Friday, June 12, 2020

Early FDL Photographers

Early Carte de Viste, ca. 1863-65


Dating Early Photographs


Many early photographs come in the form of a print that is attached to a piece of thin cardboard.
The earliest of these is called a  carte de viste card, and is about the size of a playing card.  These were very popular, and easily exchanged with others, especially during the civil war period.

The Cabinet Card, a much larger image, replaced the carte de viste in popularity, some time after the civil war, and reached their peak popularity in the 1880's.  Cabinet cards continued to be produced infrequently up to the 1920's.

Most of these cards contain the name of the photographer, and in order to date the picture, it helps to know when the photographer was in business.  The earliest known photographer in Fond du Lac, was G. B. Green, who had his studio on Main St. near First St.  He had a full page ad in the 1857 city directory.

Here is a list of photographers found in city directories.  Note: many photographers were in business before they finally paid to be listed in the city directory, so the date they were first listed, is not necessarily the date they started their business.

Photographer Address year of first directory listing* year of last directory listing
Bergan & Ormiston 484 Main St. 1865-66 1865-66
Blackburn, Frank D 75 S. Main 1911-12 1911-12
Buss, Herman J 575 Main St 1887-1891 1915
Byam, J. W over 489 Main; 575 Main 1865-66 1872-73
Chadbourne, Cyrus over 456 Main; 98 Macy 1876 1901
Denne, Peter 75 S. Main 1913 1913
Dillon, John W 493 Main 1874-75 "established 1860" in 1875 ad 1903-04
Dittmar, Charles F Macy St, S of Forest 1884-1885 1884-1885
Donner Brothers over 516 Main 1872-73 1872-73
Dye, A B 93 Macy 1889 1889
Gibson, Byron 529 Main 1868-69 1869-70
Green, G B Main near first; 516 Main 1857-58  
Habermann, George A 171 S Main 1917 1917
Harnacker, Frank 120 S Main 1915 1917
Hart, James T 191 S. Main 1911-12 1911-12
Holterman & Crofoot 139 S Main 1907 1907
Holterman, William 139 S Main 1905 1905
Hurtt, George W 14 Fifth St 1884-1885 1884-1885
Johnson, Alfred S Washington st, 3 E of Mill; Waupun 1876 ?
Kibbe, Edwin 119 S. Main 1907 1907
Lang, Charles 534 Main St 1879-1880 1882-1883
Lind, Christian C 456 Main 1884-1885 1884-1885
Lind, Henry C 575 Main St 1884-1885 1884-1885
Lockwood, G M 498 Main St 1874-75 1876
Lockwood, W M 498 Main St 1874-75 1876
Matter, William over 535 Main 1874-75 1876
Matteson, Jared New Cassel 1876 ?
McDougal, William 402 Amory 1913 1913
McGowan & Son 79 S. Main 1911 1914
McGowan Studio 79 S. Main 1915 1922
McGowan, Maurice 488 Main 1884-1885 1910
McKenna & Miller over 512 Main 1887 1887
McKenna, Dennis W Main & First 1884-1885 1884-1885
Miller & Chadbourne 512 & 536 Main; 98 Macy 1897-98  
Miller, Henry S 512 Main 1889 1922
Moestne, A Main at Second 1868-69  
Moody, H W opposite American House 1868-69 1876
Parker, D Main St. Brandon 1876 ?
Rogers, Charles E 585 Main 1889 1905
Roorbach, J O 491-493 Main St 1865-66 1865-66
Shaw & Macomber 456 Main St 1874-75 1874-75
Spink, R A over 493 Main 1872-73 1872-73
Stanz, Herman J 119 S. Main 1911-12 1911-12
Strehmel, Edward C 85 Seventh St 1911-12 1915
TerMaat, J D 456-536 Main 1889 1889
Towns, H E      
Valin Camera Shop 119 S. Main 1919 1921
Valin, Rudolph H. 119 S. Main 1913 1918
VanBlarcom, L over 456 Main; 98 Macy 1879-1880 1879-1880
Wilkins & Hooker cor Main & Forest 1865-66 1865-66
Wilkins, O E over 489 Main. "sold out to Chadbourne" 1868-69 1876
       
*  note: many photographers were in business, before they paid to be included in the city directory

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