looks familiar.
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.
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, they will be immediately removed.
I have man that have no idea who is can post him here??
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for your offer. Yes, there have been several guest contributions to the collection. Examples done by one of the 600 or so photographers in the blog are always welcome. The blog is about cabinet cards from these photographers only. A cabinet card is 4.25 by 6.5 inches.
DeleteTo the address found in the profile, email a good scan or photograph, including the edges. The edges sometimes tell something about the age. Send one scan at a time and include any details you may have about the card that might contribute to the time frame. A scan of the reverse is not necessary unless it is imprinted with the photographer’s name and address or shows information that will assist in dating.
Also include how you would like the contribution credited. This could be anything from a coded screen name to an email address or a link to another web site.