The Chamberlain triplets were born on November 25, 1863, in Chippawa, Ontario, Canada, a village located just 6 miles from Niagara Falls, New York. Elizabeth, Sarah, and Susan were the youngest of nine children born to John and Anna (Munn) Chamberlain. The girls immigrated to the US with their parents about 1881 and the family … More Trick or Triplet
Our sitter in this 1860s ambrotype photo is Mrs. Jemima P. (Goodfellow) Brittain. When she died in 1905, at the age of 93, she was the oldest woman in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. Miss Jemima Goodfellow married Alem Brittain, a Methodist Reverend, in 1834. She was the mother of eight children. Thanks to the detail oriented individual … More Vigorous for her Age
I came for the embroidered cape, but stuck around for the genealogy. Seated in the middle of this handsome group is Louis Boudon. On the right are his maternal cousins Alfred and Marie Camus, with Alfred’s wife Laura (Staes) on the left. The Boudon and Camus families immigrated to the United States from France. The … More Everybody Blew Glass
I picked up this 1860s tintype on eBay. I’m always a sucker for a great group photo and love the interesting angle this was shot at. Where on earth was the photographer set up in order to capture it? Was it taken from an upper story of a neighboring building? Three people were pointing at … More Mother said Pointing was Rude
Our sitter looks to be in her early teens and based on the young woman’s fashion I date this CDV (carte de visite) to the early 1870s. The photographer, Luman F. Heath, operated studios in Lansing and North Lansing from 1865 to 1903. I believe the writing penned on the reverse reads “Clara Keith” although … More Play it by Ear
Although I was unable to identify this carte de visite (CDV) I wanted to share it in case a relative might someday happen upon it. Written on the reverse “Susie died July 6th 1867.” The photographer was Thompson Gallery in Albany, New York. Known as The Sun Picture Tax, the government placed a luxury tax on … More Susie Who
This cabinet card was found among others featuring students from Ohio Wesleyan University. Charles BoDurtha operated his photography studio in the university town of Delaware. The young woman is identified on the reverse as Clara Wright of Tinney, Ohio. Clara Finette Wright was born about 1874. Census records tell us that Clara and her parents, … More Clara Wright
Another wonderful image from Heather of _wherethewillowsgrow_ . The young woman in this carte de visite sat for her portrait in Grand Rapids, Iowa. Based on the small bit of fashion visible in the photo her image was captured in the 1870s. Miss Florence Condit, the name penned on the reverse, lived in Centralia, Illinois, … More Florence Condit
Without a location, it was impossible to identify the sitter in this tintype, who according to the writing above her head was Alma Sargent. Based on her tight-fitting bodice lined with buttons, Alma sat for this portrait in the mid to late 1880s. Sources: 19th Century Card Photos Kwik Guide by Gary W. Clark
Many of my posts deal with lives cut short or other tragic circumstances so I’d like to begin by saying that these two young women lived long full lives. Louise “Lou” Harris lived to be 91 and Mildred “Millie” Rahm made it to 92 years old! I picked up these images in an auction lot. … More A Flair for the Dramatic
the rescued photo 