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.
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.
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.
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.
