Whitney, Olive Parlin (1791-1874)
/Hugh S. Anderson’s Portrait Photograph of Olive Parlin Whitney
THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:
HUGH S. ANDERSON was born in 1826 in Scotland and died in 1900 in San Francisco, California. He was active in Petaluma as early as January 1872, and he departed Petaluma in December 1873. His Sunbeam Gallery was located, “At the Old Stand, Opposite H. C. Taft & Co.’s”. (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: Olive Parlin Whitney
Description: This carte de visite was taken of Olive Parlin Whitney one or two years before her death in January 1874 at the age of 82. Whitney is seated, wearing a black dress and matching cape, the outer appearance of which is unadorned. According to the commentary written on the back of this portrait, the cape was lined in bright blue “sasanet”. The writer most probably meant “sarsenet”, a fine, soft, silk fabric used as a lining material in dressmaking. A white kerchief has been folded and crosses below her neck. One could interpret the commentary written on the back of this portrait to be describing this kerchief as a collar with eyelet embroidery: “Colar Eyelet Embdy”. Her surprisingly dark hair can be seen along the edge of her white ruffled day cap. She wears circular spectacles and looks directly out at the viewer with a glare that can reasonably be defined as unwelcoming. In her right hand it appears she is holding a white handkerchief. Her left elbow may be resting upon a book laid on the table beside her. Given the commentary written on the back of this carte de visite, “very rigid in religion”, it would not be unreasonable to assume that it may be a Bible.
Biographical Note: Olive Parlin Whitney was born in Lexington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts and buried in Cypress Hill Memorial Park, Petaluma California. She was married to William Whitney who died in 1852 and was buried in Fort Fairfield Maine. Presumably, Olive, at sometime after William’s death, traveled to be with her son in Petaluma.
Family Affiliation: Olive Parlin Whitney was the mother of Petaluma pioneer and California State Senator, Albion Paris Whitney(1825-1884) and mother-in-law of his wife, Susan Durgin Eastman Whitney (1832-1917).
Bibliography:
THE PHOTOGRAPH:
Format / Size: carte de visite, approximately 6.25 x 10.5 cm
Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock
Description, front: Olive Parlin Whitney is portrayed in this carte de visite seated beside a table upon which appears to rest a book and an unidentified white object which is visible on the center right edge of the composition.
Description, back: Handwritten in cursive in black ink along the top of the back edge of this carte de visite is, “Olive Parlin Whitney b 1791 d 1873 (1873 is struck through)1874 Jan. 3d [sic]”. Below this is handwritten in cursive in pencil, “(mother of A P. Whitney) buried in Petaluma cemetery.” Below the imprint handwritten in cursive in pencil is, “Black cape lined with bright blue (sasanet) [sic] color. Colar [sic] Eyelet embdy [sic]”.
Hugh Anderson’s imprint is on the center of the back of this carte de visite. Anderson created several versions of his Petaluma imprint. An expanded, possibly later, version appears here. It is printed in red ink and includes four lines of text, each in a different font. In this imprint version, unlike Anderson’s other imprints, the text is not embellished with flourishes.
Date: January 1872 - December 1873
Condition: There is heavy foxing throughout this carte de visite, and there is a horizontal crease across the center.
Owner: Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1981-835-13
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