Towles Studio

Towles Studios
65 1/2 Centre St.
Cumberland
Frostburg and Lonaconing, Md.

reverse of the card at the left

William Henry Towles (1871 - 1954)
Clarence Oscher Towles (1866 - 1937)

W H Towles and brother C O Towles appear to have been major players in their time, winning awards and serving as officers in photographer associations. One account mentions that William H owned all of the equipment used by Mathew Brady who died in 1896

W H Towles seems the more active of the two. Towles Studio was in three maybe four cities around the turn of the 19th century. A studio might have been managed by one or the other, both or neither. But “Towles Studio” is what will be printed on the card in most examples, without regard as to who was the actual photographer. Some cards might include the particular town name but most seem more generic by listing all the studios at the time such as: “Cumberland, Frostberg and Lonaconing, MD” as in the example here.

In the list below, the brother who was at the studio is included where it is documented. Note that even if neither of the brothers were present, the studio might have been managed by someone else and the cabinet card logo would still look the same.

Typical City Directory ad circa 1899

William H continues as a photographer most of his life from about 1891 to his death in 1954. Clarence starts at about 1891 but in 1901 he also begins working in the photographic supply business. Then in 1916 he quits the studio to travel for a photographic supply company. He dies in 1937

Baltimore, MD
1902, 1903
Clarence O Towles was living there but there are no records confirming he operated a studio there; by this time he was operating the J Sussman Photostock Company

Cumberland, MD
1890
NO listing
1891 - 1894
no directory available so it is unknown if there was a studio or not
1895
Towles Art Studio at 65 1/2 n Centre (apparently owned by William H, managed by Thomas Sidney)
1897
Towles Studio at 65 ½ N Centre; William H
1900
Towles Studio at 69 Decatur st; William H
1901, 1902
Towles Art Gallery at 115 Baltimore; both Clarence and William
No Cumberland listings after this date

District of Columbia
1897 - 1899
Towles Studio at 115 Baltimore, apparently owned by Clarence O and managed by William H
1906 & 1908
Towles Studio at 1107 “F” av nw; Clarence and William
1916 - 1920
Towles Studio at 1520 Connecticut av nw; William H
1927 - 1929
Towles Studio at 1526 Connecticut av nw; William H
1930 & 1931
No studio listed
1932
Towles Studio at 1526 Connecticut av nw; William H

Frostberg, MD
No city directories available
Time frame would be around 1895 to 1897, after 1897 the District of Columbia location would be included on the card

Lonaconing, MD
No city directories available
Time frame would be around 1895 to 1897, after 1897 the District of Columbia location would be included on the card

The cabinet card shown above was probably finished around 1895 to 1897.

photographer: Gerkins
Lanaconing, MD
example from Smallcurio on Flickr
Would have been finished arter 1897, when Gerkins took over the Towles studio in Lanaconing, MD

Enlarged and enhanced imprint area or card at left
"Successor to Towles"

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.

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.
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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.