I am a former curator of photography at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC, now living in Colorado. I created this blog to share my research on 19th century Colorado photographers.
Buffalo natives, Walter Raleigh Britton (1868-1934) and his brother, George Francis Britton (1870-1939), worked as photographers in Denver in the mid-1890s. Their cabinet card mounts provide many interesting details about their business.
Back of Britton Bros. cabinet card
The back of the card shows portraits of both men. We learn that Walter worked behind the camera as the operator, while George worked behind the scenes in the darkroom as a finisher.
The photographers made portraits, views, and groups, with “Babies [photographed] quick as a Wink.” The brothers operated a gallery tent in Denver, while most professional photographers in the city had permanent studios. They stressed that they had the most “complete traveling Photographic outfit in the country.” The studio used an enamel finish.
Walter and George Britton were born to William Henry Britton, a tin smith, and Florence Augusta Lovejoy Britton, a homemaker. Walter started practicing photography in Buffalo in 1887. He wed Alice L. Tully on February 8, 1889. In 1892, Walter continued his photography career in Denver, Colorado, where he was joined by his brother George. Citing desertion, Walter filed for divorce from his wife in March 1895. Following that, Walter relocated to Edinburgh, Scotland, where he would spend the bulk of his later years. Britton worked as a photographer in San Francisco, California, during a two-year visit to the United States at the turn of the century. He married Scottish-born Eugenie Christina Casimir Rogues in Nevada on June 26, 1900. Britton died on September 13, 1934, in Edinburgh.
Britton Bros., photographers. [Portrait of an unidentified woman]. Collection of the author.George Britton married Elizabeth “Lizzie” Jane Rector on December 24, 1893, in Denver.Around 1896, they moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he was employed by photographer Charles E. Emery.The family is listed as residing in Boulder County, Colorado, in the 1900 federal census.Two years later, they moved west to Meeker, Colorado, where Britton purchased W. H. Samuels’ gallery.Lizzie Britton divorced her husband in June 1905 for adultery, cruelty, and lack of support.She was granted custody of their two young sons.
George moved his studio to Boulder, Colorado, after the divorce.On November 24, 1906, he married Alvarado Voris Kidder.In 1911, the couple moved to Palisade, Colorado, where Britton operated a studio until the fall of 1914. They then moved to California and ran a photo studio together in San Francisco until 1925. George Britton passed away on July 12, 1939, in San Francisco.
In 1878, Rocky Ford farmer G. W. Swink offered slices of watermelon to train passengers passing through town. The following year, using the door of a Santa Fe boxcar for table space, a crowd of about fifty people celebrated the local melon. During the next decade, the celebration moved into the watermelon grove with a 500-foot table to serve more than 12,000 visitors. By 1900, Rocky Ford melons were shipped to the East Coast and as far away as England. The 2025 Watermelon Day in Rocky Ford is scheduled for Saturday, August 16th, at the Arkansas Valley Fair. Events include a carved watermelon contest and a seed-spitting contest.
J. E. Orr, photographer. Melon Day, Rocky Ford, circa 1897. Collection of the author.
Jackson Elmer Orr was born on December 22, 1865, in Clinton County, Indiana, to Civil War veteran Matthew Elijah Orr and Elizabeth Jane Scircle Orr.He grew up on a farm in Indiana and later in Kansas, with seven siblings. On his twenty-first birthday, Jackson married Priscilla Roseboom. Orr worked as a traveling photographer for most of his life, with home bases in Kansas and Colorado. He initially traveled with a tent and later with a gallery built on wheels. His life highlights the extremes some photographers go to survive—always seeking new opportunities, never staying in one place for long, buying and selling studios, and sometimes buying back the same studio they had sold.In the summer of 1890, he and Mahlon L. Anderson operated as Orr & Anderson, based in Greensburg, Kansas. In December 1890, Orr bought a photographic gallery in Pratt, Kansas, but he seemed to sell it almost immediately. He moved between Kansas towns like Greensburg, Oakley, Winona, and Russell Springs, staying for a few weeks or months as needed for business.
In November 1892, Orr opened a permanent gallery in Oakley, Kansas. He and his wife spent the summer of 1893 in Colorado and planned to be in Oklahoma the following winter. In June 1894, they moved to Rocky Ford, Colorado. He bought Edward S. Rickard’s photography studio and reconnected with his former partner, M. L. Anderson. After five months, they ended their partnership. Four months later, in March 1895, he sold his Rocky Ford gallery to Anderson. However, by October, he was back working in Rocky Ford.
Roughly 200 miles separated Rocky Ford, Colorado, from Oakley, Kansas, both small towns with populations under 500.Orr moved between the two cities, frequently operating studios in both towns.In Rocky Ford, he made photographs of the flourishing crops, especially watermelons.By 1900, Rocky Ford watermelons were prized for their size and taste, not only across the United States but also in Europe.
In March 1900, Orr sold his Oakley, Kansas, photo studio to O. R. Turner.Back in Rocky Ford, Mrs. Orr died from heart disease on May 6, 1901.Later that month, Orr sold his Rocky Ford gallery to Charles A. Wales.But a few months later, Orr made plans to build a brick studio with all new apparatus.The new studio opened on November 1, 1901.
On May 31, 1903, Orr married Bessie Seaman.The couple traveled extensively around the West Coast looking for a new business location, but returned to Rocky Ford and continued business there.In 1907, the couple attended a class on Aristo photography, a type of photographic paper popular at the time.Later that year, he sold his Rocky Ford gallery and planned to take additional photography training before opening his next studio.Jackson and Bessie Orr divorced in 1909.
In 1912, Orr had a photo car at Cortez, Colorado, in the southwestern corner of the state. The beauty of the area led Orr to extensively photograph the many prehistoric ruins in the area, and in particular, Mesa Verde National Park.For the next two years, Orr traveled around the state presenting lantern slide lectures on the history and significance of this geographic area.
In late 1914, Orr moved to Arizona.He worked for the Heath studio in Phoenix before buying John W. Branch’s Tempe photo gallery.Moving north to Enterprise, Washington, in 1918, Orr met his third wife, Cassie Anna Bell, a schoolteacher more than thirty years younger than him.The couple moved to Augusta, Kansas, where Orr worked in several local communities in Kansas and Oklahoma.
In January 1921, looking for a new adventure, Orr and a friend traveled to Mexico.Returning home to Kansas, he sold his studio and Orr and his wife moved to Veracruz, Mexico.Orr passed away in Veracruz on October 5, 1922.
In 1889, Nicholas C. Creede and his mining partners discovered silver at the Holy Moses vein up East Willow Creek in Mineral County. New mineral strikes in 1891, combined with the extension of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad to Upper Creede, brought an influx of people to the region. Three months later, the town of Creede comprised 500 buildings, either built or under construction. The silver boom ended four years later when the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890 was repealed in the fall of 1893.
1891
Elmer E. Pascoe was one of the first photographers to open a studio in Creede. His biography was featured earlier.
Elmer E. Pacoe, photographer. The Junction, Lower Creede, No. 33, circa 1891. Courtesy of the Creede Historical Society.
Rinehart & Jones
Rinehart & Jones’ studio in Creede.
This photo appears in the book An Empire of Silver by Robert L. Brown and is cited as being taken in Creede around 1891 or 1892. Rinehart may be Denver photographer Alfred E. Rinehart or his brother, Frank A. Rinehart, who had a studio in Omaha, Nebraska. I have not been able to locate any photographs by this partnership.
1892
Charles Goodman was born in June 1843, at Bainbridge, New York, to Abel Goodman and Anna McKinnon Goodman.Goodman may have worked as a photographer in his hometown in the early 1860s.Later, he lived in Ava, Illinois, before moving to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, where he worked as a photographer, joining forces with H. R. Farr as Farr & Goodman in 1875.
By 1880, he was working with his brother, William A. Goodman, as a photographer in South Pueblo and Pitkin, Colorado, specializing in stereoviews.The Goodman Bros. partnership lasted less than a year.In the 1880s and early 1890s, Goodman worked as a traveling photographer visiting mining towns in southwestern Colorado with his oversized canvas tent.A photograph in a private collection shows his tent, then located in Bonanza, Colorado, with the photographer standing in front.A sign on the tent reads: Views of Bonanza, Exchequer, Sedgwick & Round Mountain For Sale Here.
Charles Goodman, photographer. Creede Hotel, circa 1892. Courtesy of the Creede Historical Society, 1632-CRO-16.
In 1892, Goodman had a studio in Creede, Colorado, next to Hudlow’s second-hand store.His prints were offered for sale at his gallery, as well as at Mrs. Love’s news depot and the local drug store for thirty-three cents each or three for one dollar.In 1893, Goodman worked in Mancos, documenting local ranches.He remained in Mancos for theremainder of the year before relocating to Bluff, Utah, where he would live for the rest of his life.
In Bluff, Goodman continued his photographic work and also worked on mining claims.He wrote and illustrated “The History of the Oil Fields in San Juan County, Utah.” In addition to his mining views, Goodman photographed the local Navajo population.
Goodman died on February 13, 1912, in Bluff, Utah.He is buried in the Bluff Cemetery.
Enos Franklin Hilton was born on December 25, 1844, in Barry County, Missouri, to Enos Bird Hilton and Annabelle Bailie Hilton. During the Civil War, he enlisted in the Fourteenth State Militia of Missouri, Cavalry, Company F. He transferred to Company M of the 8th Regiment of the Missouri State Militia Cavalry on March 15, 1863, riding his own horse. Records indicate that he was 5 feet 6 inches tall, with a fair complexion, blue eyes, and light hair. He mustered out on April 18, 1865.
Hilton married Sarah Jane Lee on November 12, 1865, in Stone County, Missouri.By 1870, the Hilton family had moved to Arkansas, where Enos worked as a photographer for over a decade. In 1888, he briefly relocated his photo studio to Chautauqua, Kansas, before settling in Alamosa, in southern Colorado.His views of the local spouting artesian wells, sending water 40 feet high into the air, became quite popular.Mrs. Hilton opened a dressmaking business, offering both plain and fancy work, along withball dresses for the holidays.
E. F. Hilton, photographer. No. 37. “Castle Rock” Photo Gallery, Creede, Colo., circa 1893, albumen silver print. Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas.
In June 1891, Hilton moved his gallery to Del Norte, Colorado, occupying the space formerly used by J. J. Cornish.The following year, he moved 40 miles west to the mining town of Creede, Colorado.His Rock Castle Gallery, atop a large boulder, offered views of Creede and Jimtown.His street scenes of Creede bring the wild west to light. In 1893, he opened a branch gallery two miles up the hill in Bachelor, Colorado, a center for saloons, gambling halls, and prostitution.About a month after opening this studio, a fire on February 26, 1893, destroyed the building.
After 1895, Hilton turned to farming.In 1909, he divorced his wife of forty-four years, citing desertion.He spent the last months of his life at the National Soldiers Home in Washington County, Tennessee.He passed away on May 22, 1910, and was buried on the grounds of the Soldiers Home at the Mountain Home National Cemetery.
Brooks & Drake, a partnership of J. A. Drake and Brooks, active in Creede between 1892 and 1894. They succeeded photographer Charles Goodman. No biographical information has surfaced about these photographers. Their advertisement in the Creede Candle mentions that their inventory included 400 views of the Creede camp and mines.
Brooks & Drake, photographers. Bird’s-eye view of Bachelor City No. 279, Dec. 1892. Courtesy of the Creede Historical Society, 2966-SBU-12.
1893
Hoer & Drake, photographers. Donald, Clem, Neva & Ted. Collection of the author.
Hoer & Drake
After Brooks & Drake dissolved, Drake formed a partnership with Frederick A. Hoer. Hoer was born on May 21, 1867, in Trenton, New Jersey to German immigrants, Donat (also spelled Donard or Donatus) Hoer and Juliana Hess Hoer.By 1893, Hoer lived in Mineral County, Colorado, where he met and married his wife, Rebecca Elizabeth Tyree Hoer, on August 27, 1893.
F. A. Hoer operated photo studios in the area, both by himself and with J. A. Drake as Hoer & Drake in Amethyst, Colorado.By 1897, the family had moved to Mancos, Colorado,where Hoer ran a store.On January 26, 1898, at 5:30 in the morning, with a temperature of -23, Hoer’s business burned to the ground.The Hoers left Mancos for Telluride, Colorado, in the fall of 1900, where he and D. E. Snyder opened a clothing store.Hoer spent the last years of his life in Pueblo, Colorado.He passed away on September 6, 1921, at the age of 54.He left his wife, four sons, and a daughter.
Hoer & Drake, photographers, ca. 1893. Interior of the Last Chance Mine Boarding House, No. 464. 2954-SBU-5 Courtesy of the Creede Historical Society.C. E. Rees, photographer. Family portrait. Courtesy of the Creede Historical Society, 2161-P-284.
1899
Corrientis E. Rees was born in September 1868 in Muncie, Indiana, to Wayne Solomon “Sol” Rees Sr. and Letticia “Tish” Linville Rees.His parents divorced when Corrientes was young.His mother remarried, and the family moved to Kansas.
In 1892, C. E. Rees grew horseradish with plans to bottle and sell the condiment throughout the West.But the following year, Rees traveled around Kansas with an Edison hall phonograph, giving concerts. The audience enjoyed listening to cornet, clarinet, and piccolo solos, as well as band music.
C. E. Rees, photographer. Mr. Ray and his dog. Courtesy of Creede Historical Society, 4936-P-564l. Notice the mention of photo jewelry on the mount.
In the fall of 1894, Rees operated a portrait studio above Shilling’s store in Aspen, Colorado. He returned to Kansas about a year later, then went back to Colorado in early 1897, where he would live for the rest of his life. After a quick return to Aspen, Rees set up a tent gallery in Delta, Colorado. In February 1898, he sold his studio to W. R. Travis. Rees operated a photography studio in Creede between 1899 and 1903.
In December 1902, Rees built a photograph car, 9 x 27 feet, that he could use to make photographs in the smaller towns of southern Colorado. Rees continued in the photograph business through 1909.After that time, Rees maintained a ranch northwest of Monte Vista.Rees died at the Alamosa Community Hospital following a long illness on February 23, 1945.He was buried at Monte Vista Cemetery.
1897
Thomas J. Wiker worked as a traveling photographer.In the fall of 1886, he advertised his portable photograph gallery, made of pine, weighing 2,300 pounds.He worked in the San Francisco area before moving to Creede, Colorado, in 1897.
Thank you to Allison Quiller, Photo Director, Creede Historical Society; Johanna Gray, Librarian, Creede Historical Society; and Charles Harbert collector, historian, and author, with special thanks for bringing the Rinehart & Jones studio to my attention.
Part of my research involves visiting Colorado’s small history museums. Many of these museums are only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. I aim to make one research trip a month during the summer. In June, I traveled to Creede, Colorado, more than 300 miles from home.
Creede Historical Society, Creede, Colorado
Before my trip, I compiled biographical entries for all known 19th-century studio photographers in Creede, noting missing details like full names and dates active in the area. I also searched for their work through online sources and visited institutions in Denver, such as the Denver Public Library’s Western History collections and History Colorado.
At the Creede Historical Society Museum and Library, I met with Allison Quiller, the photo director, and librarian, Johanna Gray. Long-time photo collector and author, Charles Harbert, spent one morning with us. Charles and Allison authored the brand-new Images of America publication on Creede that was released yesterday.
Seeing the photos in person, rather than online or in books, is invaluable for gaining clues about dating the images and the type of camera equipment used. Information printed on the mounts, both front and back, provides interesting details. I added two new photographers to my database, which now has over 2200 entries. (There is a separate entry for each location of a photographic studio, so some photographers are listed more than once.)
My blog post on Creede will appear later this month. Meanwhile, I am preparing for the next road trip.
Portrait of Horace S. Poley dressed in militia uniform for the Cripple Creek strike, 1894. Denver Public Library Special Collections, P-2584.
Best known for his photographs of Native Americans, Horace Swartley Poley was born on August 1, 1863, in Norristown, Pennsylvania, to Dr. Francis Boyer Poley and Barbara K. Swartley Poley. He arrived in Boulder, Colorado, around 1886, where he met photographer B. F. Sooy. Together, they operated a photography studio in Colorado Springs, Colorado, from 1888 to 1891. In 1892, Poley ran his own business in Colorado Springs, while Sooy returned to Boulder. The following year, Poley exhibited his work at the Colorado Camera Club’s first exhibition, consisting of work by amateurs and professionals.
Taken on their return from camp, July 29th, 1893. 1. Robt. H. Russel, Ireland; 2. Saml. Wallace, Philadelphia; 3. Horace H. Mitchell; 4. Dr. Hopkins, Thomasville, GA. The only person I was able to positively identify is Horace H. Mitchell (1856-1930). Mitchell was born in Philadelphia and came to Colorado for his health in 1892. Collection of the author.
By 1902, Poley accepted a job as a clerk at the post office, a position he held for two decades. He continued to photograph and present illustrated lectures, often focusing on Native Americans, during his own time. The Denver Public Library acquired a collection of Poley’s negatives and prints in the mid-1930s. Poley passed away in June 1949 at the age of 85. He is interred at Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs.
Thank you to Kellen Cutsforth, Digital Image Collection Administrator at the Denver Public Library, for supplying the scan of Poley.
Benjamin E. Hawkins was born in Steubenville, Ohio. In 1865, IRS tax assessment records place him as a photographer in New Castle, Pennsylvania.On November 24, 1866, he married Ellen Spaulding in Steubenville. They had three children before divorcing in the 1870s.Hawkins operated a photography studio in Steubenville in the late 1860s and early 1870s.
In June 1870, the National Photographic Association convened in Cleveland, Ohio. The exhibition featured works by American and foreign artists, as well as displays of photographic supplies. The firm of E. & H. T. Anthony, renowned for their extensive collection of stereoscopic views, presented the latest photographic advancements and inventions. Among the masters of photographic art, Hawkins displayed three oil paintings and four photographs. What an exhilarating experience for a young man to be included among the masters in the field.
B. E. Hawkins, photographer. Hawkin’s Camp, albumen silver stereo view. W. G. Eloe Collection. Note the word “Photographs” to the left of the door.
Hawkins arrived in Denver around 1873, where he operated a studio on Larimer Street with Newton I. Chew. The firm specialized in landscape views of the Denver area. They parted ways in February 1876 when Hawkins joined photographer D. S. Mitchell on a trip to the Black Hills, South Dakota, embarking on a six-week journey to mining areas near Custer. That summer, he made a four-part panoramic photograph of Boulder, Colorado, from Sunset Hill.
B. E. Hawkins, photographer. Dump Mt., D. R. G. R. R. [Huerfano County, CO], albumen silver stereoview. W. G. Eloe Collection.
In January 1877, Hawkins and William Jandus worked together, traveling to Pueblo, Colorado, to make views. Hawkins stayed in Pueblo, using John A. Chase’s gallery, over Wilson and Shepard’s dry goods store. He recommended that parents bring their children between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to capture their likenesses when the natural light is at its best.
By 1877, Hawkins returned to Denver, setting up a studio at 377 Larimer Street, where he continued photographing the beauty of Colorado’s mountains and railroads. His stereoviews sold for 25 cents each or $2.25 for a dozen, while 11 x 14 views cost $1.00 each or $9.00 per dozen. His large views won a medal at the 1879 Colorado State Fair. According to newspaper accounts, Hawkins was a prolific photographer, but few of his images remain.
B. E. Hawkins died on February 1, 1882, of alcohol poisoning.
B. E. Hawkins, photographer. Rosita, Colorado, albumen silver print. W. E. Eloe Collection.
Hawkins’ former wife, Mrs. Ellen Spaulding Hawkins, earned a degree from Cleveland Medical College. She practiced medicine in Oberlin, Ohio, for over thirty years.
Thank you to W. E. Eloe for sharing his collection with me.
Central Photo Parlors. Unidentified couple in wedding attire, circa 1892. Collection of the author.
In 1892 or 1893, an unidentified couple arrived at the Central Photo Parlors at the corner of 15th and Lawrence Streets in Denver. They posed for a full-length portrait, likely dressed in wedding attire, in front of a painted backdrop.
In the 19th century, marriage ceremonies were typically held at the home of the bride’s parents. Unlike modern times, it was not common for brides to wear white dresses. Instead, this bride wore a fashionable light-colored dress with a pleated bodice. The skirt was smooth at the hips and featured a wide hem adorned with trim. The narrow sleeves were a popular style in the early 1890s, lacking fullness in the upper arm. Adding to the overall elegance of her attire, a trailing garland of flower blossoms cascaded down her neck and bodice. To complete the look, the bride’s gloves were carefully coordinated with her gown.
The groom wears a dark three-piece suit, a stiff white shirt and a knotted tie with a boutonniere and dark gloves.
Central Photo Parlors. Unidentified couple. Collection of the author.
They removed their floral accessories and posed for a less formal head-and-shoulders portrait. The close-up, a vignette style, does not show the painted backdrop.
Who operated Central Photo Parlors in Denver? The 1892 and 1893 Denver City Directories place Townsend & Hathaway at the 15th and Lawrence Streets address. The partnership consisted of Israel Lewis Townsend (1839-1921) and Frank Hampton Hathaway (1859-1937). The studio is mentioned in the Rocky Mountain News only a few times in 1893.
Israel L. Townsend was born on July 19, 1839, to Ohio natives, James and Susanna Brown Rodgers Townsend, in Frederickstown, Ohio.His parents were abolitionists, and their Ohio home served as a stop on the Underground Railroad.
I. L. Townsend began his photographic career in 1860. Israel married Mary Jay Yount on October 16, 1861, in Indiana.They had two children, James and Clara. In 1861, his studio was located in Iowa City, Iowa.By 1880, he had moved to Iowa Falls, Iowa, where he produced a series of stereoviews entitled “Iowa Falls and Vicinity.”In the early 1890s, he had relocated to Hastings, Nebraska, but he sold his interest in that studio to his son James.
In 1892, he and Frank Hathaway operated the short-lived studio, Townsend & Hathaway, in Denver, Colorado. Townsend remained in Denver until 1902, usually working as a photographer.
In 1904, Townsend relocated to Pasadena, California, and continued to work as a photographer until at least 1907.He died on December 29, 1921, in Los Angeles, CA, and is buried at Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum in Altadena, CA.
Frank H. Hathaway was born on April 3, 1859, in Wyoming, Nebraska, to Moses Hampton Hathaway and Minerva Jane Ross Hathaway.Frank grew up in Nebraska and taught at the Pleasant Ridge School in Cass County.By 1885, he was working as a photographer at various locations in his home state, starting first with a photo car in Fairmont, Nebraska, before setting up a permanent location in Ulysses, Nebraska, where he installed a large skylight and painted and papered the walls.
Hathaway was employed in 1890 by photographer Warren Givens of Seward, Nebraska, because of his proficiency as a retoucher and finisher. They collaborated for a few years before Hathaway relocated to Denver, Colorado, in 1892, where he worked with Israel L. Townsend. After a couple of years with Townsend, Hathaway worked independently in Denver through the late 1890s before returning to Seward, Nebraska.
In 1899, Hathaway, now known for his flash-light photos was back in Seward living and working with Givens.In 1909, Hathaway returned to the Denver area, running a photo studio in Brighton. After a few years, he was employed in the insurance industry.By 1930, he was living in Merced, Colorado, and operating a boarding house.Hathaway passed away on June 4, 1937, in Turlock, California.He was buried at Turlock Memorial Park.
William Richard Keys Armington was born in Lansing, Iowa, around 1860. By 1880, he resided in Colorado and worked as a painter, making both signs and landscape paintings. A man of many interests, Armington led the Harvey Light Guards, a military company established in Brighton in 1888. He began pursuing photography in the 1890s and opened the Sunbeam Studio. In the early 1900s, he managed a theatrical company that performed at the Brighton Opera House. He also served as the coroner for Adams County.
W. R. Armington, photographer. [Fred Meek, Milt Hunter and boys Willie Hunter and Tom F. Vardie, camping near Estes Park], ca. 1899. Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas.
Around 1908, he moved to Los Angeles, California, where he painted scenery for more than a decade. in 1920, he relocated to Tacoma, Washington, where he continued his painting career. Armington passed away on January 25, 1936, at the age of 74 and is interred at Mountain View Memorial Park in Lakewood, Washington.
Thank you to Bill Armstrong, Museum Specialist at the Brighton City Museum for sharing his knowledge of Armstrong, Denise at the Adams County Historical Society for providing research assistance, and to a local family that gave me access to their Armstrong painting.
Today we have a guest post from Anders Hedman, an archivist and records manager at the Stockholm City and Municipal Archive in Sweden.
Steele & Co., photographers. Portrait of John Wallin (b. 1858 in Sweden). Albumen cabinet card, 1886.
If you search for old Denver pictures you might come across cabinet photos with the credit line ”Steele & Co. 448 Larimer St. Denver, Colo.” Different web sites date these pictures to a variety of times. However, the author of this paper has come to the conclusion that the time of the studio’s operation was only less than one year – 1886. In this short essay, information from various sources put together tells the story of the rise and fall of a young photographer back in the 1880s.
The street number 448 Larimer Street is long gone, and so is the house which once housed the studio which is the focus of this paper. The district in which it was situated is still there though. The area around Larimer Square and Larimer Street today is classified as a historical area, and the street itself has gone from fancy boulevard to skid row – and then to the lively part of the town it is today. The Larimer area of today is known for its nice restaurants and for a pulsating nightlife.
Back in the 1880s the district was Denver’s main entertainment and shopping area. Thus, from a business perspective, if you got good and affordable localities there, it would be the perfect place for a photographic studio. That’s probably what the founder of Steele & Company had thought when he planned on opening up the studio there.
The first sign of Steele & Company’s activity was an advertisement in The Rocky Mountain News on January 20, 1886. There you could read the following: ”PORTRAITS – The cheapest ever offered. In India ink, water colors and crayon work a specialty; satisfaction guaranteed in all work; also tin-types and photos. Give us a call; 448 Larimer street”. The first ad is anonymous but it didn’t take long until the same ad started to appear with the signature Steele & Co.
In fact, photographic business was not new to the location. The same address housed Watson’s [photographic] Gallery in 1885. And before that Eastman’s [photographic] gallery from 1879 which took over from the Duhem brothers, who’d opened their photographic atelier as early as 1869.
But who was the photographer behind the brand Steele & Co? A look in the Denver city directory from 1886 gives it away. There we find ”Steele, William C., photographer” living with one H. W. Watson at ”r. 448 Larimer”. Watson was more than likely one of the owners of Watson & Conway Parlor at the same address, which if an ad in The Silver Standard were to be believed was ”the cosiest little parlor in the city.”
BEGINNING AND THE END
It appears that Steele’s investment had turned out good, because after a short time he was looking for an assistant. An ad was placed in The Rocky Mountain News in May 1886 which read: ”Wanted – a photograph operator and retoucher at 448 Larimer Street.”
However, the smooth start was marred by tragedy only a couple of months later, when the studio was struck by what The Rocky Mountain News called ”A Morning Blaze”. According to the article the fire department was called out when an alarm was turned in from The Alvord House, a hotel close to the gallery. The studio was already pretty much burned out when the firemen got at the flames and even though the flames soon were extinguished the losses were countless.
A man who was sleeping in the building barely managed to escape being burned to death. Steele survived but his loss was great, around $500. And he was not insured.
The article goes on to tell us that other businesses in the building at the time were the following: Mrs. Moore who ran a confectionery, and on the ground floor there was J.H. Mitchell’s saloon (having replaced Watson & Conway apparently).
Steele’s business had literally gone up in smoke. His finances were certainly in ruins and his home was gone. But Steele was as we shall see not a man that would give up easily. In the 1887 city directory of Denver we find him living at 510th street and 17th Avenue, employed by photographic firm Wells & King. In the following directories we find him still listed as photographer living at the same address, but no mention of Wells & King. Around the turn of the century the author loses trace of William C. Steele, photographer.
This article was a by-product of my research trying to date the photograph shown above with the Steele & Co. name. After having gathered some information I thought it might be a good idea to put what I found together for others to know that all photographs with the line ”Steele & Co. 448 Larimer St. Denver, Colo.” most certainly derive from the first half of 1886, and only that short period of time. And while I was at it, I thought it might be nice share some other information I found about the localities as well, as it might give the story some more life.
Thanks to Bethany Williams, Collections Access Coordinator at History Colorado for putting me in the right direction.
Online resources used: Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/ Ancestry.com for old city directories Library of Congress, loc.com, for scans of Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Denver, Colorado 1887 Google Street View for a glimpse of what the district today, https://www.google.com/streetview/
Joseph Gonder Hiestand was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on August 15, 1860, to John Valentine Hiestand and Eve Ann Gonder Hiestand. His father worked as a coachmaker and later served as a clerk in Washington, D.C. While in Washington, Joseph visited the Smithsonian Institution and developed an interest in mineralogy. He trained at Philadelphia’s Academy of Arts and Sciences and soon began assembling his own collection of minerals.
In the early 1880s, Hiestand settled in Manitou Springs, Colorado, a tourist town renowned for its healing mineral springs, particularly the Ute Iron Springs. Hiestand opened the Manitou Scientific Museum in the pavilion of the Ute Iron Springs to showcase his collection of rare minerals–one of the largest in the West. His museum, a 25 x 40-foot room, was elegantly furnished and lined with display cases for mineral specimens, jewelry, and curiosities. The space was adorned with pictures as well as taxidermied animals and birds. Hiestand hired four men to work at the museum. A complete range of cigars, candy, and lemonade made from the iron-rich water was available for sale.
William Henry Jackson, photographer. Ute Iron Springs Pavilion, circa 1890. Denver Public Library Special Collections, WHJ-888.Detail showing Hiestand’s photo gallery
In the spring of 1887, Hiestand leased the Ute Iron Springs, one of Manitou’s most popular tourist attractions. On March 28, 1889, Hiestand married Aline Zerelda Garrison Adams in Colorado Springs. In addition to running the springs as a concession, Hiestand opened a photographic gallery at the Iron Spring Pavilion in July 1890. He became one of the best-known businessmen in Manitou Springs by managing both companies. The gallery was under the day-to-day oversight of George E. Mellen, a photographer from Colorado Springs who was a former employee of William Henry Jackson, while photographer Lewis Imes oversaw portrait work.
Just inside the gallery, patrons entered a reception room filled with photographs from around the world.Off the reception room was the operating room with floors of oiled Georgia pine and a skylight with panes of ground glass that let in a soft, mellow light. The studio contained many backgrounds and screens for portrait work. Another room was devoted to making bromide enlargements and lantern slides.A short stairway led to the flat roof of the building where large-size work could be printed by the sun’s rays.Once developed, the prints were placed in a toning bath and then washed. A special set-up was devoted to panoramic work.
When the 8.9-mile Manitou & Pikes Peak Railway began transporting passengers up Pikes Peak via steam-powered locomotives, Hiestand became the line’s official photographer. He took group portraits of the passengers at the summit and then sped down the rails on a go-devil–a single-person vehicle that quickly descended the slope. There, he developed the negatives and printed the photographs to sell to the passengers as they disembarked from the train.
J. G. Hiestand, photographer. On Pikes Peak, alt. 14147 ft., Sept.1, 1892. Denver Public Library Special Collections, Z4962.J. G. Hiestand, photographer. Group portrait, including Mildred Mary Myers (1871-1943) top left, John S. Cravens (1871-1946) bottom left, and possibly Mr. and Mrs. S. Christy Church (top right), August 1890. Albumen silver print. Collection of the author.
Ute Iron Springs was a popular tourist destination attracting well-heeled visitors from across the United States. The families of Mildred Mary Myers and John S. Cravens came to Manitou Springs from Kansas City, Missouri in the summer of 1890, where their friendship blossomed. Miss Myers was the daughter of George S. Myers, a millionaire tobacconist. John Craven was a graduate of Yale University. They married on December 28, 1893, in Missouri.
Hiestand’s photographs were published in several souvenir booklets of Colorado Springs, and the Pikes Peak region. After nearly two decades of leasing the Ute Iron Springs, Hiestand purchased the property for $20,000. Based on his visit to the famous mineral baths in Saratoga, New York, he planned to invest $5,000 in improvements, including enlarging the pavilion and adding a hard-wood dancing floor.
In 1906, Hiestand was sued for $50,000 for breach of promise by Ida Clarke, a young woman who claimed she did not know Hiestand was married when she engaged in a romantic relationship with him. She attested that Hiestand promised to marry her. The sensational trial revealed that the young woman was under the age of consent when the couple took a prenuptial honeymoon. They had frequently registered at a Denver hotel as husband and wife. She lived at his home in Manitou for two years while Hiestand’s wife and three daughters were living in New York. The jury was unable to agree and was dismissed. Rather than go through another trial, the parties settled out of court. Miss Clarke’s settlement was disclosed as $16,000.
Hiestand died on January 1, 1916, when a gun he was cleaning discharged.The bullet passed through his right side and lodged in the wall behind him.Whether it was a suicide or an accident was never fully determined. He was buried at the Middletown Cemetery in Middletown, Pennsylvania.
Special thanks to Beverly W. Brannan, whose thoughtful feedback helped shape this piece. Dave Wendel, Digital Archives Specialist, at the Penrose Library — Regional History & Genealogy, Pikes Peak Library District provided valuable reference assistance.
