J B Dettmer

Photographer: J B Dettmer
Walnut and Howard sts
Muncie, IND.

written on reverse:
Minnie Laudig

J B Dettmer

The life of photographer J B Dettmer was difficult to follow. Not only was Dettmer a rather popular name in the 19th century, there were two or three people with the name J B Dettmer in that era, living in the vicinity of Muncie, IN. There was also a street in Ohio, a hospital and a baseball player with the name.

To further complicate matters, the photographer J B Dettmer moved around a lot, had several partners and kept himself out of the newspapers. Judging from his business activities by 1880, it must be assumed that photographer J B Dettmer was born about 1860. It also appears that he never married so the photographer John B Dettmer Jr that appears in some 1920’s San Francisco, CA, city directories was probably from another family line of Dettmers.

Here then is a timeline following the Ohio photographer J B Dettmer including many notations of where he wasn’t to help establish where he could have been in some of the record gaps.

Timeline
1860
Cincinnati, OH, according to Artists in Ohio, John Dettmer is born
1875 - 1879
Cincinnati, OH, city directory NOT listed
1880
Cincinnati, OH, city directory as photographer 100 w 4th
1881
Cincinnati, OH, city directory NOT listed
1882
Cincinnati, OH, city directory as photographer; bds 489 w 6th
1882
Covington, KY, city directory NOT listed; Mamie Dettmer listed at 163 Madison
1883
Cincinnati, OH, city directory as photographer with J D Skewes at 102 w 5th
1884
Cincinnati, OH, city directory as photographer with J D Skewes; Skews also has gallery in Covington, KY, at 222 W 5th
1884
Covington, KY, city directory as photographer at 163 Madison; Mamie Dettmer at same address

- continued in next row -

1885
Cincinnati, OH, city directory as photographer with Heckle and Dettmer (William S Heckle) at
1886
Cincinnati, OH, city directory missing pages 181-826
1886
Covington, KY, city directory as photographer (Dettmar); res Jos. Heckle’s; Mamie Dettmer at same address; Business pages as Heckle and Dettmer, 402 Freeman av
1887
Cincinnati, OH, city directory as photographer with Heckle and Dettmer (William S Heckle) at
1888
Cincinnati, OH, city directory as photographer at 402 Freeman; res same
1888
Covington, KY, city directory NOT listed
1889
Cincinnati, OH, city directory as photographer at 1047 w 8th; res same
1889
Muncie, IN, city directory NOT listed in res pages or bus pages (earliest available)
1890
Cincinnati, OH, city directory NOT listed in res pages or bus pages
1890 Jul 12
Richmond (IN) Item, news item as photographer at 18 s 13th st; formerly with M H Watts

1890 Jul
Richmond, (IN) Item, four small ads for studio at 18 s 13th
1890 Nov 08
Muncie (IN) Evening Press news item “50 years ago today” says Dettmer had studio at cor of Howard and Walnut
1891 Jan 25
Muncie (IN) Evening Press news item “50 Years Ago Today” says Dettmer had studio on Walnut opposite the National Hotel (which was at 500-506 s Walnut)
1897 - 1899
Muncie, IN, city directory NOT listed
1903
Richmond, IN, city directory as photographer (Dettmar)
1908
Cincinnati, OH, city directory NOT listed in res pages or bus pages
1909
Cincinnati, OH, city directory as photographer (Dettmar) at swc Vine and Liberty; res 940 Findlay; not shown in business pages
1910
Cincinnati, OH, city directory NOT listed


The cabinet card example at the top must have been finished in that period around 1890 - 1891 when he was found in Muncie, IN, city directories.

Richmond (IN) Item - 12 Jul 1890

Richmond (IN) Item - ad ran four times in July, 1890

The (Muncie, IN) Star Press - 27 Apr 1913

and below, apparently a sideline ...
The Indianapolis Star Sun - 11 May 1913

The Muncie (IN) Evening Press - 08 Nov 1940
50 years ago is 08 Nov 1890

Muncie (IN) evening Press - 25 Jan 1941
50 years ago would be 25 Jan 1891

Artists In Ohio - Jeffery Weidman

Although this birth date is probably accurate, no documents have been found for support

photographer: J B Dettmer
402 Freeman Av, Cincinnati, OH
Example frin auction site

photographer: J B Dettmer
Walnut and Howard streets, Muncie, IN
example from Conkle Family Collection

photographer: J B Dettmer
Walnut and Howard, Muncie, IN
example source unknown

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.

Additional information and new examples are always welcome. Any additional information will help narrow the time that these precious antiques were made.

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Some examples on this page have been enhanced or restored for clarity and presentation here.

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