Brown, Kathleen Elise (1877-1970)(1 of 2)
/Unidentified Photographer and unidentified retoucher’s crayon Portrait of Kathleen Elise Brown
THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:
Photographer: unidentified
Retoucher: unidentified
THE SITTER:
Name: Kathleen Elise Brown
Description: In this full-frontal, head-and shoulders portrait, Kathleen Elise Brown looks directly out at the viewer. She is attired in a simple light-colored blouse with sleeves gathered at her shoulders. Its double scoop neckline is boarded by two lines of thin ribbon embellished with small rosettes. Between the lines of ribbon is a translucent fabric with vertical folds. Brown’s dark hair is parted on her right and arranged to fall over her left shoulder in a single sausage curl. She wears a diadem of small rosettes similar to those on her blouse’s neckline ribbons.
Biographical Note: Kathleen Elise Brown was born in Petaluma on September 21, 1877, the eleventh child of Petaluma pioneers, Daniel Brown and Anna Ferguson Brown. She preferred her middle name so was always called Elise. Elise attended Brick Petaluma School and in 1895 at the age of 18 entered the College of Notre Dame in San Francisco as a boarder. In 1900 she and many family members took part in a two-week family and friends camping trip that she called “To the Geysers or Bust.” Her brother-in-law, Gil Hall, a local Petaluma attorney, organized the trip.
After the death of her father in 1902, Elise moved to San Francisco with her mother and other unmarried sisters and brother. Daniel Brown’s estate supported them comfortably for the rest of their lives. They were able to take extended trips around the United States and Europe and Asia. Elise lived the longest of her siblings and managed the estate until she died on October 9, 1970, at the age of 93. She was buried in Petaluma’s Calvary Cemetery in the Brown Family Plot with her parents and most of her siblings.
*This biographical note was written by Kathleen Elise Brown’s descendant, Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini.
Family Affiliation: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41913557/kathleen-elise-brown Search this archive and the Sonoma County Library photograph archive for additional portraits of the Brown family.
Bibliography: Primary Sources: Petaluma Argus-Courier: March 19, 1921, p.7; October 12, 1970, p. 12 (obit). Petaluma Daily Morning Courier: August 17, 1895, p. 1; January 8, 1909, p. 1; July 16, 1912, p. 4; November 21, 1912, p. 1. Secondary Sources: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41913557/kathleen-elise-brown
THE PHOTOGRAPH:
Format / Size: Crayon enlargement also known as a crayon portrait
Medium: Photographic print mounted on paperboard and enhanced with charcoal
Description, front:
Description, back:
Date: 1890 -1900
Condition: This portrait is in excellent condition.
Owner: From the collection of Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini, 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.