Boy in profile. RPPC. Private Collection.
A pensive chiaroscuro portrait of a boy from the 1910’s most likely. I don’t remember seeing many profile pictures of men from the time.
RPPC: AZO 1904-1918
Category Archives: Teens
1950s 10th Regiment Infantryman
5″ x 8″ portrait. Private Collection.
Dusting off the cobwebs of my blog with this pretty boy. This unnamed private was of -I believe- the 10th Infantry Regiment, per the X atop the crossed rifles. In the 50s to early 60s, the 10th was stationed at the now closed Fort Ord in California. He was lucky. Next to sunny beaches and on what is now a national park, the fort was considered the most attractive place in the country to be stationed at; every new recruit hoped to end up there.
This portrait came in a large 8″ x 11″ mat with flap and the photographer logo at the bottom.
Photographer: Sunnyside L.J.C. California.
Frozen in time by ‘The Elliotts, Makers of Pictures’
The Elliotts – Austin, TX.
The Elliotts, Makers of Pictures photo studio was owned and operated by a couple, Martyn (1871-1936) and Jane (1871-1955), of 814 Congress in Austin, Texas. Jane, sometimes referred to as Jean or Jeannie on family documents, was a full partner – a rare and uncommon practice at the time!
Martyn and Jane were both 30 when they moved to Austin in 1901, and opened their studio. It remained successful until the Great Depression when Martyn’s increasingly failing health, and the poor economy pushed them to sell the business and negatives to Jensen Studios and Student Publications.
During their years as co-owners they managed to land exclusive contracts with the State of Texas’ legislature and the University of Texas annual where their daughter, Sarah Pelham Elliott, graduated in 1929 with a degree in stenography.
Was this serious looking teen a University of Texas student? Was it Mrs. Elliott he saw behind the camera?
As all good photographers, Jane must have had a knack for making people comfortable in front of the lens. I imagine she must have had to work hard to assuage preconceived notions, and to gain and maintain a successful, professional and personal reputation in an era when women were not expected to own businesses, and especially not in a field traditionally occupied by men.
She should have seen mindsets slowly changing from the 1900s to 1930s, with women gaining the right to vote in 1920, around the middle of her career.
And photographs speak for themselves. This nice shot would have made a fine class portrait in the ’20s to mid ’30s.
Fashionably Victorian in Adrian, Michigan
W.T. Barnum, Adrian Michigan cabinet card of young man with cross tie tack.
This handsome teen’s hair was a mess of waves in the front. He didn’t fight it with pomade, instead choosing to let it do its thing! He wears a distinguished white tie with a cross tie tack the focal point. A nice piece of jewelry with the chain hanging by the side. The cross itself appears to have horseshoes and bell symbols, and is this a saint in the middle? I’d like to find out what the cross represents, aside from being what I suspect is a luck charm. Could it be a military cross, a type of iron cross? It looks like the American sharpshooter one, except that one has a target in the center.
This card is of the 1870s-90s when flat and fat ties were extremely popular (and yet -random thought- I never see them in period films!). The fabric looks beautifully regal too. This portrait reminds me of this other cabinet card of the same era, with the similar type of tie and collar combination (and pose).
Update: this young man was a university student, member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. The local chapter -Alpha Mu- in Adrian, Michigan was founded in 1881, and is still active today. This cabinet card is most likely from the 1880s! It would not be impossible to find out who he was.
Thank you, Val, for your research!
Against the rose curtain
I enjoyed spending some time restoring this beautiful portrait. The original has a print defect and is sprinkled with black ink from the process. But fortunately Photoshop corrected these tiny imperfections to reveal this shot’s true beauty. I absolutely love the window and gorgeous rose curtain behind this young man, and the use of lights and dark to create chiaroscuro. And one cannot miss his eyes.
With the belt, collared shirt and thin, straight tie I’d date this portrait from the late 1910s to early ’20s (if so, it was printed on older stock).
RPPC: AZO up triangles, 1904-1918
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