Tuesday, May 12, 2015

1860s-1880s era Carte de Visite Album of People from Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and California


1860s-1880s era photograph album of 31 Cartes de Visite of people from Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and California, plus 4 artistic ones and one calling card tucked in.  See images of the entire album at the end of this post, along with a listing of the names and studios mentioned.

Readers who recognize names and photographs from family research are invited to leave comments to add texture to the album.

The album, which measures approximately 6-1/2" x 5-1/4" x 1-1/4", was printed by D. Appleton & Company of 443 & 445 Broadway, New York City, in 1864.


Some of the slots have identifications under them, but the fact that a few of the CDVs obviously do not match up with their identifications places the identifications of all of them sadly in doubt.  I don't think, however, that this is a case of a dealer finding an empty album and placing random CDVs in it, but rather a case of CDVs removed and returned to the wrong slots.

The album includes one calling card, that of Mrs. J. M. Kaler of Prout's Neck, Maine.  She was presumably Elmira (Coolbroth) Kaler, wife of John Marion Kaler.  See a photograph of their home here.


Most of the CDVs with studio imprints place them from Lowell, Massachusetts.  One of the CDVs, without a studio imprint or identification underneath the slot, is identified on the reverse as Dr. Chandler.  He may have been Dr. Lysander Chandler (1818-1879) of Lowell, Massachusetts.  The facing page shows the CDV of a woman, who may have been Mrs. Chandler; it's encouraging that her CDV was produced by the Kimball studio of 110 Merrimack Street, Lowell.



The identification under two slots is "R. H. Randall", and another, on a facing page, is identified as "Wife Mary S. R."  The two Mr. Randalls do look alike, so perhaps the CDVs and the identifications match.  One of his CDVs was made at Sacramento, California, and the other at Natick, Massachusetts.  Mary's CDV was made at Lowell, Massachusetts.  I believe R. H. Randall was Robert H. Randall (born at , who perhaps went to California as a younger man.  Robert's mother was Sophia (Edwards) Randall, daughter of Calvin and Susannah (Lincoln) Edwards.  The surnames Edwards and Lincoln appear underneath other slots in the album.

Robert and Mary's CDVs, assuming they match the identification:



Siblings Henry Smith Edwards and Lizzie M. (Edwards) Lincoln, bottom image, left, assuming, again, that the identifications and CDVs match:



Surnames in the Album  [many are not identified, and some may be alternative images of the same people]


BHLR
BarrettHarmonLincoln [2]Randall [3]
CHimesMS
ChandlerHotchkissMannSargent [2]
EKMerrillSmith
Edwards [2]KalerP
GPerkins [2]
GrahamPickering

Identifications in the Album
  • CDV of a man identified under the slot as Etta Harmon
  • CDV of a boy placed erroneously in a slot identified underneath as Mrs. Sargent; no studio marking
  • CDV of a man placed erroneously in a slot identified underneath as Annie Hotchkiss
  • CDV of a baby placed erroneously in a slot identified underneath as Aunt Mary Edwards
  • CDV of a baby; no studio marking
  • CDV of a woman placed erroneously in a slot identified underneath as Mr. Barrett's boy
  • CDV of a woman; no studio marking
  • CDV of a man
  • CDV of a woman
  • CDV of a man; no studio marking
  • CDV of a man
  • CDV of a man
  • CDV of a woman.  Facing page shows Dr. Chandler of Lowell, Massachusetts, so this may or may not have been Dr. Chandler's wife
  • CDV of a baby
  • CDV of a young man; no studio marking
  • CDV of a woman
B
  • Identification of "Mr. Barrett's boy" under a slot that contains the CDV of a woman; no studio marking
C
  • CDV of an older man identified on reverse as "Dr. Chandler", presumably Dr. Lysander Chandler (1818-1879) of Lowell, Massachusetts
E
  • Identification  of Aunt Mary Edwards under a slot that contains the CDV of a baby
  • Identification of H. S. Edwards under a slot that contains the CDV of a man, which may or may not refer to him.  The identification presumably refers to Henry Smith Edwards (born 1820 at Gorham, Maine), brother of Lizzie M. (Edwards) Lincoln
G
  • Identification  of Rev. Mr. Graham, Portland" under a slot containing a CDV of a man, but the CDV could be of someone else.
H
  • Identification of Etta Harmon under a slot containing the CDV of a man
  • Identification of Rev. Mr. Himes under a slot containing the CDV of an older man, but the CDV could be of someone else.
  • Identification of Annie Hotchkiss under a slot that contains the CDV of a man
K
  • Calling card of Mrs. J. M. Kaler of Prout's Neck, Maine.  Presumably Elmira (Coolbroth) Kaler, wife of John Marion Kaler.  See a photograph of their home here.
L
  • CDV of a young woman identified under the slot as Lincoln, which may or may not refer to her
  • Identification of Lizzie M. (Edwards) Lincoln under a slot that contains the CDV of a woman, which may or may not refer to her.  Lizzie was born in 1829 at Gorham, Maine, and married George C. Lincoln in 1860 at Malden, Massachusetts.
M
  • Identification of Ellen Mann under a slot occupied by a rendering of a painting of two of Queen Victoria's children
  • Identification of Taylor Merrill under a slot that contains the CDV of a man, which may or may not refer to him
P
  • CDV of a man identified on the reverse of the CDV as Perkins; no studio marking
  • Identification of Mr. Perkins, Cal. under a slot containing a CDV of a man but the CDV could be of someone else.
  • Identification of Master Pickering, Portland under a slot that contains a CDV of a man identified on the reverse as Perkins
R
  • CDV of a man identified under the slot as R. H. Randall, presumably Robert H. Randall of Natick, Massachusetts, but CDV could be of someone else.
  • CDV of a man identified under the slot as R. H. Randall, presumably another CDV of Robert H. Randall of Natick, Massachusetts, but CDV could be of someone else.
  • Mary S. R., wife of R. H. Randall, presumably Robert H. Randall of Natick, Massachusetts.  CDV could be of another woman.
S
  • CDV of a man identified under the slot as Rev. M. Sargent, but CDV could be of someone else.
  • Identification of Mrs. Sargent under a slot, but the CDV is of a boy
  • Identification of Gus Smith under a slot containing the CDV of a man, but the CDV could be of someone else.
Photographic studios:
  • California - Sacramento
  • Maine - Portland
  • Massachusetts - Lowell; Natick; Westfield; Worcester
  • New Hampshire - Dover; Fisherville

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