Baker, Aletha Hall O'Brien (1883-1966)(4 of 4)

Unidentified Photographer, Portrait Photograph of Anna “Annie” Alexis ferguson brown, Mary Louise Brown Hall, Aletha Hall O’brien & Margaret Aletha O’Brien

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: unidentified

THE SITTERS:

Names: Anna Alexis Ferguson Brown, Mary Louise Brown Hall, Aletha Hall O’Brien & Margaret Aletha O’Brien. Aletha Hall O’Brien Baker would have been known as Aletha Hall O’Brien at the time this portrait was taken.

Description: Aletha Hall O’Brien (Baker)(1883-1966) appears in the center of this pyramidal composition directly above her daughter, Margaret Aletha O’Brien (1908 - 1996). On the left is Anna “Annie” Alexis Ferguson Brown (1841-1920), the child’s maternal great-grandmother. On the right, is Mary Louis Brown Hall (1860-1932), the child’s maternal grandmother.

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 Annie Alexis Ferguson Brown’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:  5 x 7 3/4

Medium: Gelatin or collodion photographic print

Description, front:

Description, back: Handwritten in script in pencil is : “Annie Alexis Ferguson Brown (left) 1841-1920”; “Mary Louise Brown Hall" (right) 1860-1932”; Aletha Hall O’Brien Baker (top) 1883-1966; and “Margaret O’Brien McSherry Fassoth Reed (BABY) 1908-1996”.

Date: 1910-1912

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. 

Brown, Anna “Annie” Alexis Ferguson (1841-1920) (4 of 4)

Unidentified Photographer’s Portrait Photograph of Anna “Annie” alexis Ferguson Brown, Mary Louise Brown Hall, Aletha Hall O’Brien, and Margaret Aletha O’brien

THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: Unidentified

THE SITTER:

Names: Anna “Annie” Alexis Ferguson Brown, Mary Louise Brown Hall, Aletha Hall O’Brien (Baker) & Margaret Aletha O’Brien. Aletha Hall O’Brien Baker would have been known as Aletha Hall O’Brien at the time this portrait was taken.

Description: Aletha Hall O’Brien (Baker) (1883-1966) appears in the center of this pyramidal composition directly above her daughter, Margaret Aletha O’Brien (1908 - 1990). On the left is Anna “Annie” Alexis Ferguson Brown (1841-1920), the child’s maternal great-grandmother. On the right, is Mary Louis Brown Hall (1860-1932), the child’s maternal grandmother.

Biographical Note: Anna “Annie” Alexis Ferguson was born in 1841 in County Galway, Ireland. By age 5, she and her family had immigrated to the United States and lived in Boston, Massachusetts. Annie sailed around Cape Horn and came to California in 1856 to live in Petaluma with her sister and brother-in-law, Sabina and Thomas Rochford. On May 18, 1858, Annie and Daniel Brown were married at the Rochford’s house by Father Louis Auger. Annie and Daniel had twelve children, seven of whom survived until adulthood. Besides raising their children, Annie was active in St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church and participated in local fairs, entering tapestries and other works of art she had created.  Annie lived in Petaluma until a few years after the 1902 death of her husband.  She moved to San Francisco with her son, Vincent and three of her unmarried daughters, Josephine, Emma, and Kathleen Elise. Annie died in San Francisco on March 13, 1920.  She was buried next to Daniel in Calvary Cemetery in Petaluma, and eventually most of their twelve children were interred with them in the Brown Family Plot. 

*This biographical note was written by Anna Alexis Ferguson Brown’s descendant, Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini.

Family Affiliation: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41848304/annie-alexis-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 28, 1900, p. 1; March 13, 1916, p. 2; March 13, 1920, p. 4 (obit); March 15, 1920, p. 5.. Petaluma Daily Morning Courier: October 12, 1904, p. 1; March 20, 1922, p.3; September 13, 1911, p. 5; March 14, 1920, p. 8 (obit). Petaluma Weekly Argus: September 1, 1888, p. 2. Secondary Sources: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41848304/annie-alexis-brown

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  5 x 7 3/4 inside of frame

Medium: Gelatin or collodion photographic print

Description, front:

Description, back: Handwritten in script in pencil is : “Annie Alexis Ferguson Brown (left) 1841-1920”; “Mary Louise Brown Hall" (right) 1860-1932”; Aletha Hall O’Brien Baker (top) 1883-1966; and “Margaret O’Brien McSherry Fassoth Reed (BABY) 1908-1996”.

Date: 1910-1912

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. 

Baker, Aletha Hall O'Brien (1883-1966)(3 of 4)

Robert Peterson Dammand’s Portrait Photograph of Aletha Hall O’brien baker

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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: Aletha Hall O’Brien Baker

Description: In this portrait, a beguiling Aletha Hall O’Brien Baker stands in a languid, alluring pose while gazing straight out at the viewer. She tilts her head to the left and raises her right hand to touch the fringes of her billowy, white, fleece collar. Her thigh-length cape is trimmed in the same sensuous fleece above which is an elaborate border of white embroidery. Her cape is secured with a long ribbon which flows down the front of her body. Under her cape she wears a simple linen dress that appears to be cinched at the waist. Around her neck is a black choker with a circular white ornament in the center. Her dark hair is mounded on top of her head and adorned with a large, round bow made of ribbon.

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:  7 1/2 x 9 1/2

Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print

Description, front: The backdrop of this portrait depicts a large framed mirror behind which is a misty garden of palm fronds.

Description, back: On the right corner is the photograph’s imprint.

Date: 1901 - 1905

Condition: This portrait is in good 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. 

Brown, Thomas H.(b. 1855)

Hugh S. Anderson’s Portrait Photograph of Thomas H. Brown

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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.)

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THE SITTER:

Name: Thomas H. Brown

Description: This portrait was taken of Thomas H. Brown when he was between 17 and 18 years old. He is attired in a sack coat with large lapels and contrasting collar, a high-collared white shirt, and a chevron- shaped necktie that was ineptly colorized. Color has also been added to his cheeks producing, along with his tender gaze, the appearance of an innocent young man.

Biographical Note: Thomas H. Brown was born in New York and traveled with his parents to California. The family arrived in Petaluma around 1865. When his family moved to Alameda, Thomas remained in Petaluma working for the Western Union Telegraph Company until 1889 when he left for San Francisco. He eventually moved with his wife to Reno, Nevada where he served as the manager of the Western Union Telegraph Company for many years.

Family Affiliation: Thomas H. Brown was the eldest son of Petaluma pioneers John K. Brown (1820-1902) a riverboat captain, and Helen W. Walter Brown (1837-1892). He had one sister, Ida Brown Coffin (b. 1858 or 59). He had three brothers: William W. Brown (d. 1905), George W. Brown (b. 1868), and George H. Brown (1869-1922)

Bibliography: Nevada State Journal, May 1, 1891, p. 3; July 14, 1905, p. 5; Oct. 1, 1915, p. 8; August 27, 1930, p. 8. Petaluma Argus-Courier, July 14, 1905, p. 5; Jan. 10, 1933, p.5. Petaluma Courier, Dec. 7, 1887, p. 3; April 3, 1889, p. 3. Petaluma Journal and Argus, Dec. 28, 1865, p. 2. Petaluma Weekly Argus, Dec. 28, 1865, p. 2. Reno Gazette-Journal, April 1, 1901, p.5; Dec. 21, 1901, p. 7.

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  carte de visite, approximately 6.25 x 10.5 cm

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: This head-and-shoulders portrait has been set within a vertical oval.

Description, back: Hugh Anderson’s imprint appears in the center in red ink.

Date: January 1872 - December 1873

Condition: All four corners of this carte de visite have been clipped. Both sides are slightly soiled.

Owner:  Private collection, 2024-760-02, 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. 

Brown, Helen W. (1833-1892)

G & J Hall’s Portrait Photograph of Helen W. Brown

THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

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Photographic Studio: G & J Hall, Wakefield

THE SITTER:

Name: Helen W. Brown

Description:

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  cabinet card

Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front:

Description, back:

Date:

Condition: This cabinet card is in excellent condition.

Owner: Private collection, 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. 

Brown, John K. (1820-1902)

G & J Hall’s Portrait Photograph of John K. Brown

THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

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Photographic Studio: G & J Hall, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England

Photographers: George and John Hall

THE SITTER:

Name: Captain John K. Brown

Description: In a full-frontal seated poise, Captain Brown exudes an air of comfort and assuredness. He rests his left elbow on the arm of a chair and his right on a side table. He peers off into the distance with an aloof gaze. He is dressed in businessman’s attire: a three piece suit with a white shirt, four-in-hand necktie, pocket hankerchief and a chained pocket watch.

Biographical Note: John K. Brown was born in New York

Family Affiliation: John K. Brown was married to Helen W. Walter Brown (1837-1892). They had at least five children: Thomas H. Brown (born 1855), Ida Brown Coffin (b. 1858 or 59), William W. Brown (d. 1905), George W. Brown (b. 1868), and George H. Brown (1869-1922).

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  cabinet card

Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: The portrait includes two pieces of furniture, a side table and a dark wooden chair. There is a curtain in the background on the left and an elaborate painted column on the right.

Description, back: The G & J Hall studio’s elaborate imprint fills the entire backside of this cabinet card. A scalloped label has been placed on the card covering the center bottom edge. Upon it has been typewritten, “CAPTAIN J. K. BROWN, Lloyd’s Grandfather on his Father’s side”.

Date: late 1880s - early 1890s

Condition: This cabinet card is in good condition with the exception of a strip of tape remnant along the top edge of the back side.

Owner: Private collection, 2024-760-01, 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. 

Brown, Tom (2024-760-01)

Unidentified Photographer, Portrait Photograph of Tom Brown

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: unidentified.

THE SITTER:

Name: Tom Brown

Description:

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Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  carte de visite, approximately 6.25 x 10.5 cm

Medium:

Description, front:

Description, back:

Date:

Condition:

Owner:  Private collector, 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 website, 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. 

Bello, Maria Delphina Ageuda

Joslin & Company’s Portrait Photograph of Jose Nunes Bello & Maria Delphina Agueda Bello

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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 SITTERS:

Names: Jose Nunes Bello & Maria Delphina Agueda Bello

Description:

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: cabinet card

Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, Front:

Description, Back:

Date: 1889

Condition:

Owner:  Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 2013-743-04

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.

Bartlett, Lydia (see Stickney)→

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Bartlett, Alice

George Ross’ Portrait Photograph of alice bartlett

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

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GEORGE COLVAINE ROSS was born February 12, 1832 in Edinburgh, Scotland and died in 1893 at the age of 60 in Petaluma, California. Unlike the other nineteenth century Petaluma photographers, Ross lived and worked in Petaluma for many years. He arrived in Petaluma in 1855, and in 1862 he began his profession as a photographer, moving his studio within the city several times as noted on his various carte de visite and cabinet card imprints. In 1869 he was also part of a short-lived photographic studio partnership with Elon D. Ormsby on Main Street in Petaluma. It was reported that Ross stopped working as a photographer soon after he developed a disability in 1888. Ross was among the most prolific Petaluma portrait photographers, and his work was of exceptionally high quality. Ross was buried in Petaluma’s Cypress Hill Memorial Park. (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: Alice Bartlett

Description:

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  carte de visite

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front:

Description, back: George Ross’ stamp

Date:

Condition:

Owner:  The Cyndi Logan Collection, 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. 

Bock, Josie (1 of 2)

Hugh S. Anderson’s Portrait Photograph of Josie bock

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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.)

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THE SITTER:

Name: Josie Bock

Description:

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  carte de visite, approximately 6.25 x 10.5 cm

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front:

Description, back:

Date:

Condition:

Owner:  The Cyndi Logan Collection, 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. 

Brown, Emma Rochford (1872-1956)(1 of 2)

Unidentified Photographer’s Portrait Photograph of EMMA ROCHFORD BROWN

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: unidentified

THE SITTER:

Name: Emma Rochford Brown

Description: In this fashionable portrait, Emma Rochford Brown is portrayed as a highly sophicated young lady. She is dressed in a formal, black jacket with large lapels. Wrapped tightly around her neck is a white scarf that is tied at the nape of her neck. An elaborate white lace jabot falls below her scarf and a thin necklace runs down the edge of her lapel. She wears an elegant, light-colored Edwardian picture hat. It has a wide thin brim, loops of ribbon on its top and a rectangular metal adornment in the center front.

Biographical Note: Emma Rochford Brown was born in Petaluma in 1872, the eighth child of Daniel and Anna Alexis Ferguson Brown.  She attended local public schools until 1885 when St. Vincent de Paul School began accepting girls after many years as a boys-only school.  Emma graduated from high school with honors in 1891. Over the years she was very active in local festivals often entering her oil paintings and works of needlepoint.  She frequently visited friends in San Francisco by train and, a few years after the 1902 death of her father, she moved to the city with her mother and unmarried sisters and brother. The Brown Family Estate allowed her many years of support and extensive travel.  Emma Brown died in 1956 at the age of 84 and was buried in the Brown Family plot at the Petaluma Calvary Cemetery.

*This biographical note was written by Emma Rochford Brown’s descendant, Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini.

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Family Affiliation: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41913114/emma-rochford-brown Search this archive and the Sonoma County Library photograph archive for additional portraits of the Brown family.

Bibliography: Petaluma Argus-Courier: March 19, 1921, p.7; November 23, 1922, p. 7; September 25, 1956, p. 2 (obit); September 27, 1956, p. 8. Petaluma Courier, August 29, 1888, p. 2; June 24, 1891, p. 2. Petaluma Weekly Argus: August 25, 1888, p. 1. Petaluma Daily Morning Courier: October 8, 1904, p. 1; November 13, 1905, p. 1; July 16, 1912, p.4; November 21, 1912, p.1; July 07, 1915, p. 2; November 25, 1922, p. 5.

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  4” x 5 1/2”

Medium: matte collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: This portrait has been mounted on textured gray cardstock which has a very thin gold border.

Description, back: Handwritten in script in black pen along the top is: “#459 Saepon Scotch Grey $4.25. Below this handwritten in pencil is: “ September 1901 Emma Brown”.

Date: September, 1901

Condition: With the exception of a white stain on the back and worn corners, this portrait is in good 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. 

Brown, Kathleen Elise (1877-1970)(1 of 2)

Unidentified Photographer and unidentified retoucher’s crayon Portrait of Kathleen Elise Brown

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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.

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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. 

Brown, Annie Alexis (1861-1865)

Unidentified Photographer, Two ambrotype Portraits of Daniel Brown and his daughter Mary Louise and/or Annie Alexis

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

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Photographer: unidentified. It is possible one of two Petaluma photographers created these ambrotypes: Giles Pease Kellogg or Edward Payson Butler. Kellogg, the first photographer to work in Petaluma, began offering ambrotypes by May 1856, and Butler, who took over Kellogg’s studio on January 10, 1862, continued to create ambrotypes in Petaluma until April 1863. These dates coincide with the years in which Daniel and Annie Brown were raising their young daughters in Petaluma. Daniel Brown married Annie Alexis Ferguson on May 18, 1858, and their first two children, both girls, were born in Petaluma, Mary Louise on March 5, 1860 and Annie Alexis on August 21, 1861.

THE SITTERS:

Name: Daniel Brown and his daughter Mary Louise Brown (Mary Louise Brown Hall) an/or Annie Alexis Brown

Description: In both ambrotypes, Daniel Brown is portrayed with one of his two toddler daughters. The young father is dressed in his business suit replete with matching vest, pocket watch, neck tie, and straight, high-collared white shirt. He sports a full goatee or chin beard, but no mustache. In the portrait on the left, his daughter has been positioned on a restraining device, the end of which can be seen to the right of her face, and tilted towards her father so that their heads touch. Although this is an endearing pose, she wears a petulant scowl. In the portrait on the right, his daughter sits happily on his lap, his hand supporting her at the waist. In both portraits, the toddler wears white socks, black shoes, and a waisted, drop-shouldered dress which is adorned with wide strips of ribbon at the top of the sleeves.

The two portraits may not have been taken at the same time: there are distinct differences in the details of Daniel’s beard and hair; it appears his bow ties are not the same; and he may not be wearing a vest in the right portrait. If the portraits were taken at different sittings, it is possible that Mary Louise is portrayed in one and Annie Alexis in the other.

Biographical Note: Annie Alexis Brown was the second child born to the early Petaluma pioneers, Annie Alexis Ferguson Brown and Daniel Brown. Named after her mother, the child died at age 3 years 7 months and was buried in the Brown family plot at Petaluma’s Calvary Catholic Cemetery.

Family Affiliation: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41885249/annie-alexis-brown Search this archive and the Sonoma County Library photograph archive for additional portraits of the Brown family.

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  According to the owner of the original, both images, as measured outside of their frames, are approximately, 2 3/4” by by 2 1/2”.

Medium: Ambrotype

Description, front: The two ambrotypes are contained in a single brown floral design Union case with brass hinges.

Description, back:

Date: between 1861 and 1863

Condition: Both ambrotypes are in good condition. The Union case has a broken/missing piece from the lower left corner of the front half.

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. 

Bock, Josie (2 of 2)

Lewis Dowe’s Portrait Photograph of Josie Bock

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

LEWIS DOWE was born in 1838 in Hanover, New Hampshire and died in 1919 in Portland, Oregon. He arrived in Petaluma in September of 1875 and set up his photography studio in the rooms formerly occupied by photographer Hugh Anderson. Dowe worked in Petaluma as both a “view” and portrait photographer until he departed the town in March of 1882. (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: Josie Bock

Description:

Biographical Note:

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Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: cabinet card

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front:

Description, back:

Date:

Condition:

Owner:  The Cyndi Logan Collection, 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. 

Blakely (Blakeley), Theron Melville (1890-1922)

Elon D. Ormsby’s Portrait Photograph of Theron Melville Blakely (Blakeley)

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: Elon D. Ormsby (b.1845). Prior to setting up his studio in Oakland, Elon D. Ormsby worked in Petaluma as a partner with George Colvaine Ross, see Ross & Ormsby.

Studio Location: 1055 Broadway, Oakland, Cal.

THE SITTER:

Name: Theron Melville Blakely (Blakeley)

Description: In this head-and-shoulders portrait, Theron M. Blakely looks up and to his right. He is attired in a businessman’s high-buttoned, lapel-piped jacket, a white shirt with a Mandarin collar, and a necktie with an elaborate trinity knot. A stickpin in the shape of a “T” appears in the center of the knot. Theron is meticulously groomed. His side-parted hair has been carefully oiled and combed, and the tips of his forehead locks have been curled to flip up. He sports a walrus mustache.

Biographical Note: Theron M. Blakely was born and received his early education in Oakland. He later moved to Petaluma, where he enlisted for service in World War I. He was honored as a United States Marine Corps veteran and, after the war, reenlisted in the United States Army Air Service. On February 21, 1922, he died along with 33 crewmates in the disastrous crash of the U.S. Army Airship Roma in Norfolk, Virginia. Theron was buried near his mother’s residence in the Alta Mesa Memorial Park, Palo Alto, California.

Family Affiliation: Theron M. Blakely was the only son of Theron M. Blakely Sr. and Roslie “Rosa” Ayers Blakley (1865-1938), the daughter of early Petaluma pioneers William Ayers (1829-1899) and Martha Wade Ayers (1829 or 30 - 1890). Theron had one sister, Clarice Aletha Blakely Holmes. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/95182713/theron-melville-blakely

Bibliography: Petaluma Daily Morning Courier, Feb. 23, 1922, p. 1; Feb 26, 1922, p. 3.; March 3, 1922, p. 2; March 5, 1922, p. 1.

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: cabinet card

Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock

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Description, front:

Description, back: Elon D. Ormsby’s large imprint appears in brown ink. Handwritten in script in pencil along the top edge is: “Theron Blakely”.

Date:

Condition: This cabinet card is in good condition.

Owner:  The Cyndi Logan Collection, 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. 

Blackburn, Lillian M. (1865-1949) (see Parsons)→

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Blackburn, Charles Sr. (1821-1897) (1 of 2)

George Ross’ Portrait Photograph of Charles Blackburn, Sr.

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

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GEORGE COLVAINE ROSS was born February 12, 1832 in Edinburgh, Scotland and died in 1893 at the age of 60 in Petaluma, California. Unlike the other nineteenth century Petaluma photographers, Ross lived and worked in Petaluma for many years. He arrived in Petaluma in 1855, and in 1862 he began his profession as a photographer, moving his studio within the city several times as noted on his various carte de visite and cabinet card imprints. In 1869 he was also part of a short-lived photographic studio partnership with Elon D. Ormsby on Main Street in Petaluma. It was reported that Ross stopped working as a photographer soon after he developed a disability in 1888. Ross was among the most prolific Petaluma portrait photographers, and his work was of exceptionally high quality. Ross was buried in Petaluma’s Cypress Hill Memorial Park. (For additional information on this photographer and to view all portraits by him in the collection, click on his name in blue above.)

THE SITTERS:

Name: Charles Blackburn, Sr.

Description:

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  cabinet card, approximately 10.75 x 16.5 cm

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front:

Description, back:

Date:

Condition:

Owner:  The Carol Cook Collection, 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. 

Barber, Dorothy Clark Rodd (1884-1963)

John Quincy Reed’s Portrait Photograph of Dorothy Clark Rodd Barber

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

JOHN QUINCY REED was born in 1841 in Abington, Massachusetts and died in 1902 in Petaluma. He worked as a photographer in Petaluma for over 25 years, moving his studio within the community to several different locations. He arrived into Petaluma from Stockton in 1870 and continued to work as a photographer in Petaluma until at least 1898. Many of his portraits of Petaluma’s citizens are of exceptionally fine quality. (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: Dorothy Clark Rodd Barber

Description:

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: cabinet card, approximately 10.75 x 16.25 cm  

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on

Description, front:

Description, back:

Date:

Condition:

Owner:  The Carol Cook Collection, 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. 

Blackburn, Charles Sr. (1821-1897)(2 of 2)

George Ross’ Portrait Photograph of Charles Blackburn, Sr. and George Blackburn Faith

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

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GEORGE COLVAINE ROSS was born February 12, 1832 in Edinburgh, Scotland and died in 1893 at the age of 60 in Petaluma, California. Unlike the other nineteenth century Petaluma photographers, Ross lived and worked in Petaluma for many years. He arrived in Petaluma in 1855, and in 1862 he began his profession as a photographer, moving his studio within the city several times as noted on his various carte de visite and cabinet card imprints. In 1869 he was also part of a short-lived photographic studio partnership with Elon D. Ormsby on Main Street in Petaluma. It was reported that Ross stopped working as a photographer soon after he developed a disability in 1888. Ross was among the most prolific Petaluma portrait photographers, and his work was of exceptionally high quality. Ross was buried in Petaluma’s Cypress Hill Memorial Park. (For additional information on this photographer and to view all portraits by him in the collection, click on his name in blue above.)

THE SITTERS:

Name: Charles Blackburn, Sr. and George Blackburn Faith

Description:

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  cabinet card, approximately 10.75 x 16.5 cm

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front:

Description, back:

Date:

Condition:

Owner:  The Carol Cook Collection, 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. 

Blackburn, Unidentified Son

George Ross’ Portrait Photograph of an unidentified Blackburn Son

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

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GEORGE COLVAINE ROSS was born February 12, 1832 in Edinburgh, Scotland and died in 1893 at the age of 60 in Petaluma, California. Unlike the other nineteenth century Petaluma photographers, Ross lived and worked in Petaluma for many years. He arrived in Petaluma in 1855, and in 1862 he began his profession as a photographer, moving his studio within the city several times as noted on his various carte de visite and cabinet card imprints. In 1869 he was also part of a short-lived photographic studio partnership with Elon D. Ormsby on Main Street in Petaluma. It was reported that Ross stopped working as a photographer soon after he developed a disability in 1888. Ross was among the most prolific Petaluma portrait photographers, and his work was of exceptionally high quality. Ross was buried in Petaluma’s Cypress Hill Memorial Park. (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: Unidentified Blackburn son

Description:

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  carte de visite, approximately 6.25 x 10.5 cm

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front:

Description, back:

Date:

Condition:

Owner:  The Carol Cook Collection, 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. 

Blackburn, Jemima Jane Richardson

George Ross’ Portrait Photograph of Jemima Jane Richardson Blackburn

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

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GEORGE COLVAINE ROSS was born February 12, 1832 in Edinburgh, Scotland and died in 1893 at the age of 60 in Petaluma, California. Unlike the other nineteenth century Petaluma photographers, Ross lived and worked in Petaluma for many years. He arrived in Petaluma in 1855, and in 1862 he began his profession as a photographer, moving his studio within the city several times as noted on his various carte de visite and cabinet card imprints. In 1869 he was also part of a short-lived photographic studio partnership with Elon D. Ormsby on Main Street in Petaluma. It was reported that Ross stopped working as a photographer soon after he developed a disability in 1888. Ross was among the most prolific Petaluma portrait photographers, and his work was of exceptionally high quality. Ross was buried in Petaluma’s Cypress Hill Memorial Park. (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:

Names: Jemima Jane Richardson Blackburn (presumably)

Description:

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  carte de visite, approximately 6.25 x 10.5 cm

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front:

Description, back:

Date:

Condition:

Owner:  The Carol Cook Collection, 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. 

Blackburn, Unidentified Children

George Ross’ Portrait Photograph of two unidentified Blackburn children

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

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GEORGE COLVAINE ROSS was born February 12, 1832 in Edinburgh, Scotland and died in 1893 at the age of 60 in Petaluma, California. Unlike the other nineteenth century Petaluma photographers, Ross lived and worked in Petaluma for many years. He arrived in Petaluma in 1855, and in 1862 he began his profession as a photographer, moving his studio within the city several times as noted on his various carte de visite and cabinet card imprints. In 1869 he was also part of a short-lived photographic studio partnership with Elon D. Ormsby on Main Street in Petaluma. It was reported that Ross stopped working as a photographer soon after he developed a disability in 1888. Ross was among the most prolific Petaluma portrait photographers, and his work was of exceptionally high quality. Ross was buried in Petaluma’s Cypress Hill Memorial Park. (For additional information on this photographer and to view all portraits by him in the collection, click on his name in blue above.)

THE SITTERS:

Names: Unidentified

Description:

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  carte de visite, approximately 6.25 x 10.5 cm

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front:

Description, back:

Date:

Condition:

Owner:  The Carol Cook Collection, 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. 

Blackburn, John Silvey (1851-1903)

Unidentified Photographer, Portrait Photograph of John Silvey Blackburn

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: unidentified

THE SITTER:

Name: John Silvey Blackburn

Description:

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  carte de visite

Medium:

Description, front:

Description, back:

Date:

Condition:

Owner: The Carol Cook Collection, 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. 

Blackburn, Unidentified Boy

Grand Art Gallery’s portrait photograph of a Blackburn Boy

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: Grand Art Gallery

Studio Location: Corner of Third and Jessie Streets, San Francisco

THE SITTER:

Name: Maria Nancy Angell Allen

Description:

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: carte de visite

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

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Description, Front:

Description, Back:

Date:

Condition:

Owner:  The Carol Cook Collection, 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. 

Brown, Daniel (c.1830 -1902)(2 of 3)

Unidentified Photographer, Portrait Photograph of Daniel Brown

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: unidentified. This portrait may have been taken at the Bushnell Photography Studio in San Francisco. For an explanation of this speculation, see portrait 3 of 3 of Daniel Brown.

THE SITTER:

Name: Daniel Brown

Description: In this head-and-shoulder portrait, the elderly gentleman’s shoulders are full frontal. He turns his head slightly and glazes off to the viewer’s right. He is balding and sports a gray chin beard with no mustache. He is attired in a business suit with matching vest, a wide-spread collared white shirt, and a dark crossed necktie.

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Biographical Note: Daniel Brown was born in 1830 in County Tipperary, Ireland, and as a child immigrated to the United States with his family.  The Brown family lived in New York City until the late 1840s when his father died.  Daniel and his mother and sisters then headed to California.  They made it as far as New Orleans and were recorded there in September on the 1850 U.S. Census, Daniel working as a clerk.  Two months later, Daniel was again recorded on the 1850 Census, this time in Placerville, California, and this time working as a miner.  Daniel had been drawn by the Gold Rush.  By 1853 Daniel had settled in Petaluma and was selling liquor.  On May 18, 1858, he married Annie Alexis Ferguson, also from Ireland.  Daniel and Annie had twelve children; seven lived to adulthood. 

An old family story said that Daniel found selling liquor more profitable than digging for gold and this appears to have been accurate.  By 1858 Daniel’s name appeared in Petaluma newspapers as “Wholesale Dealer in WINES & LIQUORS.”  He continued in his very profitable liquor business for years, accumulated his wealth, and began to invest in land, property, and mining companies, locally and spreading into other counties.  He was active in politics, participated in local committees for city development and railroad construction, and was on the board of the Mutual Benefit Association. For years he was on the board of several Petaluma and Santa Rosa banks and until his death he was vice-president of the local Wickersham Bank. Two of the Brown daughters, Mary Louise and Lillian Nathalie, married and had children thereby continuing the Brown-Ferguson line.  Daniel Brown was 72 when he died in 1902.  He was buried in the Brown Family Plot in the Petaluma Calvary Cemetery.  His fortune was set up in a trust that supported his widow and the surviving Brown descendants until the death of the youngest daughter Kathleen Elise in 1970 at 93.

*This biographical note was written by Annie Alexis Ferguson Brown’s descendant, Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini.

Family Affiliation: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41847997/daniel-brown Search this archive and the Sonoma County Library photograph archive for additional portraits of the Brown family.

Bibliography: The Sonoma County Journal: March 19, 1858, p. 2; August 27, 1858, p. 2; October 17, 1862, p. 2; June 5, 1863, p. 2. Petaluma Argus-Courier: January 13, 1900, p.2; January 14, 1902, p.3; April 4, 1902, p. 1; April 30, 1902, p. 4; May 23, 1902, p. 1; October 14, 1902, p. 1. Petaluma Weekly Argus: July 25, 1873, p. 3; February 12, 1875, p.1; October 18, 1878, p. 3; October 28, 1881, p.3. Petaluma Daily Morning Courier: April 94, 1902, p. 3; May 20, 1902, p. 1 & 4; May 23, 1902, p. 1, 2; May 23, 1902, p.2; January 9, 1903, p. 4.

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  approximately 5” x 7”

Medium:

Description, front: This head-and-shoulder portrait has a uniform gray background and is set within a thin metal frame.

Description, back: Hand written in print script in pencil at the bottom is: “Daniel Brown”, “b. May 1830”, “Tipperary, Ireland”, “d. 20 May 1902 Petaluma CA”, “m. Annie Alexis Ferguson”, “18, May 1858”.

Date: 1895. This portrait was taken at the same sitting as portrait 3 of 3 of Daniel Brown in this archive. On the back of portrait 3 of 3 the date of 1895 is inscribed.

Condition: This portrait is in good 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. 

Brown, Daniel (c. 1830 -1902)(1 of 3)

Unidentified Photographer, Two ambrotype Portraits of Daniel Brown and his daughter Mary Louise or Annie Alexis

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: unidentified. It is possible one of two Petaluma photographers created these ambrotypes: Giles Pease Kellogg or Edward Payson Butler. Kellogg, the first photographer to work in Petaluma, began offering ambrotypes by May 1856, and Butler, who took over Kellogg’s studio on January 10, 1862, continued to create ambrotypes in Petaluma until April 1863. These dates coincide with the years in which Daniel and Annie Brown were raising their young daughters in Petaluma. Daniel Brown married Annie Alexis Ferguson on May 18, 1858, and their first two children, both girls, were born in Petaluma, Mary Louise on March 5, 1860 and Annie Alexis on August 21, 1861.

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THE SITTERS:

Name: Daniel Brown and his daughter Mary Louise Brown (Mary Louise Brown Hall) and/or Annie Alexis Brown.

Description: In both ambrotypes, Daniel Brown is portrayed with one of his two toddler daughters. The young father is dressed in his business suit replete with matching vest, pocket watch, neck tie, and straight, high-collared white shirt. He sports a full goatee or chin beard, but no mustache. In the portrait on the left, his daughter has been positioned on a restraining device, the end of which can be seen to the right of her face, and tilted towards her father so that their heads touch. Although this is an endearing pose, she wears a petulant scowl. In the portrait on the right, his daughter sits happily on his lap, his hand supporting her at the waist. In both portraits, the toddler wears white socks, black shoes, and a waisted, drop-shouldered dress which is adorned with wide strips of ribbon at the top of the sleeves.

The two portraits may not have been taken at the same time: there are distinct differences in the details of Daniel’s beard and hair; it appears his bow ties are not the same; and he may not be wearing a vest in the right portrait. If the portraits were taken at different sittings, it is possible that Mary Louise is portrayed in one and Annie Alexis in the other.

Biographical Note: Daniel Brown was born in 1830 in County Tipperary, Ireland, and as a child immigrated to the United States with his family.  The Brown family lived in New York City until the late 1840s when his father died.  Daniel and his mother and sisters then headed to California.  They made it as far as New Orleans and were recorded there in September on the 1850 U.S. Census, Daniel working as a clerk.  Two months later, Daniel was again recorded on the 1850 Census, this time in Placerville, California, and this time working as a miner.  Daniel had been drawn by the Gold Rush.  By 1853, Daniel had settled in Petaluma and was selling liquor.  On May 18, 1858, he married Annie Alexis Ferguson, also from Ireland.  Daniel and Annie had twelve children; seven lived to adulthood. 

An old family story said that Daniel found selling liquor more profitable than digging for gold and this appears to have been accurate.  By 1858 Daniel’s name appeared in Petaluma newspapers as “Wholesale Dealer in WINES & LIQUORS.”  He continued in his very profitable liquor business for years, accumulated his wealth, and began to invest in land, property, and mining companies, locally and spreading into other counties.  He was active in politics, participated in local committees for city development and railroad construction, and was on the board of the Mutual Benefit Association. For years he was on the board of several Petaluma and Santa Rosa banks and until his death he was vice-president of the local Wickersham Bank. Two of the Brown daughters, Mary Louise and Lillian Nathalie, married and had children thereby continuing the Brown-Ferguson line.  Daniel Brown was 72 when he died in 1902.  He was buried in the Brown Family Plot in the Petaluma Calvary Cemetery.  His fortune was set up in a trust that supported his widow and the surviving Brown descendants until the death of the youngest daughter Kathleen Elise in 1970 at 93.

*This biographical note was written by Annie Alexis Ferguson Brown’s descendant, Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini.

Family Affiliation: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41847997/daniel-brown Search this archive and the Sonoma County Library photograph archive for additional portraits of the Brown family.

Bibliography: The Sonoma County Journal: March 19, 1858, p. 2; August 27, 1858, p. 2; October 17, 1862, p. 2; June 5, 1863, p. 2. Petaluma Argus-Courier: January 13, 1900, p.2; January 14, 1902, p.3; April 4, 1902, p. 1; April 30, 1902, p. 4; May 23, 1902, p. 1; October 14, 1902, p. 1. Petaluma Weekly Argus: July 25, 1873, p. 3; February 12, 1875, p.1; October 18, 1878, p. 3; October 28, 1881, p.3. Petaluma Daily Morning Courier: April 94, 1902, p. 3; May 20, 1902, p. 1 & 4; May 23, 1902, p. 1, 2; May 23, 1902, p.2; January 9, 1903, p. 4.

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  According to the owner of the original, both images, as measured outside of their frames, are approximately, 2 3/4” by by 2 1/2”.

Medium: Ambrotype

Description, front: The two ambrotypes are contained in a single brown floral design Union case with brass hinges.

Description, back:

Date: between 1861 and 1863

Condition: Both ambrotypes are in good condition. The Union case has a broken/missing piece from the lower left corner of the front half.

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. 

Brown, Anna “Annie” Alexis Ferguson (1841-1920) (2 of 4)

Petaluma Photo Parlors’ portrait photograph of Anna “annie” Alexis Ferguson Brown

THE 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: Anna “Annie” Alexis Ferguson Brown

Description: In this head-and-shoulder portrait, Anna Brown holds herself in a dignified pose and gazes confidently out at the viewer. Her hair is center-parted and pulled to the back of her head. She wears wire-rimmed spectacles, small drop earrings, and a choker with metallic embellishments. Reflecting the fashion of the 1890s, her velvet blouse is adorned with gimp braid trim, and its sleeves are puffed at the shoulder.

Biographical Note: Anna Alexis Ferguson was born in 1841 in County Galway, Ireland. By age 5, she and her family had immigrated to the United States and lived in Boston, Massachusetts. Annie sailed around Cape Horn and came to California in 1856 to live in Petaluma with her sister and brother-in-law, Sabina and Thomas Rochford. On May 18, 1858, Annie and Daniel Brown were married at the Rochford’s house by Father Louis Auger. Annie and Daniel had twelve children, seven of whom survived until adulthood. Besides raising their children, Annie was active in St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church and participated in local fairs, entering tapestries and other works of art she had created.  Annie lived in Petaluma until a few years after the 1902 death of her husband.  She moved to San Francisco with her son, Vincent and three of her unmarried daughters, Josephine, Emma, and Kathleen Elise. Annie died in San Francisco on March 13, 1920.  She was buried next to Daniel in Calvary Cemetery in Petaluma, and eventually most of their twelve children were interred with them in the Brown Family Plot. 

*This biographical note was written by Anna Alexis Ferguson Brown’s descendant, Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini.

Family Affiliation: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41848304/annie-alexis-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 28, 1900, p. 1; March 13, 1916, p. 2; March 13, 1920, p. 4 (obit); March 15, 1920, p. 5.. Petaluma Daily Morning Courier: October 12, 1904, p. 1; March 20, 1922, p.3; September 13, 1911, p. 5; March 14, 1920, p. 8 (obit). Petaluma Weekly Argus: September 1, 1888, p. 2. Second Source: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41848304/annie-alexis-brown

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: cabinet card

Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: This digital image was not taken from the original cabinet card. It was taken from a copy of the original.

Description, back: The back of this card is either empty or contains only an accession number.

Date: between November 1893 and April 1897

Condition: Because this digital copy was not taken from the original, the condition of the original is unknown.

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. 

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Brown, Anna “Annie” Alexis Ferguson (1841-1920) (3 of 4)

Unidentified Photographer’s Portrait Photograph of Anna “Annie” alexis Ferguson Brown

THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

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Photographer: Unidentified

THE SITTER:

Name: Anna “Annie” Alexis Ferguson Brown

Description: In this head-and-shoulder portrait, the middle-aged matron gazes confidently out at the viewer. Her serious demeanor is reinforced by her decision to wear her pince-nez, a style of spectacles fashionable in the United States between 1880 and 1910. Her hair is center-parted and pulled to the back of her head into a tight bun visual at the top of her head. Her bun is adorned with a beaded barrette. She wears small round earrings and a circular brooch on her collar. Her blouse is made of ornate black lace, and her jacket, which features large gigot sleeves, is made of dark satin.

Biographical Note: Anna Alexis Ferguson was born in 1841 in County Galway, Ireland. By age 5, she and her family had immigrated to the United States and lived in Boston, Massachusetts. Annie sailed around Cape Horn and came to California in 1856 to live in Petaluma with her sister and brother-in-law, Sabina and Thomas Rochford. On May 18, 1858, Annie and Daniel Brown were married at the Rochford’s house by Father Louis Auger. Annie and Daniel had twelve children, seven of whom survived until adulthood. Besides raising their children, Annie was active in St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church and participated in local fairs, entering tapestries and other works of art she had created.  Annie lived in Petaluma until a few years after the 1902 death of her husband.  She moved to San Francisco with her son, Vincent and three of her unmarried daughters, Josephine, Emma, and Kathleen Elise. Annie died in San Francisco on March 13, 1920.  She was buried next to Daniel in Calvary Cemetery in Petaluma, and eventually most of their twelve children were interred with them in the Brown Family Plot. 

*This biographical note was written by Anna Alexis Ferguson Brown’s descendant, Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini.

Family Affiliation: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41848304/annie-alexis-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 28, 1900, p. 1; March 13, 1916, p. 2; March 13, 1920, p. 4 (obit); March 15, 1920, p. 5.. Petaluma Daily Morning Courier: October 12, 1904, p. 1; March 20, 1922, p.3; September 13, 1911, p. 5; March 14, 1920, p. 8 (obit). Petaluma Weekly Argus: September 1, 1888, p. 2. Secondary Sources: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41848304/annie-alexis-brown

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  approximately 5” x 7”

Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: This crisp, sharply focused, head-and-shoulder portrait is set in front of a background of soft, out-of-focus drapery.

Description, back: The green sticker identifies the stationer company, H. S. Gutermute, as the framer of this portrait. Along the bottom, hand printed in pencil is: “Annie Alexis Ferguson”, “b. May 1841 Ireland”, “d. May 1920 San Francisco CA”, “m. Daniel Brown”, “18 May 1858”, and “Petaluma, CA”.

Date: The gigot sleeves and pince-nez suggest this portrait was taken late in the 19th or early in the 20th century.

Condition: This portrait is in good 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. 

Brown, Anna “Annie” Alexis Ferguson (1841-1920) (1 of 4)

Tyler & Co’s 25 Cent Daguerreotype Rooms’ Portrait Photograph of Anna “Annie” alexis Ferguson Brown

THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

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Photographic Studio: Tyler & Co’s 25 Cent Daguerreotype Rooms, corner of Winter and Washington Streets, Boston, MA. This studio was managed by Edward M. Tyler between 1853 and 1855. The slip of paper taken from the back of the portrait, reproduced below, inscribed with “William A. Bean”, may document the name of photographer who created this daguerrotype. https://pioneeramericanphotographers.com/tag/tyler-company/

THE SITTER:

Name: Anna “Annie” Alexis Ferguson Brown. At the time this portrait was taken, the sitter would have been known as Annie Alexis Ferguson.

Description: This teenage girl sits frontally and gazes out at the photographer with a calm and dignified composure. Her hands rest in her lap with her right clasping the wrist of her left. She wears a ring on her right index finger, a small ornament at the base of her throat, and delicate drop earrings. Her dark hair is center-parted and drawn back into a snood, the ends of which can be seen directly above her shoulders. Her dark, short-sleeved dress is fan-pleated from the waist and embellished with white lace at her collar and sleeve ends.

Biographical Note: Anna Alexis Ferguson was born in 1841 in County Galway, Ireland. By age 5, she and her family had immigrated to the United States and lived in Boston, Massachusetts. Annie sailed around Cape Horn and came to California in 1856 to live in Petaluma with her sister and brother-in-law, Sabina and Thomas Rochford. On May 18, 1858, Annie and Daniel Brown were married at the Rochford’s house by Father Louis Auger. Annie and Daniel had twelve children, seven of whom survived until adulthood. Besides raising their children, Annie was active in St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church and participated in local fairs, entering tapestries and other works of art she had created.  Annie lived in Petaluma until a few years after the 1902 death of her husband.  She moved to San Francisco with her son, Vincent and three of her unmarried daughters, Josephine, Emma, and Kathleen Elise. Annie died in San Francisco on March 13, 1920.  She was buried next to Daniel in Calvary Cemetery in Petaluma, and eventually most of their twelve children were interred with them in the Brown Family Plot. 

*This biographical note was written by Anna “Annie” Alexis Ferguson Brown’s descendant, Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini.

Family Affiliation: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41848304/annie-alexis-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 28, 1900, p. 1; March 13, 1916, p. 2; March 13, 1920, p. 4 (obit); March 15, 1920, p. 5.. Petaluma Daily Morning Courier: October 12, 1904, p. 1; March 20, 1922, p.3; September 13, 1911, p. 5; March 14, 1920, p. 8 (obit). Petaluma Weekly Argus: September 1, 1888, p. 2. Secondary Sources: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41848304/annie-alexis-brown

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THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  According to the owner of the original, the image itself, as measured outside of its frame, is approximately, 2” by 2 1/2”.

Medium: Daguerreotype

Case Description: Within its frame, this portrait has been mounted off-center to the left. The nonpareil brass mat is typical of the early 1850s. The preserver (foil frame around image) is typical of the 1860s. The case and all its components are likely not original to this image but instead added later perhaps during a restoration of damaged case. The case is of the Eickmeyer band style design introduced in 1855, it is not known whether this is an authentic Eickmeyer or an imitation.

Inscribed note found in case: Annie’s descendants knew little about her childhood until years later when a very old and very small leather case was opened.  Inside the case was this daguerreotype, a very dark image of a young girl.  Also inside the case was a note reproduced above which was written by one of her daughters on the back of a bank deposit slip. Written by Annie Alexis Ferguson Brown’s descendant, Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini

Date: 1855 (In 1855 the Tyler & Co photographic studio moved to Worcester, Massachusetts.)

Condition: Moderate tarnishing of the plate particularly visible along the top and bottom edges. Case appears to have been restored. Case components may not be original to this image.

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. 

Brown, Daniel (c.1830 -1902)(3 of 3)

Unidentified Photographer, Portrait Photograph of Daniel Brown

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: The photographer of this portrait is unidentified; however, its ornate, carved chair can be seen in other portraits taken in the Bushnell Photography Studio in San Francisco, California. For an example see the portrait of George Plummer McNear in this archive.

THE SITTER:

Name: Daniel Brown

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Description: The elderly gentleman depicted in this portrait sits with his legs crossed in a highly ornate, carved chair. He is meticulously groomed and attired in an elegant business suit. He strikes a fashionable pensive pose: resting his right elbow on the arm of the chair, he places the fore finger of his right hand upon his cheek. He leans casually to his right and rests his left hand on his thigh. He is balding and sports a gray chin beard with no mustache. In the background is a painted backdrop depicting a vaguely rendered vase, drapery, and foliage.

Biographical Note: Daniel Brown was born in 1830 in County Tipperary, Ireland, and as a child immigrated to the United States with his family.  The Brown family lived in New York City until the late 1840s when his father died.  Daniel and his mother and sisters then headed to California.  They made it as far as New Orleans and were recorded there in September on the 1850 U.S. Census, Daniel working as a clerk.  Two months later, Daniel was again recorded on the 1850 Census, this time in Placerville, California, and this time working as a miner.  Daniel had been drawn by the Gold Rush.  By1853 Daniel had settled in Petaluma and was selling liquor.  On May 18, 1858, he married Annie Alexis Ferguson, also from Ireland.  Daniel and Annie had twelve children; seven lived to adulthood. 

 An old family story said that Daniel found selling liquor more profitable than digging for gold and this appears to have been accurate.  By 1858 Daniel’s name appeared in Petaluma newspapers as “Wholesale Dealer in WINES & LIQUORS.”  He continued in his very profitable liquor business for years, accumulated his wealth, and began to invest in land, property, and mining companies, locally and spreading into other counties.  He was active in politics, participated in local committees for city development and railroad construction, and was on the board of the Mutual Benefit Association. For years he was on the board of several Petaluma and Santa Rosa banks and until his death he was vice-president of the local Wickersham Bank. Two of the Brown daughters, Mary Louise and Lillian Nathalie, married and had children thereby continuing the Brown-Ferguson line.  Daniel Brown was 72 when he died in 1902.  He was buried in the Brown Family Plot in the Petaluma Calvary Cemetery.  His fortune was set up in a trust that supported his widow and the surviving Brown descendants until the death of the youngest daughter Kathleen Elise in 1970 at 93.

*This biographical note was written by Annie Alexis Ferguson Brown’s descendant, Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini.

Family Affiliation: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41847997/daniel-brown Search this archive and the Sonoma County Library photograph archive for additional portraits of the Brown family.

Bibliography: The Sonoma County Journal: March 19, 1858, p. 2; August 27, 1858, p. 2; October 17, 1862, p. 2; June 5, 1863, p. 2. Petaluma Argus-Courier: January 13, 1900, p.2; January 14, 1902, p.3; April 4, 1902, p. 1; April 30, 1902, p. 4; May 23, 1902, p. 1; October 14, 1902, p. 1. Petaluma Weekly Argus: July 25, 1873, p. 3; February 12, 1875, p.1; October 18, 1878, p. 3; October 28, 1881, p.3. Petaluma Daily Morning Courier: April 94, 1902, p. 3; May 20, 1902, p. 1 & 4; May 23, 1902, p. 1, 2; May 23, 1902, p.2; January 9, 1903, p. 4.

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  oval, approximately 5” x 7”

Medium:

Description, front: This portrait is surrounded by a dark oval mat with a gold inner band.

Description, back: Hand written in pencil along the top is: “1895”, “Daniel Brown”, and “1833 [sic]-1902”. An additional back sheet to this portrait contains a ripped label proclaiming the framer of the portrait to be “Ball Wall Paper”. The Ball Wall Paper Company advertised in the Fresno Morning Republican between 1907 and 1918.

Date: 1895

Condition: This portrait is in good 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. 

Brown, Emma Rochford (1872-1956)(2 of 2)

Unidentified Photographer’s Portrait Photograph of MArY KELLEY, DR. VINCENT dE PAUL BROWN, EMMA ROCHFORD BROWN, AND KATHLEEN ELISE BROWN

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: unidentified

THE SITTERS:

Names: (from left to right) Mary Kelley, Dr. Vincent de Paul Brown (seated), Emma Rochford Brown, and Kathleen Elise Brown

Description: Emma Rochford Brown is the tall woman in the center of the composition. To the right is her sister, Kathleen Elise Brown; to the left is Mary Kelley, and seated in front is her brother, Dr. Vincent de Paul Brown. All three women wear magnificent examples of Edwardian picture hats. Emma’s is a flat, thin, wide-brimmed hat embellished on its crown with large loops of ribbon and pheasant feathers that extend far beyond the back of the hat’s brim. In contrast to her elaborate hat, Emma wears a simple, long, fitted, light-colored, pinstriped jacket with a small, high lapel. The collar of her white lace blouse is adorned with a round brooch, and a very long, thin necklace is secured under the lapel of her jacket.

Biographical Note: Emma Rochford Brown was born in Petaluma in 1872, the eighth child of Daniel and Anna Alexis Ferguson Brown.  She attended local public schools until 1885 when St. Vincent de Paul School began accepting girls after many years as a boys-only school.  Emma graduated from high school with honors in 1891. Over the years she was very active in local festivals often entering her oil paintings and works of needlepoint.  She frequently visited friends in San Francisco by train and, a few years after the 1902 death of her father, she moved to the city with her mother and unmarried sisters and brother. The Brown Family Estate allowed her many years of support and extensive travel.  Emma Brown died in 1956 at the age of 84 and was buried in the Brown Family plot at the Petaluma Calvary Cemetery.

*This biographical note was written by Emma Rochford Brown’s descendant, Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini.

Family Affiliation: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41913114/emma-rochford-brown Search this archive and the Sonoma County Library photograph archive for additional portraits of the Brown family.

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Bibliography: Petaluma Argus-Courier: March 19, 1921, p.7; November 23, 1922, p. 7; September 25, 1956, p. 2 (obit); September 27, 1956, p. 8. Petaluma Courier, August 29, 1888, p. 2; June 24, 1891, p. 2. Petaluma Weekly Argus: August 25, 1888, p. 1. Petaluma Daily Morning Courier: October 8, 1904, p. 1; November 13, 1905, p. 1; July 16, 1912, p.4; November 21, 1912, p.1; July 07, 1915, p. 2; November 25, 1922, p. 5.

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  Real photo postcard (RPPC)

Medium: Azo paper with 4 triangles

Description, front: The four persons depicted in this real photo postcard pose in front of a backdrop depicting voluminous, ornate drapery. Handwritten in cursive below the image are the names: “Mary Kelley”, “Dr. V. Brown”, “Emma Brown”, and “Elise Brown”.

Description, back: Handwritten in pencil is, “Pan Pacific Expo”, and “1915”.

Date: 1915

Condition: This postcard is in good 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. 

Brown, Kathleen Elise (1877-1970)(2 of 2)

Unidentified Photographer’s Portrait Photograph of Mary Kelley, Dr. Vincent De paul Brown, Emma Rochford Brown, and Kathleen Elise Brown

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: unidentified

THE SITTERS:

Names: (from left to right) Mary Kelley, Dr. Vincent de Paul Brown (seated), Emma Rochford Brown, and Kathleen Elise Brown, (Kathleen Elise Brown was most often referred to as Elise Brown.)

Description: Kathleen Elise Brown is standing in profile on the right. In the center is her sister, Emma Rochford Brown, and on the left is Mary Kelley. Seated in front is Kathleen Elise and Emma’s brother, Dr. Vincent de Paul Brown. All three women wear magnificent examples of Edwardian picture hats. Kathleen Elise’s is a curved, thin, wide-brimmed hat embellished on its crown with a large satin ribbon bow in front and a dramatic arrangement of bird feathers in back. In contrast to her elaborate hat, Kathleen Elise wears a simple, long, fitted, light-colored jacket and matching skirt. With her right hand, Kathleen Elise grasps the back of the wicker chair her brother is sitting in, and her left hand is concealed within a large fur muff embellished with two taxidermied animal heads on the top front. The muff’s wristlet can be seen secured around the cuff of her left jacket sleeve.

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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:  Real photo postcard (RPPC)

Medium: Azo paper with 4 triangles

Description, front: The four persons depicted in this real photo postcard pose in front of a backdrop depicting voluminous, ornate drapery. Handwritten in cursive below the image are the names: “Mary Kelley”, “Dr. V. Brown”, “Emma Brown”, and “Elise Brown”.

Description, back: Handwritten in pencil is, “Pan Pacific Expo”, and “1915”.

Date: 1915

Condition: This postcard is in good 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. 

Brown, Vincent de Paul (1880-1928)

Unidentified Photographer’s Portrait Photograph of May Kelley, Dr. Vincent dePaul Brown, Emma Rochford Brown, and Kathleen Elise Brown

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO

Photographer: unidentified

THE SITTERS:

Names: (from left to right) Mary Kelley, Dr. Vincent de Paul Brown (seated), Emma Rochford Brown, and Kathleen Elise Brown “Elise Brown”

Description: Doctor Vincent de Paul Brown is seated in a large, Victorian, wicker chair surrounded by three women. His sisters Emma and Elisa are on the right, and the woman on the left is Mary Kelley. With a slight, stoic smile, he looks directly are the viewer. He is elegantly dressed in a gentleman’s double-breasted Edwardian overcoat with a black velvet collar. He wears a fashionably high-collared white shirt and large tie. His gloved hands hold his bowler hat in his lap. He is bespectacled and immaculately groomed, with his dark hair parted in the center and combed to each side.

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Biographical Note: Vincent de Paul Brown was born January 12, 1880, in Petaluma, the youngest of the twelve children of Daniel Brown and Annie Alexis Ferguson Brown.  He was named after the patron saint of the Petaluma Catholic Church, St. Vincent de Paul.  Vincent attended the Petaluma Brick School until high school when he boarded at St. Ignatius in San Francisco for college prep.  In 1903 he obtained his medical degree at Cooper Medical School (now part of Stanford University), and immediately began his medical career in San Francisco. Following the 1906 earthquake and fire, Dr. Brown was in charge of an improvised hospital set up in an old Pullman railroad car used to treat those injured.  Later he went to Europe and studied ear, nose, and throat, which became his specialty. During the First World War he served as Captain in the Aviation Medical Department.  He was a member of the San Francisco Medical Society and the California Medical Society. Vincent never married and lived with his sisters in San Francisco until his death from pneumonia at 48 on June 25, 1928.  He was buried in Petaluma Calvary Cemetery in the Brown Family Plot.

Family Affiliation: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41898560/vincent-depaul-brown. Search this archive and the Sonoma County Library photograph archive for additional portraits of the Brown family.

Bibliography: Primary Sources: Petaluma Argus-Courier: June 29, 1906, p. 5; May 1, 1909, p. 9; February 1, 1911, p.3; April 18, 1911, p. 8; April 19, 1911, p. 1; July 25, 1911, p. 5; May 20, 1912, p. 1; July 16, 1912, p. 3; July 10, 1917, p. 4; September 19, 1918, p. 2; June 9, 1921, p. 5; March 20, 1923, p. 6; May 14, 1925, p. 6; March 2, 1927, p. 6; June 28, 1928, p. 2. Petaluma Daily Morning Courier: January 8, 1909, p. 1; March 11, 1909, p. 4; March 27, 1909, p. 4; May 1, 1909, p. 2; May 25, 1909, p. 1; February 1, 1911, p. 8; April 19, 1911, p. 8; April 20, 1911, p. 5; May 20, 1912, p. 8; September 5, 1912, p. 6; July 8, 1913, p. 1; October 20, 1914, p. 8; May 17, 1917, p. 4; September 18, 1918, p. 1; January 22, 1922, p. 10; May 19, 1925, p. 5;  March 2, 1927, p. 4; June 27, 1928, p. 8. Secondary Sources: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41898560/vincent-depaul-brown

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  Real photo postcard (RPPC)

Medium: Azo paper with 4 triangles

Description, front: The four persons depicted in this real photo postcard pose in front of a backdrop depicting voluminous, ornate drapery. Handwritten in cursive below the image are the names: “May Kelley”, “Dr. V. Brown”, “Emma Brown”, and “Elise Brown”.

Description, back: Handwritten in pencil is, “Pan Pacific Expo”, and “1915”.

Date: 1915

Condition: This postcard is in good 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. 

Baker, Aletha Hall O'Brien (1883-1966)(1 of 4)

George Ross’ Portrait Photograph of Aletha Hall o’brien baker

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

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GEORGE COLVAINE ROSS was born February 12, 1832 in Edinburgh, Scotland and died in 1893 at the age of 60 in Petaluma, California. Unlike the other nineteenth century Petaluma photographers, Ross lived and worked in Petaluma for many years. He arrived in Petaluma in 1855, and in 1862 he began his profession as a photographer, moving his studio within the city several times as noted on his various carte de visite and cabinet card imprints. In 1869 he was also part of a short-lived photographic studio partnership with Elon D. Ormsby on Main Street in Petaluma. It was reported that Ross stopped working as a photographer soon after he developed a disability in 1888. Ross was among the most prolific Petaluma portrait photographers, and his work was of exceptionally high quality. Ross was buried in Petaluma’s Cypress Hill Memorial Park. (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 photo was taken, the sitter would have been known as Aletha Hall.

Description: This sturdy baby has been sat on a ledge, and she has assumed a full-frontal pose. Her feet dangle over the edge. She is wearing dark Mary Janes shoes and white, calf-high socks. The cuffs and hem of her white dress are embellished with a thick border of elaborate lace.

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

Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: The staging of this portrait is elaborate. It creates the illusion of an exterior window. On the left is a trellis covered in vines, and above and to the right is a white curtain and a fringed scalloped valance.

Description, back: Handwritten in pencil is, “Aletha Hall”, “(1883 - 1966)”, and “2 years old, ca 1885”.

Date: c. 1885

Condition: This cabinet card is in good 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.

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:

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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.

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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. 

Barstow, Laura Jane Williams (5 of 5)

Unidentified Photographer, Portrait Photograph of Laura Jane williams barstow

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: unidentified

THE SITTER:

Name: Laura Jane Williams Barstow

Description:

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:

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THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: 

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front:

Description, back:

Date:

Condition:

Owner: The James Allen Family Collection, 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. 

Barstow, Laura Jane Williams (4 of 5)

George Daniels Morse’s Portrait Photograph of Garfield Barstow

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer:  George Daniels Morse (born c. 1835)

Photographic Studio: Palace of Art, Phelan Building, 826 Market Street, San Francisco, California

THE SITTER:

Name: Laura Jane Williams Barstow

Description:

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: cabinet card, approximately 10.75 x 16.5 cm

Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front:

Description, back:

Date: 1881

Condition: Excellent

Owner:  The James Allen Family Collection, 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.

Barstow, Laura Jane Williams (3 of 5)

McMillan’s Portrait Photograph of Laura Jane Williams Barstow

THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

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Photographer:  McMillan

Photographic Studio: San Rafael

THE SITTER:

Name: Laura Jane Williams Barstow

Description:

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: cabinet card

Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front:

Description, back:

Date: 1895

Condition:

Owner:  The James Allen Family Collection, 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.

Barstow, Laura Jane Williams (2 of 5)

Edouart’s photographic Gallery’s Portrait Photograph of Laura Jane williams Barstow

THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

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Photographer:  Edouart’s Photographic Gallery

Photographic Studio: Washington Street, San Francisco

THE SITTER:

Name: Laura Jane Williams Barstow

Description:

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: cdv

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front:

Description, back:

Date:

Condition:

Owner:  The James Allen Family Collection, 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.

Barstow, Laura Jane Williams (1 of 5)

Yeaw & Co.’s Portrait Photograph of Laura Jane williams Barstow

THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

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Photographer:  Yeaw & Co.

Photographic Studio: 166 Essex Street, Lawrence

THE SITTER:

Name: Laura Jane Williams Barstow

Description:

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: cdv

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front:

Description, back:

Date:

Condition:

Owner:  The James Allen Family Collection, 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.

Barstow, Garfield (1880-1896)

George Daniels Morse’s Portrait Photograph of Garfield Barstow

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer:  George Daniels Morse (born c. 1835)

Photographic Studio: 417 Montgomery Street, San Francisco

THE SITTER:

Name: Garfield Barstow

Description:

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: cabinet card, approximately 10.75 x 16.5 cm

Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front:

Description, back:

Date: 1881

Condition: Excellent

Owner:  The James Allen Family Collection, 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.

Bodell, Jr. Charles Augustus (1864-1948)

William Shew’s Portrait Photograph of Charles Augustus Bodwell, Jr.

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: William Shew (1820-1903) was a prominent 19th century photographer famous for his daguerrotypes. He worked in New York and Boston before moving to San Francisco in 1851.

Studio Location: 417, 421, 423 and 425 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, California

THE SITTER:

Name: Charles Augustus Bodwell, Jr.

Description:

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: carte de visite

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front:

Description, back:

Date: According to Peter Palmquist, Pioneer Photographers of the Far West, Stanford University Press, 2000, p. 498 column 2, Shew listed his address as 417,421, 423, & 425 Montgomery between November 1866 and early 1869.

Condition:

Owner:  Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, Barbara Webster Collection, 2022-214-310

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. 

Banes, Billy 2022-952-01-50a

John Quincy Reed’s Portrait Photograph of billy banes

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

JOHN QUINCY REED was born in 1841 in Abington, Massachusetts and died in 1902 in Petaluma. He worked as a photographer in Petaluma for over 25 years, moving his studio within the community to several different locations. He arrived into Petaluma from Stockton in 1870 and continued to work as a photographer in Petaluma until at least 1898. Many of his portraits of Petaluma’s citizens are of exceptionally fine quality. (For additional information on this photographer and to view all portraits by him in the collection, click on his name in blue above.)

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THE SITTER:

Name: Billy Banes

Description:

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: cabinet card, approximately 10.75 x 16.5 cm

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front:

Description, back:

Date:

Condition:

Owner:  Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 2022-952-01-pg50a, Schwobeda/Bloom/Taylor/DeMartin Family & Friends Album

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. 

Baylis, Thomas Fulcher (Fulsher)(1823-1867)

William Henry Lentz’s Photographic Portrait of Captain Thomas Fulcher (Fulsher) Baylis,

District Deputy Grand Master, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

WILLIAM HENRY LENTZ was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847; the date and place of his death have not been identified. He worked as a photographer in Petaluma between October 1866 and October 1867 in the photographic studio formerly occupied by Bryan R. Johnson. (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: Captain Thomas Fulcher (Fulsher) Baylis

Description: This is an early, rare carte de visite. It is a full-length portrait of Thomas Fulcher Baylis presented as a leader of the International Order of Odd Fellows. Over his business suit, he wears the official I.O.O.F. regalia, which consists of a heavily embroidered and fringed shawl collar and apron. He holds a gavel and stands between a podium and a chair still housed in the Petaluma Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge 30 located at 111 Petaluma Boulevard North. The Petaluma I.O.O.F. Lodge was established in 1854, and its members played a vital role in the City’s early development.

With an air of authority and solemnity, Baylis gazes directly at the viewer and holds his gavel above the podium as if calling a meeting to order. His receding hairline is accompanied by locks of hair that project horizontally above both ears, and he sports a Shenandoah beard.

Biographical Note: Thomas Fulcher (Fulsher) Baylis was among the earliest pioneers of Petaluma. He became a prominent businessman and civic leader in the first two decades of its existence. Baylis was born in 1823 in Dublin, Ireland, but was baptized in London at the Anglican Church of St Marylebone Parish. His father was in the British Army, attached to the 17th Royal Infantry. When he was still a boy, the family moved to Australia, where he was raised and educated. As a young man, he became a merchant seaman, and around 1850 he arrived in Petaluma.

As early as January 1851, Baylis, and his partner, David W. Flogdell (1826-1856), began transporting food and supplies to San Francisco via the Petaluma River to meet the urgent demands created by the California Gold Rush. In October of that year, they built a trading post and store on the river’s west bank, a short distance north of the current intersection of Petaluma Boulevard and Western Avenue. These were among the first buildings constructed in Petaluma. The following year, they built a hotel, the Pioneer, attached to the south side of the store. The continued financial strength of the shipping business led him to build three warehouses in Petaluma, and a stone wall from one of these still exists as part of the Great Mill complex north of B Street. Baylis also acquired a succession of schooners and then steamers, providing service to San Francisco, Sacramento and Stockton. In 1859 his side-wheel steamer Rambler supplied needed competition on the San Francisco run, thereby helping to reduce the fare to a fraction of its previous level. Later Baylis was captain of the stern-wheeler Relief.

In addition to his business success, Baylis was active in founding and developing many of Petaluma’s civic organizations. He was a charter member of the fire brigade, organized in June 1857, and in November that year, he and a friend formed the first Hook-and-Ladder Company, with 14 members. The accompanying firehouse was built on Baylis’ own property, and in 1863 he was elected chief engineer of the fire department. In 1859, he served a year term on the Petaluma Board of Trustees, and he was a District Deputy Grand Master of the International Order of Odd Fellows. He was active in two local militia units, the Petaluma Guards and the Emmett Rifles. In January 1867, he helped organize Petaluma’s first public library. He donated 2000 books to the collection and was elected the first president of the Library Association. Baylis extended his civil activities beyond Petaluma when he served as Sonoma County Supervisor between 1862 and 1866.

In early September 1867, Baylis developed a respiratory illness. After a week, his condition suddenly worsened, and on September 10, he died of “congestion of the lungs”. His funeral was a significant community event; stores closed, flags were lowered to half-mast, bells tolled, and quiet pervaded the streets. The funeral procession was led by the Petaluma Band playing a solemn dirge, followed by members of the Odd Fellows, the militia units, and the fire department. He was buried in the Oak Hills Cemetery, but some decades later, this disorderly graveyard was closed, and the bodies moved. Neither of his wives’ families would pay the fee to move the body. The Petaluma Odd Fellows Lodge covered the expense and reinterred Captain Baylis in their plot at Cypress Hills Cemetery.

Biographical notes edited and excerpted from: http://bill-hammerman.blogs.petaluma360.com/13561/petalumas-golden-nuggets-capt-thomas-baylis/

Family Affiliation: Baylis’s first wife, Nancy Adela Wiese (1835-1858), committed suicide, drowning in the Petaluma River at twenty-two years of age. She left behind three children: Minnie Adele Baylis Connolly (1854-1924), Theodore Henry Baylis (1857-1891), and Catherine Hannah Baylis Dowdall (1857-1917). Baylis’ second wife was Honoria Murray Flogdell (1824-1880), the widow of his business partner, David W. Flogdell.

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: carte de visite

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: Although this portrait contains a chair and podium which are authentic I.O.O.F. Petaluma Lodge #30 artifacts still located in the lodge today, this portrait was taken in Lentz’s studio. Lentz purchased Bryan R. Johnson’s studio in 1866, and the same intricate floor tiles can be seen in Johnson’s portrait, “Seated Stoic Woman”.

Description, back: Handwritten in pencil on the top right edge of the back of this card is, “1867”, the year Thomas Baylis died. In the center is Lentz’s imprint surrounded by a scalloped line. Along the bottom is printed, “Additional copies may be had from this Negative at Reduced Rates.”.

Date: 1867

Condition: With the exception of foxing on the right side of the front, this card is in good condition.

Owner: Private collector, 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. 

Bello, Jose Nunes

Joslin & Company’s Portrait Photograph of Jose Nunes Bello & Maria Delphina Agueda Bello

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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 SITTERS:

Names: Jose Nunes Bello & Maria Delphina Agueda Bello

Description:

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: cabinet card

Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, Front:

Description, Back:

Date: 1889

Condition:

Owner:  Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 2013-743-04

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.

Bourke, Alfonse E. (1860-1944)

Lawrence & Sons Portrait photograph of Alphonse e. Bourke

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer:  Lawrence & Sons, Los Angeles

THE SITTER:

Name:Alphonse E. Bourke

Description:

Biographical Note:

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Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: cabinet card, approximately 13.3 x 21.4cm

Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front:

Description, back: Date: May 1898

Condition: This cabinet card is in very good condition.

Owner:  Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 2003-259-01

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. 

Burns Jr., Peter (1848-1918)

Hugh S. Anderson’s Portrait Photograph of Peter Burns Jr.

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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.)

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THE SITTER:

Name: Peter Burns Jr.

Description: Peter Burns Jr. was 24 or 25 years old when this portrait was taken. He appears as a very handsome, young gentleman. He sports a large, well-groomed, walrus mustache, and his dark hair is oiled, combed and parted on his left. He wears a jacket and matching vest; both have very large, fashionable lapels. The fabric of his jacket and vest appears to be suede or a heavy felted wool. The collar of his jacket is in a contrasting, darker color. He also wears a white shirt and dark bow tie.

Biographical Note: Peter Burns Jr. was born in 1848 in Pennsylvania and died at age 70 in 1918 in Santa Rosa while residing with his sister, Anna “Annie” J. Burns Howell. His obituary claims that by 1918, he had been a resident of California for 60 years. Although raised on his family farm on Sonoma Mountain, he lived most of his adult life in Petaluma, residing at the home of his sister-in-law, Mrs. Ellen Burns on West Washington Street. He was a partner in the farming and stock raising business Howell & Burns until October, 1887 when it was dissolved. It was reported Burns was a skilled marksman and avid hunter.

Family Affiliation: Peter Burns Jr. was the son of Petaluma pioneers Peter Burns (Byrne) (b. 1815) and Elizabeth Weir Burns (b. 1815). His brother was John Weir Burns (1845-1897) who operated one of Petaluma’s early grocery stores. It was located in East Petaluma on the corner of Washington and Bremen streets. See the portrait of Peter Burns Jr.’s nephew, John Francis “Frank” Burns (1870-1950), the son of John Weir Burns and his wife, Ellen Millane Burns (1848-1924). Peter Burns Jr. never married.

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  carte de visite, approximately 6.25 x 10.5 cm

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: This portrait is contained within a vertical oval, and the surrounding area is marbled paper.

Description, back: Handwritten along the top in script in pencil is, “Peter Burnes”. Hugh Anderson’s imprint appears below this text. Anderson created several versions of his Petaluma imprint. A simpler, possibly earlier, version appears here. It is printed in black ink and includes only three lines of text, each in a different font. Horizontally flipped, elaborate flourishes surround the text.

Date: January 1872 to December 1873

Condition: There are several stains above the sitter’s head and scuffs on the sitter’s right lapel.

Owner:  Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1978-666-03

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. 

Bailey, Elizabeth “Betsy” (1792-1882) (see Williams)→

Lewis Dowe’s Portrait Photograph of Elizabeth “Betsy” Bailey Williams and Clara McNear Leppo

THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

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LEWIS DOWE was born in 1838 in Hanover, New Hampshire and died in 1919 in Portland, Oregon. He arrived in Petaluma in September of 1875 and set up his photography studio in the rooms formerly occupied by photographer Hugh Anderson. Dowe worked in Petaluma as both a “view” and portrait photographer until he departed the town in March of 1882. (For additional information on this photographer and to view all portraits by him in the collection, click on his name in blue above.)

THE SITTERS:

Names: Elizabeth “Betsy” Bailey Williams & Clara McNear Leppo

Description: In this masterful double portrait Elizabeth Bailey Williams is depicted holding her great-great-grandaughter, Clara McNear Leppo. William’s black jacket and skirt contrast dramatically with the baby’s white lace gown, creating a striking composition. In an intricate and intimate composition, Williams’s left hand supports the baby’s back and the enlarged middle or index finger of her right hand is clasped by the fingers of the baby’s right hand. Williams wears glasses and gazes directly at the viewer while the square-faced baby looks off to the viewer’s right. Williams’s cuff and dropped waist jacket are edged in dark satin. A stiff, white, ruffled collar surrounds her neck, and a white, lace, jabot falls almost to her waist. William’s center-parted hair is surprisingly very dark. She appears to be wearing a dark bonnet or braided and curled hairpiece which rests on the crown of her head and falls to cover her ears. Elizabeth Bailey Williams & Clara McNear Leppo PDF

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Biographical Note: Elizabeth Bailey Williams was born in Woolwich, Maine in 1792 and was buried in 1882 in Petaluma’s Cypress Hill Memorial Park. According to her grandson, George Roscoe Williams (1839-1934), she was left a widow in her late twenties with seven children to raise. She provided for them by running a grocery and dry goods store in Wiscasset, Maine. In the course of her lifetime she moved extensively within the United States. In the spring of 1853 she departed Maine with her granddaughter, Clara Williams McNear, and several other family members to settle in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Due to the tension preceding the Civil War, she returned to Wiscasset in 1859. Her decision to move to Petaluma later in her life was undoubedtly motivated by her desire to be with her son and grandchildren.

Family Affiliation: Elizabeth Bailey Williams was the mother of Petaluma pioneer, George Bailey Williams (1809-1899); the grandmother of George Roscoe Williams (1839-1934) and Clara Williams McNear (1837-1866); and the great grandmother of Clara McNear Leppo (1881-1979).

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format: cabinet card, approximately 10.75 x 16.5 cm

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: This masterful double portrait is framed within an arched, ecru, mat which is edged in light blue. The photographer’s imprint runs along the bottom blue strip; on the right is the photographer’s signature presented in cursive letters, “L Dowe”, and on the right in block print is “PETALUMA, CAL”. Hand written in blue ink cursive along the bottom ecru strip is written, “Mrs Betsy Williams 90 years, Clara McNear 5 mos. Great great grd”.

Description, back: Hand written in black ink cursive along on the top: “Mrs Betsy Williams 90 years. Clara McNear 5 months. Great-Great-Grand Mother”. Written in black ink cursive along the bottom: “for Mrs. Maria Wright from Mrs. Eliza Garrett”. (Eliza Jane Williams Garrett (1813-1884) was the daughter of Elizabeth Bailey Williams.)

Date: 1881

Condition: slight foxing throughout

Owner:  Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 2006-1-78

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.

Bartelt, Catherine Petersen (b. 1865) (2 of 2)

Abel & Priest Studio Portrait Photograph of

Herman C. Bartelt and Catherine Petersen Bartelt

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographic Studio:  Abell & Priest

Studio Location: Bancroft’s History Building, 123 Market St., San Francisco, California 

THE SITTERS:

Names: Herman C. Bartelt and Catherine Petersen Bartelt

Description: In this portrait Herman Bartelt is seated on the viewer’s left and standing next to him, with her right hand resting on his shoulder, is his wife, Catherine Peterson Bartelt. George wears a three-piece suit and a high, banded, white collar. Loretta wears a dark, bustled and tightly corseted dress. She has a row of short, dark bangs adorning the top of her forehead, and above them is a distinct crown of frizzy curls.

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Biographical Note: Herman C. Bartelt was a native of Germany. He was a long-time resident of Petaluma where he worked as a poultry farmer, businessman, resort & saloon owner, and real estate agent. He and his wife Catherine were the proprietors of the Willow Brook Hotel at Redwood Highway and Corona Road and the popular Chicken Rancho. Bartelt also established the Novelty Iron Works in Petaluma at 770-772 Keller Street. Towards the end of his life he resided at 14 or 824 Keller Street. Bartelt and his wife reported the famous Wiseman airship mishap. Bartelt was an active member of the Herman Sons’ Lodge.

Family Affiliation: Bartelt’s wife and business partner was Catherine Petersen Bartelt (b. 1865), and his daughter was Sophie Bartelt Vonsen (1888-1978), a Petaluma dressmaker.

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: cabinet card, approximately 10.75 x 16.5 cm

Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: The painted backdrop used in this portrait depicts an elegant, residential interior. The photograph is mounted on a dark brown card, and the photographer’s imprint appears along the bottom edge in gold ink.

Description, back: Handwritten in cursive in pencil along the top edge is, “George & Loretta Vonsen”. It is presumed that this cabinet card was a gift, and that the inscription refers to the recipients, the portrayed couple’s son-in-law, George Vonsen and his mother, Loretta Vonsen.

Date: The Abel & Priest photographic studio operated between 1889 and 1894.

Condition: The edges on the front side of the card are frayed, and the back side is soiled and has tape remnants along its top edge.

Owner:  Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1978-80-34

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.

Bartelt, Catherine Petersen (b. 1865)(1 of 2)

John George Hucks’ Portrait Photograph of Catherine Petersen Bartelt

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer:  John George Hucks (1848-1915)

Studio Location: New York Gallery, 25 Third St., San Francisco, CA

THE SITTER:

Name: Catherine Petersen Bartelt. This portrait may have been taken when the sitter was known by her maiden name, Peterson.

Description: In this portrait, Catherine Petersen Bartelt stands beside a studio prop with her left hand resting on its top surface. With a hypnotic, unfocused gaze, she looks off into the distance. She wears a tightly corseted Basque, front-buttoned jacket and matching skirt with a top diagonal drape. Both are trimmed in black fabric. Upon her breast lays a fringed scarf placed horizontally. Her hair is center-parted and pulled tightly to the back of her head.

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation: Catherine Peterson Bartelt was the wife of Herman C. Bartelt and the mother of Sophie Bartelt Vonsen (Mrs. George Vonsen).

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

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Format / Size: cabinet card, approximately 10.5 x 16 cm

Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description front: Along the bottom edge of this card is the photographer’s imprint.

Description, back: Handwritten in cursive in blue ink along the left top edge of the card is, “(my Mother)” and “Catherine Petersen”. Along the left bottom of the card is written in the same hand, “Sophie” and “Mrs. George Vonsen”.

Date: John George Hucks’ New York Gallery was in operation at 25 Third Street in San Francisco between 1885 and 1890.

Condition: The top edge of the front of this card has been abraded.

Owner:  Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1978-80-31

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. 

Byce, Malcolm Lyman (1890-1919) (1 of 2)

E.R. Healy Ground Floor Gallery’s Portrait Photograph of Lily C. Gray Byce and her two sons, Malcolm Lyman Byce and Wilbur Elwood Byce

THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

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EDWIN RUTHVEN HEALY (1856-1923) and ADA “ADDIE” GOSSAGE HEALY (1860-1923). Edwin and Ada Healy were a married couple, and both were listed in California directories as a photographer. It has been assumed they worked together; however, ascertaining their division of labor is problematic. The “E. R. Healy Gound Floor Gallery” was opened in 1896 at 816 Main Street, Petaluma, California. It was later relocated to 818 Main Street and sold in June, 1905. In 1906 the Healys moved to Berkeley, California. (To view all portraits in this collection taken at the E. R. Healy Ground Floor Gallery and for additional information on Edwin and Ada Healy, click on their names in blue above.)

THE SITTERS:

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Names: Lily Caroline Gray Byce, Malcolm Lyman Byce, Wilbur Elwood Byce

Description: Lily Caroline Gray Byce is portrayed standing behind her two sons, Malcolm and Wilbur “Elwood”. She wears a light-colored, printed postpartum smock with huge, doubled-bell sleeves. Her shoulder caps and the edges of her sleeves are white lace, and around her neck and down both sides of her chest is a dark, wide ribbon, the function and identity of which has not been identified. Her dark hair has been pulled to the back of her head and twisted tightly into an elongated, top-knot bun. Her elder son, Malcolm Lyman Byce (1890-1919) stands to her right. He is dressed in a dark suit and a white shirt with large, lace, cuffs and collar. Around his neck is an extremely large plaid bow. This manner of dressing little boys is often called the “Little Lord Fauntleroy” style, which was very fashionable at the time for the children of upper-middle-class families. With the affectionate gesture of an older brother, Malcolm touches the feet of his infant sibling, Wilbur, who is wearing a white gown and sitting on a blanket-covered studio prop.

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 Caroline 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. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/72439795/malcolm-lyman-byce

Bibliography: Petaluma Argus Courier, April 19, 1912, p. 5; Jan. 7, 1919, p. 5. Petaluma Daily Morning Courier, June 6, 1895, p.1; Jan. 19, 1912, p. 2;

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: cabinet card, approximately 20.5 x 27 cm

Medium: gelatin or collodion print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: This is a beautifully composed portrait of a mother and her two children. Mrs. Byce and her elder son, Malcolm, are standing and the infant Wilbur “Elwood” is seated on a fabric covered table. Behind them is a faintly painted studio backdrop of a domestic interior. The photographer’s imprint is embossed along the bottom.

Description, back: Handwritten in cursive in pencil on the upper right is, “Mrs. Byce”, and to the right is written in brackets, “Malcolm” and “Elwood”. Handwritten in the center is, “Mrs. Lyman Byce” below which is written, “Sons Malcom and Elwood”.

Date: 1896 or 1897

Condition: On the front there is extensive foxing throughout and black spots on the middle left. On the back there are 8, small, square, spots on the perimeter of the card which are most probably remnants of the tape used originally to adhere the photo to an album page.

Owner:  Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1994-60-03

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.

Brown, Ida (born c. 1858)(see Coflin)→

George Ross’ Portrait Photograph of Emma S. Elder and Ida Brown

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: George Ross (b. Feb. 2, 1832 Edinburgh, Scotland; d. 1893 Petaluma, CA) 

Active in Petaluma: 1862-1893

Biographical Note: Unlike the other 19th century Petaluma photographers, Ross lived in Petaluma for many years. Arriving in Petaluma in 1855 at age 23, he established a house painting business. In 1862 he began his profession as a photographer, moving his studio within the city several times as noted on his various cdv imprints. In 1868 he was also part of a photographic studio partnership, Ross and Ormsby, on Main Street in Petaluma. George Ross was among the most prolific Petaluma portrait photographers, and his work was of exceptionally high quality. Ross died in Petaluma and was buried in Cypress Hill Memorial Park in Petaluma.

Bibliography: Palmquist, pgs. 461-463; Mautz, pg.136.

THE SITTERS:

Name: Emma S. Elder Coggeshall Cady and Ida Brown Coflin. This portrait was taken before either of these two young women had married, when they would have been known by their maiden names, Emma S. Elder and Ida Brown.

Description: The two, young, unmarried, women portrayed in this carte de visite were most probably close friends. Emma Elder stands confidently on the viewer’s left, resting her hands authoritatively on the right shoulder of Ida Brown. Elder gazes directly at the viewer, her full face open to the camera. Brown sits calmly on the right; her gaze lowered and to the left. The women are dressed almost identically. Both wear heavy, dark, complex dresses typical of the first half of the 1870s. Both dresses have a full, flounced and ruffled, underskirt and a shorter, top skirt which is gathered at the sides creating a type of front apron. Both women have wide, large cuffs trimmed in white lace, and high, white, lace, collars around which are draped fringed neck scarves. Elder’s dress also includes a full bustle.

Biographical Note: Petaluma papers mention Ida Brown throughout the 1870s and 1880s in the sections dedicated to commenting on Petaluma’s social events for young adults. By 1881 she was living in Alameda, but often returned to visit her friends in Petaluma. She married P. Gardner Coflin in 1887 and moved to Catskills, New York.

Family Affiliation: Ida Brown Coflin’s parents were early Petaluma residents Captain John K. Brown (1820 -1902), a steamboat navigator and Helen W. Walter Brown(1837-1892). Both were buried in Petaluma’s Cypress Hill Memorial Cemetery. Ida had three brothers: Thomas H. Brown (born c. 1855) who worked as a telegraph operator in Petaluma, William W. Brown (1862-1905) and George H. Brown (1868 or 69 - 1922). The wife of Thomas H. Brown was also named Ida, and she is referred to in the Petaluma papers as “Mrs. Ida Brown”.

Bibliography: Petaluma Weekly Argus, Oct. 8, 1870, p. 2; Jan. 6, 1872, p. 3; Nov. 28, 1873, p. 3; Nov. 27, 1874, p. 3; April 30, 1875, p. 2; Nov. 29, 1878, p. 3; Sept. 14, 1881, p. 2; April 28, 1882, p. 3. Petaluma Courier, April 26, 1882, p. 3; Dec. 7, 1887, p. 3. Petaluma Daily Morning Courier, Dec. 1, 1902, p. 1. Petaluma Argus-Courier, Nov. 8, 1902, p. 1. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/72441330/helen-w-brown

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THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  carte de visite, approximately 6.25 x 10.5 cm

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: Double portrait of two young women in front of a backdrop depicting a grand architectural interior.

Description, back: Handwritten in black ink cursive, “Miss Ida Brown”, “ Emma Elder”, “April 23rd 1874”, “Petaluma”, and “Cal.”. On the center back is the photographer’s imprint which reads: “From George Ross’ Art and Photograph Gallery, Main St., Petaluma, Cal. (Immediately opposite the American Hotel.)”.

Date: April 23rd, 1874

Condition: There are small stains and extensive foxing throughout, and the corners have been clipped.

Owner:  Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1984-289-05

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. 

Bartelt, Herman C. (1858-1938) (3 of 3)

Abel & Priest Studio Portrait Photograph of

Herman C. Bartelt and Catherine Petersen Bartelt

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographic Studio:  Abell & Priest

Studio Location: Bancroft’s History Building, 123 Market St., San Francisco, California 

THE SITTERS:

Names: Herman C. Bartelt and Catherine Petersen Bartelt

Description: In this portrait Herman Bartelt is seated on the viewer’s left and standing next to him, with her right hand resting on his shoulder, is his wife, Catherine Peterson Bartelt. Herman wears a three-piece suit and a high, banded, white collar. Catherine wears a dark, bustled and tightly corseted dress. She has a row of short, dark bangs adorning the top of her forehead, and above them is a distinct crown of frizzy curls.

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Biographical Note: Herman C. Bartelt was a native of Germany. He was a long-time resident of Petaluma where he worked as a poultry farmer, businessman, resort & saloon owner, and real estate agent. He and his wife Catherine were the proprietors of the Willow Brook Hotel at Redwood Highway and Corona Road and the popular Chicken Rancho. Bartelt also established the Novelty Iron Works in Petaluma at 770-772 Keller Street. Towards the end of his life, he resided at 14 or 824 Keller Street. Bartelt and his wife reported the famous Wiseman airship mishap. Bartelt was an active member of the Herman Sons’ Lodge.

Family Affiliation: Bartelt’s wife and business partner was Catherine Petersen Bartelt (b. 1865), and his daughter was Sophie Bartelt Vonsen (1888-1978), a Petaluma dressmaker.

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: cabinet card, approximately 10.75 x 16.5 cm

Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: The painted backdrop used in this portrait depicts an elegant, residential interior. The photograph is mounted on a dark brown card, and the photographer’s imprint appears along the bottom edge in gold ink.

Description, back: Handwritten in cursive in pencil along the top edge is, “George & Loretta Vonsen”. It is presumed that this cabinet card was a gift, and that the inscription refers to the recipients, the portrayed couple’s son-in-law, George Vonsen and his mother, Loretta Vonsen.

Date: The Abel & Priest photographic studio operated between 1889 and 1894.

Condition: The edges on the front side of the card are frayed, and the back side is soiled and has tape remnants along its top edge.

Owner:  Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1978-80-34

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.

Byce, Wilbur Elwood (1896-1955)

E.R. Healy Ground Floor Gallery’s Portrait Photograph of Lily C. Gray Byce and her two sons, Malcolm Lyman Byce and Wilbur Elwood Byce

THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

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EDWIN RUTHVEN HEALY (1856-1923) and ADA “ADDIE” GOSSAGE HEALY (1860-1923). Edwin and Ada Healy were a married couple, and both were listed in California directories as a photographer. It has been assumed they worked together; however, ascertaining their division of labor is problematic. The “E. R. Healy Gound Floor Gallery” was opened in 1896 at 816 Main Street, Petaluma, California. It was later relocated to 818 Main Street and sold in June, 1905. In 1906 the Healys moved to Berkeley, California. (To view all portraits in this collection taken at the E. R. Healy Ground Floor Gallery and for additional information on Edwin and Ada Healy, click on their names in blue above.)

THE SITTERS:

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Names: Lily C. Gray Byce, Malcolm Lyman Byce, Wilbur Elwood Byce

Description: Lily Caroline Gray Byce is portrayed standing behind her two sons, Malcolm and Wilbur “Elwood”. She wears a light-colored, printed postpartum smock with huge, doubled-bell sleeves. Her shoulder caps and the edges of her sleeves are white lace, and around her neck and down both sides of her chest is a dark, wide ribbon, the function and identity of which has not been identified. Her dark hair has been pulled to the back of her head and twisted tightly into an elongated, top-knot bun. Her elder son, Malcolm Lyman Byce (1890-1919) stands to her right. He is dressed in a dark suit and a white shirt with large, lace, cuffs and collar. Around his neck is an extremely large plaid bow. This manner of dressing little boys is often called the “Little Lord Fauntleroy” style, which was very fashionable at the time for the children of upper-middle-class families. With the affectionate gesture of an older brother, Malcolm touches the feet of his infant sibling, Wilbur, who is wearing a white gown and sitting on a blanket-covered studio prop.

Biographical Note: Wilbur Elwood Byce was born in Petaluma and graduated from Petaluma High School in 1916. He served in World War I with the U. S. Army Aviation Corps, and his letters describing his experiences with the 164 Aero Squadron in Wichita Falls, Texas, were published in the Petaluma Argus-Courier. Following the death of his brother, Malcome Lyman Byce in 1919, Wilbur took full ownership of the Petaluma Electric Incubator Company and continued to live at the family home at 226 Liberty Street. He later moved to 600 Liberty Street. Wilbur was buried in Petaluma’s Cypress Hill Memorial Park.

Family Affiliation: Wilbur Elwood Byce was the son of the prominent Petaluma pioneers Lyman C. Byce (1852-1944) and Lily Caroline Gray Byce (1867-1934). His only sibling was Malcolm Lyman Byce (1890-1919). In 1922, Wilbur married Jeanette Cameron Byce (1903-1982). Also see the portrait of Mrs. Daniels. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/228292550/wilbur-elwood-byce

Bibliography: Petaluma Argus Courier, Dec. 24, 1917, p. 3; Jan. 10, 1918, p. 6; Feb. 16, 1918, p. 3; March 9, 1918, p. 3; May 8, 1918, p. 3; May 10, 1918,, p. 4; May 16, 1918, p.7; Sept. 11, 1919, p. 5; June 13, 1930, p.7; March 18, 1955, p. 1and 6. Petaluma Daily Morning Courier, May 28, 1916, p. 1; May 11, 1918, p. 2;

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: cabinet card, approximately 20.5 x 27 cm

Medium: gelatin or collodion print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: This is a beautifully composed portrait of a mother and her two children. Mrs. Byce and her elder son, Malcolm, are standing and the infant Wilbur “Elwood” is seated on a fabric covered table. Behind them is a faintly painted studio backdrop of a domestic interior. The photographer’s imprint is embossed along the bottom.

Description, back: Handwritten in cursive in pencil on the upper right is, “Mrs. Byce”, and to the right is written in brackets, “Malcolm” and “Elwood”. Handwritten in the center is, “Mrs. Lyman Byce” below which is written, “Sons Malcom and Elwood”.

Date: 1896 or 1897

Condition: On the front there is extensive foxing throughout and black spots on the middle left. On the back there are 8, small, square, spots on the perimeter of the card which are most probably remnants of the tape used originally to adhere the photo to an album page.

Owner:  Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1994-60-03

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.

Bloom, Claudina Lucia (1879-1902)(see Dado)→

J. B. Monaco’s Portrait Photograph of Claudina Lucia Bloom Dado

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Byce, Lily Caroline Gray (1867-1934)

E.R. Healy Ground Floor Gallery’s Portrait Photograph of Lily Caroline Gray Byce and her two sons, Malcolm Lyman Byce and Wilbur Elwood Byce

THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

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EDWIN RUTHVEN HEALY (1856-1923) and ADA “ADDIE” GOSSAGE HEALY (1860-1923). Edwin and Ada Healy were a married couple, and both were listed in California directories as a photographer. It has been assumed they worked together; however, ascertaining their division of labor is problematic. The “E. R. Healy Gound Floor Gallery” was opened in 1896 at 816 Main Street, Petaluma, California. It was later relocated to 818 Main Street and sold in June, 1905. In 1906 the Healys moved to Berkeley, California. (To view all portraits in this collection taken at the E. R. Healy Ground Floor Gallery and for additional information on Edwin and Ada Healy, click on their names in blue above.)

THE SITTERS:

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Names: Lily Caroline Gray Byce, Malcolm Lyman Byce, Wilbur Elwood Byce

Description: Lily Caroline Gray Byce is portrayed standing behind her two sons, Malcolm and Wilbur “Elwood”. She wears a light-colored, printed postpartum smock with huge, doubled-bell sleeves. Her shoulder caps and the edges of her sleeves are white lace, and around her neck and down both sides of her chest is a dark, wide ribbon, the function and identity of which has not been identified. Her dark hair has been pulled to the back of her head and twisted tightly into an elongated, top-knot bun. Her elder son, Malcolm Lyman Byce (1890-1919) stands to her right. He is dressed in a dark suit and a white shirt with large, lace, cuffs and collar. Around his neck is an extremely large plaid bow. This manner of dressing little boys is often called the “Little Lord Fauntleroy” style, which was very fashionable at the time for the children of upper-middle-class families. With the affectionate gesture of an older brother, Malcolm touches the feet of his infant sibling, Wilbur, who is wearing a white gown and sitting on a blanket-covered studio prop.

Biographical Note: Lily C. Gray Byce was born in London, England, in 1867. She married the founder of the Petaluma Incubator Company, Lyman C. Byce, in 1888, and they lived at 226 Liberty Street in Petaluma for many years. She was an officer of the Ladies’ Commandery Club, President of the Sonoma County Federation of Women’s Clubs, and long-time supporter of Petaluma’s International Order of the Rainbow for Girls, a Masonic youth service organization associated with the Order of the Eastern Star. Lily was buried in Petaluma’s Cypress Hill Memorial Park.

Family Affiliation: Lily Caroline Gray Byce was the wife of Lyman C. Byce (1852-1944) the founder and owner of the Petaluma Incubator Company. Lyman C. Byce has been credited, along with Petaluma dentist, Isaac Dias, with the creation of the Petaluma poultry incubator. Lily C. Gray Byce and Lyman C. Byce were the parents of Malcom Lyman Byce and Wilber Elwood Byce. Also see the portrait of Mrs. Daniels. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/114611785/lily-c-byce

Bibliography: Petaluma Argus-Courier, Nov. 7, 1924, p. 3; Feb. 4, 1929, p. 4; March 3, 1934, p. 1; March 5, 1934, p. 3.

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: cabinet card, approximately 20.5 x 27 cm

Medium: gelatin or collodion print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: This is a beautifully composed portrait of a mother and her two children. Mrs. Byce and her elder son, Malcolm, are standing and the infant Wilbur “Elwood” is seated on a fabric covered table. Behind them is a faintly painted studio backdrop of a domestic interior. The photographer’s imprint is embossed along the bottom.

Description, back: Handwritten in cursive in pencil on the upper right is, “Mrs. Byce”, and to the right is written in brackets, “Malcolm” and “Elwood”. Handwritten in the center is, “Mrs. Lyman Byce” below which is written, “Sons Malcom and Elwood”.

Date: 1896 or 1897

Condition: On the front there is extensive foxing throughout and black spots on the middle left. On the back there are 8, small, square, spots on the perimeter of the card which are most probably remnants of the tape used originally to adhere the photo to an album page.

Owner:  Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1994-60-03

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.

Bartelt, Herman C. (1858-1938)(2 of 3)

Herman Heyn’s Portrait Photograph of

Herman C. Bartelt & Two Unidentified Men

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: Herman Heyn (1866-1949) or George Heyn (1856-1892)

Photographic Studio:  1509 Douglas Street, Omaha, Nebraska

THE SITTERS:

Names: Herman C. Bartelt and two unidentified men

Description: In this cabinet card, Herman C. Bartelt is sitting in a studio chair with a fringed armrest while two, young, unidentified men stand on either side of him. The formality of the men’s poses and attire, along with the official looking scroll held by Bartelt, suggest this portrait may commemorate a business agreement. It also appears that both unidentified men are holding cigars; possibly this is also a celebration of that business agreement.

Biographical Note: Herman C. Bartelt was a native of Germany. He was a long-time resident of Petaluma where he worked as a poultry farmer, businessman, resort & saloon owner, and real estate agent. He and his wife Catherine were the proprietors of the Willow Brook Hotel at Redwood Highway and Corona Road and the popular Chicken Rancho. Bartelt also established the Novelty Iron Works in Petaluma at 770-772 Keller Street. Towards the end of his life, he resided at 14 or 824 Keller Street. Bartelt and his wife reported the famous Wiseman airship mishap. Bartelt was an active member of the Herman Sons’ Lodge.

Family Affiliation: Bartelt’s wife and business partner was Catherine Petersen Bartelt (b. 1865), and his daughter was Sophie Bartelt Vonsen (1888-1978), a Petaluma dressmaker.

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: cabinet card, approximately 10.75 x 16.5 cm

Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: This three-person portrait attempts to communicate an appearance of sophisticated refinement. The composition is complex: two standing men angle their bodies towards the third man seated between them; they are posed on an elaborately designed carpet; and the painted backdrop depicts a luxuriously appointed interior. The photographer’s imprint appears in printed cursive along the bottom.

Description, back: The back of this cabinet card is blank or contains only an accession number.

Date: circa 1884-1895

Condition: The top left and bottom right of this card have faded.

Owner:  Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1978-80-17

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.

Bartelt, Herman C. (1858-1938)(1 of 3)

Herman Heyn’s Portrait Photograph of Herman C. Bartelt

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: Herman Heyn (1866-1949) or George Heyn (1856-1892)

Photographic Studio:  1509 Douglas Street, Omaha, Nebraska

THE SITTER:

Name: Herman C. Bartelt

Description: In this head-and-shoulders portrait, Herman C. Bartelt wears a white, band collar and a jacket with small, high, piped lapels. His hair is oiled and neatly combed, and he sports a large, chevron mustache. His soft, friendly gaze exudes a sense of confidence.

Biographical Note: Herman C. Bartelt was a native of Germany. He was a long-time resident of Petaluma where he worked as a poultry farmer, businessman, resort & saloon owner, and real estate agent. He and his wife Catherine were the proprietors of the Willow Brook Hotel at Redwood Highway and Corona Road and the popular Chicken Rancho. Bartelt also established the Novelty Iron Works in Petaluma at 770-772 Keller Street. Towards the end of his life, he resided at 14 or 824 Keller Street. Bartelt and his wife reported the famous Wiseman airship mishap. Bartelt was an active member of the Herman Sons’ Lodge.

Family Affiliation: Bartelt’s wife and business partner was Catherine Petersen Bartelt (b. 1865), and his daughter was Sophie Bartelt Vonsen (1888-1978), a Petaluma dressmaker.

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: cabinet card, approximately 10.75 x 16.5 cm

Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: The portrait is mounted on dark cardstock with beveled edges. The photographer’s imprint appears in cursive along the bottom.

Description, back: The back of this cabinet card is blank or contains only an accession number.

Date: circa 1884-1895

Condition: This card is stained and has a small tear on the lower left corner.

Owner:  Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1978-80-23

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.

Bauer, Ernest William (1883-1927)

John Quincy Reed’s Portrait Photograph of Ernest Bauer

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

JOHN QUINCY REED was born in 1841 in Abington, Massachusetts and died in 1902 in Petaluma. He worked as a photographer in Petaluma for over 25 years, moving his studio within the community to several different locations. He arrived into Petaluma from Stockton in 1870 and continued to work as a photographer in Petaluma until at least 1898. Many of his portraits of Petaluma’s citizens are of exceptionally fine quality. (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: Ernest William Bauer

Description: This portrait of Ernest William Bauer as a young child presents him attired in a tweed jacket with a very large, white, collar and a very large, shinny, bow tie. His collar and bow tie reflect the preferred formal dress for American middle-class boys inspired by Little Lord Fauntleroy, a novel written by Frances Hodgson Burnett and published in 1885-86.

Biographical Note: Ernest W. Bauer was an employee of Schluckerbier Hardware Co.

Family Affiliation: Ernest William Bauer was the son Belle Bauer and John William Bauer (1857-1918). He was the husband of Agnes Marie Baur and the father of Ernestine Marie Bauer.

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

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Format / Size: cabinet card, approximately 10.75 x 16.5 cm

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: This is a cabinet card of a young boy gazing to his right. The photographer’s imprint appears in a combination of cursive and print along the bottom.

Description, back: Handwritten in black ink in cursive along the top edge is, “Ernest Bauer”.

Date: circa 1886 

Condition: There is extensive foxing and staining across the front and back of this card, and the remnants of removed tape appear at the top and bottom of the back.

Owner:  Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1979-80-03

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. 

Black, Mabel Celeste (1874-1966)(see Putnam)→

Horace E. Hunt’s Portrait Photograph of Mabel Celeste Black Putnam

Boyle, Helen Milliken (Mileken) Clark (1840-1912)

Unidentified Photographer, Portrait Photograph of Helen milliken Clark Boyle

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: unidentified

THE SITTER:

Name: Helen Milliken Clark Boyle

Description: This early carte de visite is a head-and-shoulders portrait of the teacher, Helen Milliken Clark Boyle. Her center-parted hair is encircled with a braid and crowned with an ornamental hair comb. She wears a heavily embroidered, black jacket and a very stiff, white, high, honeycombed collar. Around her neck is what appears to be a locket.

Biographical Note: Helen Milliken Clark Boyle was born in Markham, Ontario. At the age of 22 she departed Canada to teach in California. According to her descendent, Robert Boyle, “Helen Milliken Clark is indicated by San Jose Normal School history to be the very first teacher hired in the California State Education system in 1862.  In May of 1863 they held the first California Teachers Association meeting and Helen is often referenced demonstrating class exercises.  The reason she and her mother were recruited was to bring Objective Teaching Methods to California which use the model school as a predominant teaching platform. She also taught at the San Jose Normal School.” Although not affiliated with Petaluma, Helen’s mother, Dorcas Haley Clark, was among Petluma’s first educators.

Family Affiliation: Helen Milliken Clark Boyle was the daughter of Petaluma educator, Dorcas Haley Clark (1815-1902) and Benjamin Milliken Clark (1809-1867). Helen’s sister, Emily Maria Clark Pritchard Jeffery (1836-1910) worked as a music teacher in Petaluma. Helen married John Boyle(1831-1922) in 1869, and together they had at least 10 children. Helen was the mother of Gertrude Farquharson Boyle Kanna (1878-1937), a noted sculptor who worked in San Francisco. Her many portrait busts include such famous individuals as Isadora Duncan, Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt, John Muir, Joaquin Miller, Luther Burbank, and Albert Einstein. Helen’s great-granddaughter donated this carte de visite. Dorcas Haley Clark PDF

Bibliography: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/107888232/helen-mileken-boyle, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Boyle_Kanno

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THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  carte de visite, approximately 10 x 6 cm

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: Handwritten in very bold, black, print along the bottom is: “Helen Clark Boyle”.

Description, back: Handwritten in pencil in cursive along the top is: “Helen Clark (Boyle”.

Date: 1860s

Condition: This early carte de visit has slight overall foxing and has faded significantly.

Owner:  Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1994-658-05

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. 

Bryan, Frederick James “Fred” (1861-1935)

John Quincy Reed’s Portrait Photograph of Fred Bryan

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

JOHN QUINCY REED was born in 1841 in Abington, Massachusetts and died in 1902 in Petaluma. He worked as a photographer in Petaluma for over 25 years, moving his studio within the community to several different locations. He arrived into Petaluma from Stockton in 1870 and continued to work as a photographer in Petaluma until at least 1898. Many of his portraits of Petaluma’s citizens are of exceptionally fine quality. (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: Frederick James “Fred” Bryan

Description: In this cabinet card, Frederick James Bryan is wearing a tweed jacket and a stiff, high, white, collared shirt with a pin at the base of his tie. He is carefully groomed with short, oiled hair and a handlebar moustache.

Biographical Note: Frederick James Bryan was a witness in the murder case of Mrs. Nancy Meagher which took place in Petaluma between 1892 and 1894. In 1895 he was accidentally shot by his wife’s cousin who mistook him for a chicken thief, and in 1897 he almost lost his right foot in an accident while operating a self-binder.

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Family Affiliation: Frederick James “Fred” Bryan was the son of California pioneers Thomas John Bryan (d.1882) and Elizabeth Hardin Bryan (1841-1924). His maternal grandmother, Agnes Asbury Hardin (1822-1889), lived and was buried in Petaluma. William Francis Bryan was his brother.

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: cabinet card, approximately 10.75 x 16.5 cm

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: This is a three-quarter head portrait of a young man with the photographer’s imprint along the bottom.

Description, back: Handwritten in cursive in pencil along the top is “Fred Bryan”.

Date: late 1870s to early 1880s

Condition: There is foxing and staining throughout this cabinet card.

Owner:  Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1978-666-15

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. 

Bryan, William Francis (1873-1938)

Harry Fowler ROBERTS’ Portrait Photograph of William Bryan

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

HARRY FOWLER ROBERTS was born in 1869 in Mankato, Minnesota, and died in February 1907 in Colfax, California, at age 38. As early as 1892 he opened a photographic studio on Petaluma’s Main Street across from the American Hotel. The exact date Roberts closed his studio in Petaluma has not been determined; however, it may have been as late as 1895. (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: William Francis Bryan

Description: Bryan is wearing a tweed jacket which has a small, high lapel, a popular fashion of the late 1880s and early 1890s. His white shirt has a banded collar, and he wears a pin at the base of his tie. His hair is combed back, and he has a clean-shaven face.

Biographical Note: Bryan was a long-time employee of the Cavanagh Lumber Company working as the foreman of the planning mill and mill wright. He died in a tragic car accident at the age of 65.

Family Affiliation: William Francis Bryan was the son of California pioneers Thomas John Bryan (d.1882) and Elizabeth Hardin Bryan (1841-1924). His maternal grandmother, Agnes Asbury Hardin (1822-1889) lived and was buried in Petaluma. Frederick James Bryan was his brother, and Jessie Bryan (d.1933) was his wife.

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Bibliography: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/36539821/william-francis-bryan; Petaluma Argus-Courier, July 30, 1938, p.1 -2.

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: cabinet card, approximately 10.75 x 16.5 cm

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: In this three-quarter view portrait cabinet card, the sitter is facing to his left. The card is scalloped on all four sides, and the photographer’s imprint appears along the bottom edge.

Description, back: Handwritten on the top edge in cursive in pencil is: “Wm Bryan 14-2”.

Date: as early as 1892, as late as 1895

Condition: There are many small stains on this portrait and extensive scuffing above the sitter’s head.

Owner:  Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1978-666-16

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.

Burns, John Francis “Frank” (1870-1950)

Sutterley & Rendall’s Portrait Photograph of John Francis “Frank” Burns

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographers: James Kimball Sutterley (b. c. 1834, New Jersey) and Stephen A. Rendall (dates unknown)

Active in Petaluma: September 24, 1870 -1871

Biographical Note: Sutterley worked as a daguerreian with his brother, Clement Sutterley, in Chicago from 1857 to 1860.  By 1862 they had moved West working as itinerant photographers throughout Nevada, Idaho, Utah and California.  On September 24, 1870, Sutterley partnered with Stephen A. Rendall to establish, “Sutterley & Rendall, Photographers, Main Street, Petaluma, Cal” taking over the studio of Bryan R. Johnson.  They worked together until 1871 when the studio was sold to Richard Reece Percival.  The Sutterley brothers then reunited to establish a studio in Napa, California.

Bibliography: Palmquist, pgs. 454, 533-537; Mautz, pg. 135 & 146.

THE SITTER:

Name: John Francis “Frank” Burns

Description: This carte de visite portrays Burns as an infant. He is seated in a tiny arm chair and behind him is draped fabric. The baby wears a long, white, lace, gown with short sleeves, and around his neck hangs what appears to be a locket.

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Biographical Note: John Francis “Frank” Burns served for many years as the Chief Engineer of the Petaluma Fire Department.

Family Affiliation: John Francis “Frank” Burns was the son of Petaluma pioneers John Weir Burns (1845-1897) and Ellen Millane Burns (1848-1924). John Weir Burns was an early grocer in East Petaluma. The grocery was located in East Petaluma on the corner of Washington and Bremen streets. John Francis Burns took over the establishment when his father died, but sold it a few years later. John Francis “Frank” Burns was the nephew of Peter Burns Jr.

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  carte de visite, approximately 6.25 x 10.5 cm

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: This carte de visite depicts the portrait of an infant within an oval format which is edged with an irregular white line. Within the oval, the background is a dark gathered fabric. The paper upon which the portrait has been printed is not well placed on the card, and it is torn along the top edge.

Description, back: Handwritten in script in pencil along the top edge is, “Frank Burns”. The photographer’s imprint appears on a diagonal, in red ink, in the center, “Sutterley & Rendall, Photographers, Main Street, Petaluma, Cal.”

Date: 1870 or 1871

Condition: Foxing and small stains throughout.

Owner:  Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1978-666-06

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. 

Burns, William (b. & d. dates to be determined)

Norvell Rice Davidson’s Portrait Photograph of William Burns

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THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: Norvell Rice Davidson (1838-1921)

Studio Location: 219 Fourth Street, Santa Rosa, California    

THE SITTER:

Name: William Burns

Description: In this head-and-shoulders portrait, William Burns looks directly at the viewer. He appears to be in his late teens or early twenties. His side-parted hair has been carefully oiled and combed. He is dressed in a wool jacket with matching vest, a medium-dark shirt with a henley collar and a large Windsor tie.

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation: to be identified

Bibliography:

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size: carte de visite, approximately 7 x 10 cm

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

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Description, front: This portrait has been placed within a unique, unsymmetrically shaped opening. The gray photographic paper has been mounted on a ecru card which has several symmetrical layers of different textures and widths. The edges of the card are pinked.

Description, back: Along the top edge handwritten in cursive in pencil is, “Wm Burns”. Along the bottom is a stamped identification of the photographer: “N.R. Davidson. Photographer. 219 Fourth Street. Santa Rosa, Cal.”.

Date: early 20th century

Condition: This portrait contains several small, dark spots and overall foxing.

Owner:  Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1978-666-05

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. 

Byce, Malcolm Lyman (1890-1919)(2 of 2)

Joslin & Company’s Portrait Photograph of Malcolm Lyman Byce

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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.

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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.