Photographer
Dawson
Little Rock
This is a slightly enhanced version. To see the original, click on
this picture and then in the resulting page, scroll down.
Robert Wolstenholme Dawson
(1833 - 1910)
1833 Nov 03
Lankashire, England, death certificate, R. W. Dawson born in Nuttall
Lane, Lancashire, England
1843 or 1844
US census 1900 and 1910: arrives in US at age 10 or 11
1860 Mar 22
Vienna, WI, Family records, marries Lucy M Freeman
1861
Elgin, IL, state records, daughter Elva E. born
1865
Elgin, IL, state records, son Robert Henry born
1866
Woodstock, IL, son Charles Henry born
1880 Mar 5
(Little Rock) Daily Arkansas Gazette news item, studio at 106 Main
1880 Jun 10
Little Rock, AR, US census as photographer studio at 203 ½ s Main
1882 Oct 15
Daily (Little Rock) Arkansas Gazette item Wm Cooper at Dawson studio
205 Main st
1883 May 26
(Little Rock) Arkansas Democrat item new studio almost complete
1883 Jun 04
(Little Rock) Arkansas Democrat news item open house at new studio at
424 ½ Main
1883 Jun 06
(Little Rock) Arkansas Democrat news item opens new studio at 424 ½
Main
1883 Nov 29
(Little Rock) Arkansas Gazette daughter Elva marries B W Butler in
Little Rock, AR
1884 Apr 03
Little Rock, AR, state records, wife Lucy M dies
1884 Jan 9, 12, 15, 18, 21
Arkansas Democrat classified ads property for sale; studio at Main &
5th
1885 Jun 23, 24, 25
(Little Rock) Daily Arkansas Gazette classified ad property for
sale
1885 Jul 11, 31
(Little Rock) Daily Arkansas Gazette small ad for gallery but address
not shown
1885 Jul 23
(Little Rock) Arkansas Democrat item Dawson present at death of U S
Grant
1885 Aug 2
(Little Rock) Daily Arkansas Gazette display ad for studio
1886
Little Rock, AR, city directory as photographer at 422 ½ Main; both
sons Nelson and Charles works at gallery
1886 Mar 28
(Little Rock) Daily Arkansas Gazette small ad Wm. Cooper artist at
Dawson studio
1886 Apr 29
Arkansas state records R W Dawson marries Laura Eldridge Hamilton
1886 Jun 09, 10,
(Little Rock) Daily Arkansas Gazette new item studio at Main and
5th
1887 Jan 17, 19
(Little Rock) Arkansas Democrat Dawson has 8 room house for rent
1887 Mar thru 1888 Feb
(Little Rock) Arkansas Democrat, many small classified ads for studio
at 424 ½ Main
1888 Jan 31
Little Rock, AR, state records, R W Dawson’s second wife Laura
Eldridge Robins dies giving birth to daughter Irene; Irene Dawson dies
in August of 1890 (error corrected, thanks to an alert commenter)
1888 Nov 20
(Little Rock) Daily Arkansas Gazette describes building owned by
Dawson burns
1889 Dec 13
(Little Rock) Arkansas Democrat item religious group no longer meeting
at Dawson studio
1890
Little Rock, AR, city directory as photographer at 424 ½ Main; son
Nelson working at studio
1890 Aug 31
(Little Rock) Daily Arkansas Gazette news item about infant Irene
memorial
1890 Nov 14
(Little Rock) Daily Arkansas Gazette item Dawson purchases four head
of cattle
1892 Jan 19
Little Rock, AR, state records son Nelson marries Lollie E Stillwell
in Little Rock, AR
1892 May 24
(Little Rock) Daily Arkansas Gazette item Dawson sells property to
Charlie Simmons
1891 Dec 22
(Little Rock) Daily Arkansas Gazette item R W Dawson administrator of
estate of Laura E Dawson
1892 Jan 25
(Little Rock) Arkansas Democrat son Nelson R Dawson to marry Lollie E
Stillwell
1892 Jun 3
(Little Rock) Arkansas Democrat small ad 8 room house for rent
1892 Feb 17, Mar 9, 11
(Little Rock) Arkansas Democrat item real estate transactions
1892 Jun 1
(Little Rock) Arkansas Democrat classified ad to rent house at 11th
and Gains sts
1893
Little Rock, AR, city directory as photographer at 422 ½ Main; son
Nelson working at studio; (Address is possibly a typo, probably
424.)
1893 Dec 9, 12, 19
(Little Rock) Daily Arkansas Gazette small ad, studio at 5th and
Main
1894 Feb 4
Los Angeles (CA) Times lists license to marry Sue V Neal in CA
1895
Little Rock, AR, city directory, Dawson Gallery remains open at 424 ½
Main now operated by Nelson R Dawson
1895 Aug 7
Los Angeles (CA) Times item R W Dawson now living in Glendora, CA
1896
Los Angeles, CA, city directory as rancher
1897
Little Rock, AR, city directory, Dawson Gallery no longer listed
1897 Apr 09
Los Angeles (CA) Times item R W Dawson now living in Alamitos, CA
1900 Jun 21 US
Long Beach, CA, census Dawson as farmer
1908 Feb 02
Los Angles (CA) Times news item says Dawson has had a stroke
1910 Apr 26
Long Beach, CA, US census, no occupation shown in Long Beach, CA
1910 May 18
dies at age 76 in Long Beach, CA
It appears that Robert W. Dawson was photographer in Little Rock, AR,
from 1880 through 1893 mostly at 424 ½ Main. There is no address on
the cabinet card at the top, so it could have been done at any time
during that period.
There are no records found so far that indicate he was in the
photography business before that time, in Illinois or Wisconsin.
Arkansas Democrat - 06 Jun 1883
Arkansas Democrat - 25 Jul 1881
Daily (Little Rock) Arkansas Gazette - 24 Jan 1883
Arkansas Democrat - 05 Apr 1884
Daily Arkansas Democrat - 29 Apr 1886
Arkansas Democrat - 27 Aug 1890
Daily Arkansas Democrat - 09 Dex 1893
Los Angles (CA) Times - 04 Feb 1894
Arkansas Democrat - 03 Jul 1903
Los Angles (CA) Times - 02 Feb 1908
Arkansas Democrat - 20 Nov 1908
The Canyon (CA) News - 18 Dec 1908
Los Angeles (CA) Times - 18 May 1910
photographer: Dawson
imprint on reverse
example from auction site
photographer: Dawson
Little Rock, AR
example from auction site
photographer: Dawson
imprint on reverse
example from auction site
The cabinet cards at the right are probably NOT by R W Dawson. R W
Dawson was in Vienna, Wisconsin in 1860 when he and Lucy M Freeman
were married. But the card style, elaborate printing and deckle edge
seem more from about 1900, long after he had moved to California from
Little Rock, AR.
photographer: Dawson Studios
Oshkosh, New London, Hortonville, Seymour, WI
example from auction site
photographer: Dawson
Seymour, Hortonville, Lintonville
example from auction site
Oskosh, New London, Hortonville, WI
example from auction site
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.
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the use on this page, just let me know and they will be immediately
removed.
Thank you so much for this wonderful background on R.W. Dawson! I was researching him when I found your page. I did want to suggest a small correction. The child you mention, Irene, was not the daughter of Elva and Bob Butler. It was actually the child of R.W. Dawson and his second wife, Laura. Irene was born on Jan. 31, 1888, the day Laura died. She is the one who died in childbirth, not Elva. Irene died on Aug. 24, 1890 and is buried in the Dawson plot with her mother and Elva. The marker says "Of R.W. & Laura E. Hamilton Dawson". It is recorded on Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/57048025/irene-dawson. It also says in the Arkansas Democrat - 27 Aug 1890 article you include that she is the daughter of R.W. Dawson. Just thought you might want to know.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I am not sure how that item got in there that way but I have corrected it. It is contributions like yours that help improve the overall accuracy of these pages. Thanks again! Gold Star for you!
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