William Henderson Wiseman Sr, sons William Henderson Wiseman JR and
Rufus Frank Wiseman with W H Wiseman Junior’s daughter, Louisa
Wiseman, were all photographers of note. Only one of them worked in
Dublin, TX, for any substantial period. William Henderson Wiseman JR
kept a gallery there from about 1889 to 1893 according to
advertisements in the Dublin Progress newspaper. He then opened a
gallery in Stephenville, TX, but there is no documentation that says
he actually closed the studio in Dublin at the same time.
There were many photographers hired to run the studios in a Wiseman’s
absence. The studio in Alton, IL, kept the name Wiseman Gallery and
was operated by other photographers even after the death of W H
Wiseman, who opened it originally.
Following is a list of Studios or Galleries that would have been named
“Wiseman” and the approximate dates of operation:
Newbury, SC - 1868 to Mar 1877 (William Henderson Wiseman SR,
J D Bruce takes over gallery)
Newberry, SC - 1878 (W H Wiseman, SR, briefly, apparently)
Johnson, TX - 1880 to 1889? (No activity in photography has
been documented for any of the Wisemans during this period. W H
Wiseman, SR, and both sons turn to farming for at least part of this
period)
Dublin, TX - 1889 to 1894 (mostly by W H Wiseman, JR)
Stephenville, TX - 1894 - 1898 (mostly by W H Wiseman, JR)
Hico, TX - 1889 to 1953 (Mostly by Frank Wiseman, JR; some date
speculation on this one)
Alton, IL - 1898 to 1919 (W H Wiseman. JR, who then runs a
Jackson, IL, farm)
Alton, IL - Jul 1920 to Aug 1921 (W H Wiseman leases business
to St Louis, MO, couple. He moves to Jacksonville, IL to work a
farm)
Alton, IL - 24 Nov 1928 (W H Wiseman JR returns to
photography
Alton, IL - 1928 and continues some years after the death of W
H Wiseman JR’s death in 1954
Alton, IL - 17 Apr 1943 (news item shows W H Wiseman studio is
still operating)
The cabinet card was probably done by W H Wiseman, Jr, around 1889 to
1894.
