Hall, Lena Ester Vestal (1878-1968) (2 of 2)
/Petaluma Photo Parlors’ Portrait Photograph of Lena Ester Vestal (Hall)
PHOTOGRAPHER / PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:
JOSLIN & COMPANY was established by the photographer Amon James Tuft Joslin. He was born in 1839 in Rockwood, New York, and died in 1913 in San Benito County, California. He established the Petaluma Photo Parlor under the name of Joslin & Company in November 1893, and left the studio, departing for Chico, California in April 1897. (For additional information on Joslin and Company and to view all portraits produced by the studio in the collection, click on its name in blue above.)
THE SITTER:
Name: Lena Ester Vestal (Hall). At the time this portrait was taken, the sitter would have been known as Lena Ester Vestal.
Description: Attired in a fashionable, white, lace, high-collared “Gibson Girl Blouse”, Lena Ester Vestal looks to her left with a tranquil gaze. She only adornment is a metal chain choker with a small round pendant. Her full, wavy hair to pulled to the back of her head and allowed to rest on her right shoulder. Short curls adorn the center of her forehead.
Biographical Note:
Family Affiliation: Lena was the eldest child of early pioneers, Lemuel Hadley Vestal (1841-1932) and Amelia Nancy Ayers Vestal (1852-1930). Among her siblings were Warren Eugene Vestal (1883-1973) and William Thomas Vestal ((1885-1947). She graduated, along with her brother, Warren, from the Santa Rosa Business College in 1900. She lived in Sacramento, Petaluma, San Francisco, and Santa Rosa. She married William Clyde Hall of San Francisco in 1917. Lena and William had at least one daughter, Helene Hall Deffenbaugh. Lena is buried in the Santa Rosa Memorial Park.
Bibliography: Petaluma Daily Morning Courier, Nov. 10, 1917, p. 3. Press Democrat (Santa Rosa), Dec. 18, 1968. Sonoma West Times and News, June 20, 1900, p. 3.
THE PHOTOGRAPH:
Format / Size: cabinet card, approximately 10.75 x 16.5 cm
Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock
Description, front: The photographer’s imprint appears along the bottom edge of the card and directly above it handwritten in script in pencil is: “Lena Vestal”.
Description, back: Handwritten in script in pencil along the top edge is: “Lena Vestal”.
Date: November 1893 to April 1897
Condition: Both sides of this cabinet card are slightly soiled.
Owner: The Cyndi Logan Collection, digital copy by permission.
Reproduction rights: The Petaluma Museum Association makes no assertions as to ownership of any original copyrights to the digitized images here reproduced. These images are intended for personal or research use only. Any other kind of use, including, but not limited to commercial or scholarly publication in any medium or format, public exhibition, or use online or in a web site, may be subject to additional restrictions including but not limited to the copyrights held by parties other than the Association. USERS ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE for determining the existence of such rights and for obtaining any permissions and/or paying associated fees necessary for the proposed use.