Baker, Aletha Hall O'Brien (1883-1966)(2 of 4)
/Lafayette F. Sheppard’s Portrait Photograph of Aletha Hall O’Brien baker
THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:
LAFAYETTE F. SHEPPARD was born in 1852 in Ohio and died in 1940 in Inglewood, California. He established his photographic gallery in Petaluma in February of 1886, “in the rooms formerly occupied by Lewis Dowe”. It was located at 59 1/2 Main Street next door to the First National Bank Building. Sheppard continued to work as a photographer in Petaluma at least through June of 1891. (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: Aletha Hall O’Brien Baker. At the time this portrait was taken, the sitter would have been known as Aletha Hall
Description: This child sits atop a bale of hay dressed in a white dress embellished with a wide lace hem and collar. She wears dark stockings and leather boots. The child assumes a strikingly dignified pose uncommon in one so young.
Biographical Note: Aletha Hall was born in Petaluma in 1883, the eldest child of Gilbert and Mary Louise Brown Hall. She was educated at Petaluma schools and the Ursuline Academy in Santa Rosa and for a while ran her own millinery store in Petaluma. In 1907 she married local physician Dr. John Thomas O’Brien and the couple was blessed with three children, Margaret in 1908, Kathleen in 1911, and John T., Jr., in 1913. During the First World War, Dr. O’Brien received a commission to the Army Medical Corps and was stationed in San Diego. Aletha drove south with her children to be near him and when he was honorably discharged they all returned to Petaluma to their beautiful home on several acres near Oak Hill Park. In 1920 the O’Briens sold their home and moved to San Francisco. In 1926 Dr. O’Brien died there at the age of 63. Several years later Aletha married Walter Baker, an officer with the Metropolitan Insurance Company. Walter died in 1933 and Aletha, at the age of 50, was again a widow.
Aletha led a busy life as a widow. She settled in Palo Alto and was highly involved with her family which included twelve grandchildren. She never moved back to Petaluma but always kept her connection, often visiting relatives and friends there, and frequently sending notices of family events to the Argus Courier. She was frequently involved in local events, acting as a guest speaker at AAUW meetings and as a frequent chairperson at political conferences. She was a staunch Democrat and after Eisenhower’s win expressed herself with one of the first bumper stickers: Don’t Blame Me! I voted Democrat! Aletha Hall O’Brien Baker died in 1966 and was buried in the O’Brien Plot in the Catholic Calvary Cemetery in Petaluma.
*This biographical note was written by Aletha Hall O’Brien Baker’s descendant, Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini.
Family Affiliation: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42033731/aletha-o'brien_baker. There are many portraits of other members of the Hall, O’Brien, and Baker families in this archive.
Bibliography: Petaluma Argus-Courier, September, 20, 1966, p. 5 (obituary); The Peninsula Times Tribune (Palo Alto, CA), September 20, 1966, p. 4 (obituary).
THE PHOTOGRAPH:
Format / Size: cabinet card, approximately 10.5 x 16 cm
Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock
Description, front: Sheppard’s imprint appears along the bottom edge of this card.
Description, back: Handwritten in pencil is, “Aletha Hall” and “1883-1966”.
Date: c. 1888
Condition: There is slight foxing in the top half of the card, and the back side is slightly soiled.
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.