Church, Lorin Jasper (1889-1918) (3 of 3)
/Robert Peterson Dammand’s Portrait Photograph of Lorin Jasper Church
THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:
ROBERT PETERSON DAMMAND (Dammond) was born on September 6, 1855, in Horsens, Denmark, and died on January 27, 1936, in Glendale, California. He worked as a photographer in Iowa and Southern California before arriving in Petaluma in November 1901. He resided on Petaluma’s D Street and located his photographic studio opposite the American Hotel over the Steiger Building on Main Street. In late July 1905, Dammand departed Petaluma to set up a studio in Richmond, California. (For additional information on this photographer and to view all portraits by him in the collection, click on his name in blue above.)
THE SITTER:
Name: Lorin Jasper Church
Description: In this head-and-should portrait, Lorin Jasper Church appears as a young man formally dressed in a jacket with high small lapels and a matching vest. He wears a white shirt with a stiff, tall rounded collar and a small dark bowtie. His dark, straight hair is parted just off center and neatly combed to each side of his head.
Biographical Note: Lorin Jasper Church was born and raised at the Church family ranch in Two Rock. In 1899, he was listed as a student at Two Rock’s Walker School, and his teacher was listed as Miss Mabel Celeste Black (1874-1966), the future Mabel Black-Putnam and mother-in-law of Petaluma mayor, Helen DuMont Putnam (1909-1984). In 1906, it was reported that Lorin was the Sergeant at Arms of his senior class at Petaluma High School. A member of the Enterprise Yearbook staff, he graduated in May 1907 and soon after enrolled at the University of California. On June 4, 1911, he married Helen M. Storer of Oakland, and initially, they settled in Alaska. By 1915, the couple had returned to Petaluma, and on August 10, 1917, Lorin enlisted in the United States Marine Corps to fight in World War I. He was stationed at Quantico, Virginia, and received distinction as a sharpshooter. In July 1918, he was reported to be in France, working back of the lines as a surveyor. On August 10, 1918, the Petaluma Daily Morning Courier reported that he had been killed on the battlefield in France on June 13th. He was the second Petaluma boy to die in World War I. He was buried at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial, Belleau, Departement de L’Aisne, Picardie, France.
Family Affiliation: Lorin Jasper Church was the second son of Walter A. Church and Minnie B. Warders Church of Two Rock Valley. He was the brother of Linnie Church Mack, Rena Church Weyler, Flora Church, Ralph Church, Amy Church, Earl Church, and Roy Church. He was the husband of Helen M. Storer. Click here to be directed to a list of the other portraits of Church family members in this archive.
THE PHOTOGRAPH:
Format / Size: cabinet card
Medium: matte collodion print mounted on cardstock
Description, front: This photograph has been cut, and its sides are not parallel. Additionally, it was not applied symmetrically to its dark textured card. The trimming of the card was haphazard; the bottom line of the photographer’s embossed imprint has been cropped in half. In its entirety, it may have read, “R. P. Dammond, Petaluma Photo Parlors, CAL”, or, alternatively, “R. P. Dammand, Petaluma Photo Parlors, CAL”.
Description, back: The back of this portrait is either blank or contains only an accession number.
Date: November 1901 - July 1905
Condition: This portrait has several abrasions and is not in sharp focus.
Owner: Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1979-425-03-p29-p20
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.