Byce, Malcolm Lyman (1890-1919)(2 of 2)
/Joslin & Company’s Portrait Photograph of Malcolm Lyman Byce
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: Malcolm Lyman Byce
Description: The approximately six-year-old Malcolm Lyman Byce is portrayed seated on his bicycle with each foot perched on top of a pedal as though in mid rotation. The bicycle has been propped in place; its lowered kickstand can be seen on the far side of bike. The boy holds the handlebars and looks up into the distance. He is dressed in the belted knickers, high socks, boots and cap typical of a turn-of-the- century bicyclist. By the time he was five years old, Malcolm Byce was acclaimed in the local Petaluma papers to be a “phenomenal trick bicyclist”. Young Malcolm was the mascot of the Petaluma Wheelmen’s Club, and the Club’s emblem is displayed prominently on the front of his sweater.
Biographical Note: As a young adult, Malcolm entered his father’s poultry business, The Petaluma Incubator Company, and he eventually become a partner and manager. Malcolm’s father, Lyman C. Byce, has been credited along with Petaluma dentist, Isaac Dias, with the creation of the Petaluma poultry incubator.
Family Affiliation: Malcolm Lyman Byce was the son of the prominent Petaluma pioneers Lyman C. Byce (1852-1944) and Lily C. Gray Byce (1867-1934). His brother was Wilbur Elwood Byce (1896-1955), and his wife was Catherine Coggeshall Byce (1884-1982). Also see the portrait of Mrs. Daniels.
Bibliography:
THE PHOTOGRAPH:
Format / Size: cabinet card, approximately 10.5 x 16 cm
Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock
Description, front: This portrait may have been taken out-of-doors with a solid fabric cloth used as a backdrop. The photograph has been mounted on an ivory colored card which has a thin border embossed with small concentric circles. Along the bottom edge is Joslin & Company’s imprint: “Petaluma Photo Parlors. Joslin and Co., 850 Main Street, Petaluma, Cal.”.
Description, back: Handwritten along the top left edge is: “Malcolm Byce” and “approx 6 yrs”. “Malcom Byce” is handwritten a second time in the middle of the card.
Date: 1896 or 1897
Condition: several small black spots throughout; light marks and a darker curved scratch to the left of the center top of the bicycle’s handlebars
Owner: Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1994-60-01
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.