Photographer: Pennell
Junction City, Kansas
From LOST GALLERY collection
More examples at Kansas Historical Society
Joseph Judd Pennell
Source:
The University of Kansas Libraries
BIOGRAPHY of Joseph Judd Pennell
The son of a confederate soldier, Joseph Judd Pennell was born March
9, 1866 in Kings Creek, North Carolina. When he was about 18, his
father's business failed and the family could no longer afford the
cost of private education in the North Carolina schools. A cousin
returning from a trip to Kansas told of the good public schools in
Kansas, so the decision was made to leave North Carolina and settle in
Kansas.
In his first years in Kansas, Joseph Pennell worked as a carpenter
making coffins for an Abilene undertaker.
His first venture into the business of photography began in March
1888, when he bought a half interest in a Junction City studio owned
by L.A. Ramsour.
After a year of work in the studio he quit to travel through the
countryside making photographs in his "photo car", probably a wagon
with a darkroom set up in it. A year of touring the countryside gave
him the desire for a more stable and permanent business, so he
returned to Junciton City and entered a brief partnership with
S.D. Hopkins.
At the end of a year, he opened a studio in partnership with
Ed Zellner, whom he bought out two years later in 1893.
In 1898, he married Edith Stanley and their only child, Joseph Stanley
Pennell was born in 1903.
As a photographer, Pennell was a success in both the business and the
photographic world. His business grew enough for him to have a new
studio built in 1907. The building is still in use in Junction City.
Along with his business success, Pennell achieved recognition and
awards for his photography. His work was shown at the World's Fair in
1893 and at the St. Louis Exposition in 1904. It was also published in
photographic journals and in popular magazines of the time such as
Munsey's and Ladies Home Journal.
Pennell was active in his community, serving on the Board of
Education, the Chamber of Commerce and in organizations such as the
Rotary Club and Knights of Columbus.
Pennell continued to operate his studio until his premature death by
blood poisoning at the age of 56 on April 3, 1922. His widow, Edith,
kept the studio running for about a year, after which the negatives
went into storage. Subsequently, the negatives became the property of
Pennell's son, Joseph Stanley Pennell, the author of two novels based
on his family history and life in Junction City, The History of Rome
Hanks and The History of Nora Beckham.
Over the years, many of Pennell's classic photographs have made
their way into print and on television, including a shot of a
Junction City bar that became part of the opening credits to NBC's
comedy series, "Cheers," which was set in a Boston bar.
See also the
Pennell Photograph Collection
See also
Edward David Zellner
Bio found on the Find A Grave website:
Photographer. He was born in North Carolina in 1866, the son of a
Confederate soldier. His family moved to Kansas in the 1880s to take
advantage of the public school system.
As a young man Pennell went to work for a carpenter in Abilene,
Kansas, but later became fascinated by the work of a traveling
photographer. He worked with several different Junction City
photographers while learning his craft, and eventually opened his own
studio in the town in 1893. A new studio was built in 1907, and the
building is still in use in Junction City.
Along with his business success, Pennell achieved wider recognition
and awards for his photography. His work was shown at the World's Fair
in 1893 and the St. Louis Exposition in 1904, and was published in
photographic journals and in such popular magazines of the time as
Munsey's and Ladies Home Journal. Pennell operated his studio until
his death in 1922, and his wife continued it for a further year.
Junction City is a small town located near the geographical center of
the continental United States. Most of the town's income came from
supplying the area farmers and the nearby army post of Fort Riley.
Studio portraits of soldiers and townspeople made up the bulk of
Pennell's work, but he was also hired to record activities and events
throughout Junction City and Fort Riley He photographed school,
church, and social functions, construction and town growth, the
routines of the business and military worlds, disasters and
celebrations - the triumphs and tribulations of a small town.
The Joseph J. Pennell Photograph Collection represents the life work
of a Junction City, Kansas, photographer. It consists of 30,000 glass
plate negatives made between 1891 and 1923, a period of great change
in American life. The collection is part of the Kansas Collection, the
regional history branch of the University of Kansas Libraries located
in Lawrence, KS and open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday
to Friday.
Assembling a timeline for Pennell seems nearly impossible. Hundreds
of newspaper ads and items indicate he traveled almost daily making a
circuit of small towns in eastern Kansas around Junction City, KS. To
date no cabinet card examples have been found with locations imprinted
other than Junction City, KS.
He was an active photographer with his own studio from about 1893 to
his death in 1922. A large part of his work was on-location
photographs of life in Kansas and the military post at Junction
City.
White City (KS) Register - 17 Jul 1891
White City (KS) Register - 31 Jul 1891
Junction City (KS) Tribune - 23 Nov 1893
Junction City (KS) Weekly Union - 18 Sep 1896
Junction City (KS) Sentinel - 07 Oct 1898
Junction City (KS) Weekly Union - 27 Jul 1900
The Fort Riley (KS) Guidon - 27 Oct 1901
Photographer: E. D. Zellner
Junction City, Kas.
Example from E D Zellner after the partnership with Pennell dissolved
photographer: Pennell and Zellner
cor Seventh and Washington, Junction City, KS
unknown source
photographer: Pennell and Zellner
cor Seventh and Washington, Junction City, KS
unknown source
photographer: Pennell and Zellner
cor Seventh and Washington, Junction City, KS
example from Medhurst and Co.
photogrpher: Ransour and PennellJunction City, KS
Gallery over M E Clark's store
example from Heritage
(probably from about 1888)
photographer: Pennell and Zellnercor 7th and Franklin Sts
Junction City, KS
example from Kansas Memory
photographer: Pennell and Zellner
cor 7th and Wash., Junction City, KS
example from Kansas State Historical Org
photographer: Pennell and Zellner
cor 7th and Wash., Junction City, KS
example from Kansas State Historical Org
Here is a rare one. This would be from the short period the Pennell
was in partnership with Hopkins around 1890-1891
photographer: Hopkins and Pennell
Junction City, KS
example from pinterest
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, just let me know and they will be immediately
removed.
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