Thomas Jefferson Harper

photographer: Harper & Co.
Waco, Texas

Thomas Jefferson Harper
(1858-1941)

1858 Aug 20
Des Arc, AR, state records, Thomas Jefferson Harper is born to William Addison Harper and Lucy Ann Rich
1884, 1886, 1888, 1890
Galveston, TX, city directory, Thomas J Harper NOT listed; possibly still in Arkansas working on father’s farm
1893, 1895
Monroe, LA, Louisiana Digital Library, cabinet card example dated to 1893-1895; others at same source are dated circa 1895
1896
Galveston, TX, city directory Thomas J Harper, photographer working for J B Willyerd; rms 2215 market
1897
Houston, TX, city directory, Harper & Co NOT listed
1898, 1899,
Galveston, TX, city directory Harper & Co, Thomas J Harper as photographer at 2215 Market
1899, 1900
Houston, TX city directory, Harper & Co of Galveston, TX, photographers 507 ½ Main, JC Bartlett, mgr

1900 Jun 03
Galveston, TX, US census Thomas J Harper as photographer; res 2215 Market
1901
Galveston, TX, city directory Harper & Co, Thomas J Harper as photographer at 2215 Market
1902, 1903, 1905, 1907
Houston, TX, city directory, Harper & Co. 507 ½ Main
1902
Waco, TX city directory, Harper & Co at 107 ½ 5th ; J C Bartlett, P B Donaldson as photographers; T J Harper NOT listed; (Harper is apparently living in Houston at this time) This appears to be the only year Harper & Co. operated in Waco, TX. Directories for the years before and after are unavailable, so possibly the firm opened in 1901 and closed in 1903. Ennis, TX, is just 70 miles north of Waco, TX.
1903
Austin, TX, city directory, Harper & Co NOT listed
1905
Austin, TX, city directory, Harper & Co NOT listed
1903, 1905
Galveston, TX, city directory Harper & Co, (Thomas J Harper of Houston TX) photographers 2215 Market; Miss H Gros, Mngr

1906
Galveston, TX, city directory NO photographer Harper, or Harper Studio listed; Miss Henrietta Gros is now running an art-crafts studio at 2215 Market; res 1210 22n
1907
Houston, TX, city directory, Harper & Co, Thomas J Harper, photographers, 2006 w 3rd
1908
Houston, TX, city directory, Harper & Co, Thomas J Harper, photographers, 507 ½ and 602 ½ Main; res 1843 Tale;
1909, 1911, 1913, 1915, 1917 (all available)
Temple, TX, city directory, NO photographer Harper or Harper Studio Listed
1909
Dallas, TX, city directory, Thomas J Harper as photographer at 336 Elm; res 507 s Akard
1910 Apr 21
Dallas, TX, US census Thomas J Harper as photographer; res 507 s Akard
1910
Dallas, TX, city directory - Pages missing.
1910
Houston, TX, city directory Harper & Co studio at 507 1/2 Main (operated apparently by Walter Swindowsky

1911, 1912
Houston, TX, city directory Harper & Co, Charles & Walter Swindowsky, photographers, 507 ½ Main; Thomas J Harper NOT listed in directory
1911, 1912, 1913
Dallas, TX, city directory, Thomas J Harper as photographer at 1504 ½ Elm; res 2112 s Ervay
1913
Houston, TX, city directory Harper & Co NOT listed; Thomas J Harper listed at rms 1504 McKinney av (Probably NOT the photographer); Swindowskys NOT listed
1920 Jan 09
Dallas, TX, US census T J Harper as photographer; res 319 Winnetka
1930 Apr 03
Dallas, TX, US census Thomas J Harper as photographer; res 2401 Knight Street
1940 Apr 18
Dallas, TX, US census Thomas J Harper as photographer; res 2401 Knight Street; daughter working in studio
1941 Mar 10
Dallas, TX, state records, Thomas J Harper dies at age 82

The earliest document showing T J Harper as photographer is the 1896 Galveston, TX, city directory. He opened branch studios and employed other photographers to operate them, all under the name “Harper and Co”. The Harper studios located in Galveston and Houston remained in operation until about 1912.

T J Harper apparently relocates to Dallas, TX, between 1908 and 1909. He remains there operating a photo studio until his death in 1941.

The difficulty with dating a cabinet hard from Thomas Jefferson Harper is that most of his cabinet cards are stamped only with “Harper and Company” or "T J Harper" but no actual street address.

If the card is stamped with Galveston or Houston, it was probably finished between1896 and 1912. But if the card says Dallas it was probably finished between 1908 and 1941, and quite likely only the early years of that period..

Note that is IS POSSIBLE that the cabinet card (top left corner) was done by William Lee Harper who was operating out of Ennis, TX. Waco, TX, is only about 70 miles from Ennis, TX, while Houston, TX, where T J Harper lived, is over 200 miles away. However in all examples found so far, William L Harper cards are stamped only "Harper" while Thomas J Harper cards are always imprinted "Harper and Co" or "T J Harper".

And it IS POSSIBLE that this is another Harper altogether.

The example at the right is NOT a cabinet card but is an example of the work done at the Harper studio, 1706 1/2 Elm Street, Dallas, TX, in the late 1920's, It is owner dated 1928. It is presented in a folder/easel style mounting.

example from contributor J Etie

photographer: Harper and Co
1706 1/2 Elm Street, Dallas, TX
example from J Etie

Waxahachie (TX) Daily Light -
11 Mar 1941

Photographer: Harper
Monroe, LA
example from Louisiana Digital Library
owner dated ca 1895

Photographer: Harper
Monroe, LA
example from Louisiana Digital Library
owner dated ca 1895

Photographer: Harper
Monroe, LA
example from Louisiana Digital Library
owner dated ca 1895

Photographer: Harper
Monroe, LA
example from Louisiana Digital Library
owner dated ca 1893-1895

photographer: Harper and Company
Galveston and Houston, TX
example from Ancestry.com

photographer: Harper and Company
2215 Market Street, Galveston, Tx
and
507 1/2 Main Street, Houston, TX
& Ennis, TX
example from Langdon Road

photographer: Harper and Company
2215 Market Street, Galveston, Tx
and
920 Congress Avenue, Austin, TX
example from M Snow

Note that the same rattan chair was used in the two baby pictures at the left. Both were possibly finished between 1896 and 1906 when there was a Harper studio at 2215 Market in Galveston, TX.

It can be shown that there was a Harper and Co. studio at 507 1/2 Main in Houston, TX, from 1899 to 1912. So the cabinet card stamped with both addresses must have been finished between 1899 and 1906.

No documents have been found yet to show when Harper had a studio in Austin, TX. Only a few Austin, TX, city directories are available.

photographer: Harper
Texarkana, TX
example from auction site

It is not known at this time which Harper had a studio in Texarkana, TX. Since the location is so far from the usual cities where the Thomas and William Harper usually operated, it may be another Harper entirely.

photographer: T J Harper
J M Willyard, operator
Bryan, TX
example from Charlie Perlitz

Probably finished around 1896 when Willyard was managing the Harper and Co Studio in Bryan, TX.

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.

New examples and additional information 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.

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.