Wedding portraits from the 19th century are quite common, but photographs of wedding ceremonies are rare. A penciled caption on the back of this photograph states that Will Prentiss is the groom. But, according to marriage records and newspaper accounts, this photograph documents the wedding of George Prentiss and Gertrude McKissick. The photograph was taken on September 27, 1897, under the bell on the porch of the Hot Springs Hotel in Canon City, Colorado. After the ceremony, the couple traveled to Denver by train for their honeymoon.
Photographer George Christian Fricke was born on January 27, 1867 in Germany.He immigrated to the United States in 1884, likely bringing along his photographic skills. In 1888, Fricke owned a photography business with Bretzman in Pueblo, Colorado. By 1892, he was working as a photographer in Canon City, Colorado, and running a branch gallery in Westcliffe, Colorado.Fricke’s photographs illustrated the July 25, 1901, special edition of the Canon City Record, dedicated to the growth of the city and its influential business and civic leaders.
In November 1901, Fricke sold his gallery to the Mills Sisters, photographers from Chicago.In March 1902, the Fricke family left Canon City, living briefly in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Seattle, Washington, before settling in Vancouver, British Columbia.He partnered with photographer George W. Schenck.The firm traveled to the suburbs of Vancouver, setting up temporary galleries.
By 1920, Fricke was living in Aberdeen, Washington, working as a logger.George C. Fricke died on May 23, 1947 in Aberdeen, Washington.He was buried in that city’s Fern Hill Cemetery.
Thank you to History Colorado staff, Jori Johnson, Collections Access Coordinator, and Aaron Marcus, Digital Imaging Studio Manager.
Charles Eckland was born on December 3, 1859 in Sweden.He arrived in the United States as a young boy.After the death of his father, Charles was adopted by Ard Godfrey Emery, a Michigan photographer.Charles Emery attended schools in Michigan and Illinois.He started working in his adopted father’s studio by the age of sixteen.
At age twenty, Charles Emery arrived in Silver Cliff, Colorado with a solid background in photography.He opened a studio on the corner of Main and Mill Streets, beginning a distinguished photography career that would span more than five decades in multiple cities and encompass a wide range of photographic processes.
By 1880, Silver Cliff had become the third largest city in the state due to its silver mines.Soon after Emery’s arrival, smoke from a forest fire in a nearby gulch looked like snow on top of the mountains.The scene so captivated the city’s population that they closed stores and offices in order to view the sight.Emery made stereoviews of the mountain scene, which he later sold by the hundreds for fifty cents apiece. This brought his work to national attention.He immediately submitted one stereoview to the U. S. Copyright Office housed at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
Chas. E. Emery, photographer. A Sublime Picture, copyright, June 8, 1880, albumen silver print. Library of Congress. LC-DIG-stereo-1s11428.
Not content with limiting himself to studio portraits, Emery traveled to many locations around Colorado, including Garden of the Gods, Manitou and Pike’s Peak, Glen Eyrie, Denver, Clear Creek Canon, Ute Pass and Rainbow Falls, Grand Canon of the Arkansas, the Wet Mountains and the Sangre de Cristo Range, producing stereoviews and landscape views printed on boudoir cards. (Boudoir cards are prints slightly larger than cabinet cards.) He offered the views for sale at his gallery and through a catalog which is no longer extant.
Chas. E. Emery, photographer. Unidentified girl with cat, between 1885 and 1892, History Colorado, accession # 98.33.13.
On June 11, 1884, Emery married Bertha Alba Francis. Bertha’s brother, Gowen D. Francis, worked as Emery’s assistant. Bertha was a notable musician who played the organ for services at the local Methodist Episcopal church.After the wedding, the couple traveled by train to Manitou and Denver, and then to Kansas to visit Emery’s parents.Charles and Bertha would have seven children, only five living into adulthood.
In 1885, Emery moved his studio to Canon City, Colorado, but made monthly visits to Westcliffe, just west of Silver Cliff, to make studio portraits.Emery photographed prisoners in the original State Penitentiary located in Canon City, including images of prisoners in the chapel and a prisoner posed seated at a desk in the warden’s office.
Chas. E. Emery, photographer. Warden’s Office, State Penitentiary, albumen silver print on boudoir mount, 1885-1892. Courtesy of Museum of Northwest Colorado, Craig, CO.
In 1892, Emery purchased the photographic studio of D. B. Chase in Colorado Springs.He worked in the Springs for nearly forty years.At this studio, he specialized in portrait photography, often making class portraits for Colorado College. On request, Emery made portraits in people’s homes.He also sold Kodak cameras and photographic supplies for amateur photographers.
Exterior of Chas. E. Emery’s new studio, corner of Kiowa and Cascade avenues, Colorado Springs. Notice the large skylight in the middle of the building, circa 1901. Charles W. and Bertha Francis Emery Family Collection, ch134pdm.jpg, Colorado College Special Collections.
Emery attendedthe 1898 convention of the National Photographers Association of America, held at Chatauqua Lake, N. Y.The meeting provided an opportunity for him to learn new skills and see new equipment that might benefit his studio.Whenever in the East, he would also visit the leading studios to see their operations first-hand, to acquire ideas for his business.In 1901, Emery opened a studio custom designed for his needs, at the corner of Cascade and Kiowa Streets and ordered new studio backgrounds painted by a famous New York artist.
Interior of Chas. E. Emery’s new studio, corner of Kiowa and Cascade avenues, Colorado Springs. Skylight on left side with posing chair in from of painted backdrop. Notice the variety of posing chairs in the studio, circa 1901. Charles W. and Bertha Francis Emery Family Collection, ch134pbm.jpg, Colorado College Special Collections.
Emery exhibited about a dozen photographs in San Francisco at the 1903 Photographers’ Association of California. The following year he attended the National Photographers Association in Kansas City, and while there, visited the Worlds’ Fair.
In 1905, President Teddy Roosevelt participated in a hunting trip in Garfield County, Colorado.P. B. Stewart, an amateur photographer from Colorado Springs, accompanied the trip and made Kodak views.Emery processed the negatives and photographs an produced a personal album, made especially for President Roosevelt.The album is now held by Harvard University.
Chas. E. Emery, photographer. Unidentified man holding a newspaper, 1901 or later. History Colorado, accession #2010.62.3.
Emery’s work was included in the “Temple of Childhood”exhibition held in conjunction with the Panama-Pacific International Exhibition held in San Francisco in 1915. Another acknowledgment of his success came with his inclusion in “Who’s Who in Professional Portraiture in America,” published in 1927.The volume contained biographies of three hundred American photographers, including Arnold Genthe and Pirie McDonald.
The Emery family suffered a tragic loss in August 1929.They were staying at their cottage outside Colorado Springs when heavy rain caused a dam to burst above the camp.Charles and his wife, Bertha, ran to the neighboring cottages to alert their friends to seek higher ground.Bertha was swept away by the flood waters and drowned.Charles never recovered from his wife’s death.On September 1, 1932, three years after her death, Charles was found dead in his garage from carbon monoxide poisoning.The Emerys were buried side-by-side in Colorado Springs’ Evergreen Cemetery.
Thank you to Beverly W. Brannan, former curator of photography at the Library of Congress for editing this post. Daniel Davidson, Director of the Museum of Northwest Colorado brought Emery’s photographs of prisoners to my attention. Keegan Martin, Digital Imagining Technician, History Colorado and Neylan Wheat, Museum of Northwest Colorado provided scans. Jessy Randall, Curator and Archivist, Special Collections, Tutt Library, Colorado College granted permission to use photographs from the collection.
I haven’t posted in a while because I have been down the research “rabbit hole.” The life of a history detective is both time consuming and rewarding. The careers of many of the photographers I profile have never been fully documented. I thought I would share my research path for Charles E. Emery. A fuller post of his life will appear once I tie up a few loose ends.
Emery’s cabinet card mount
A few weeks ago, a genealogist contacted me for assistance in identifying the photographer of a cabinet card made in Canon City, Colorado. I can certainly understand why she was unsure of the photographer’s last name (Emery) due to the flowery script. Having the photographer’s name allowed her to narrow down the date of her photograph to between 1885 and 1892.
After this correspondence, I thought, “Maybe I should do a post about Emery. Are there interesting photographs I could use for my blog?”
Unknown maker, probably Charles E. Emery. Silver Cliff, Colorado, 1884. Silver gelatin copy photograph. Denver Public Library Special Collections, X-1595.
I looked at the Denver Public Library’s website and found a photograph showing the exterior of Emery’s studio. You don’t always find photographs showing photo studios, so having that photo sealed the deal–a blog post was in the works.
The cataloging notes for this image suggest that the photograph was made on Main Street, Manitou Springs, Colorado in 1884. Emery never had a studio in Manitou Springs, but he did work for decades in the neighboring community of Colorado Springs. However, that studio didn’t open until 1892.
In 1884, Emery’s studio was located in Silver Cliff, Colorado. Could I prove that this photograph was made in Silver Cliff? Emery’s Silver Cliff studio was located above Tomkins hardware store, at the corner of Main and Mill Streets. The New York Public Library owns a stereoview of Tomkins hardware store. I believe this view was made before Emery’s studio took over the second floor of the building.
Unknown maker. Main Street, Silver Cliff, CO, before 1882. Albumen Silver print, New York Public Library, Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views.
The left side of the building provides clues that confirm the location as Emery’s studio. While the siding has been updated, the balustrade is the same design. Also, the attorneys sign appears in both photographs.
Detail of Tomkin’s hardware store, pre-1882.Detail of Tomkins hardware store, 1882 or later.
What else could I find out about Emery? The website cabinetcardphotographers mentioned that Charles Emery was listed in “Who’s Who in Professional Portraiture in America,” published in 1927. Only nine libraries hold this title, including the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, where I worked for 30+ years. My former co-worker and now volunteer, Elisabeth Parker, offered to track down the book and scan the relevant pages. The entry for Emery provided essential information about his early life.
The blog post on Emery is still a work in progress. I need to make a trip to the Stephen H. Hart Research Center at History Colorado to fact check a couple of details. I look forward to publishing a fuller account of Emery’s life in the near future.
History lovers, help me solve a mystery! This blog post has been simmering for months because I was fascinated by one photo–the charming group portrait in front of the log cabin. If you look closely, there is a sign above the door that reads “Willa Catha Hotel.” I immediately thought of the author, Willa Cather, but she was a young girl living in Nebraska when this photo was taken. Share your thoughts!
Augustus W. Dennis was born on December 29, 1858 to Selah G. Dennis and Bethiah Thorndike Dennis in Rockland, Maine. The youngest of six boys, he attended school in Hallowell, Maine.In 1869, Selah, now a widower, moved his family to Melrose, Massachusetts, a short ten miles north of Boston.The following year, twelve-year old Augustus was severely injured when he was thrown from a wagon.Unable to find adequate medical care in Massachusetts, Dennis traveled to London’s famous St. Thomas Hospital. Dennis spent five years in London recovering from his injury.He returned to the U. S. in 1876, settling in Austin, Minnesota.
In Austin, Dennis learned photography from a Mr. Peck.They worked together as Peck & Dennis until January 1879, when Dennis took sole proprietorship of the gallery.In November 1879 he sold the Austin gallery and briefly relocated to Faribault, Minnesota.He left for Colorado in a covered wagon in April 1880.
Dennis arrived in Canon City, Colorado where he took possession of E. G. Morrison’s photo gallery on Main Street, and sold Morrison’s stereos of Colorado scenery.He also maintained the city’s free reading room.The library contained more than 150 books and seventy-five newspaper titles.For ten cents a week, patrons could take books home to read.
A. W. Dennis, photographer. Canon City, Main Street between Fourth and Fifth Streets, showing the Dennis studio and Free Reading Room, 1880. Albumen silver print. Courtesy of Roger Genser – The Prints & The Pauper, Santa Monica, CA.
In March 1881, Canon City photographer J. A. Boston retired and sold his instruments, negatives and stock to Dennis.Due to an increase in business, Dennis hired several assistants, including Thomas J. Colpas, from Kansas City, to work in his gallery.In June 1881, Dennis set up a temporary studio at Colorado’s first state penitentiary to document convicts, recording their likenesses in the event of their escape.Dennis also made a series of photographs of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad.In addition to photographs, Dennis sold rattan furniture and pianos in the gallery.
In February 1883, Dennis added a partner, William E. Few.They operated as Dennis & Few through 1885.Few would later work with Dennis in Glenwood Springs, where Dennis relocated around 1886.His first Glenwood studio consisted of a tent north of the river.Later he moved to permanent quarters on Blake Avenue. Dennis used the dry instantaneous process to photograph local scenery.In November 1892, Dennis traveled to Mexico on official business to photograph government documents related to the Mexican land grant of 1838. He lived in Glenwood Springs through the early 1900s, serving as the city’s mayor in 1892.
A. W. Dennis, photographer. Chas. & Henry Hubbard Stage Between Yellow Dog and Glenwood, 1880s, Courtesy Glenwood Historical Society, Carleton Hubbard Collection.A. W. Dennis, photographer. The Glenwood Historical Society caption identifies this as the First House in Glenwood Springs, N. E. end of Town. The Denver Public Library also owns a copy of this image with the caption First Hotel, Glenwood Springs, patrons and employees stand outside Fred Barlow’s Grand Springs Hotel, 1880s. Courtesy Glenwood Historical Society, Carleton Hubbard Collection.
Dennis photographed the development of Glenwood’s hot springs, now the world’s largest hot springs pool. Located along the Colorado River in Glenwood’s downtown area, the hot springs began operation in July 1888.
Glenwood Hot Springs, 1888, Courtesy Glenwood Historical Society, Carleton Hubbard CollectionThe Hot Springs after expansion, 1892, Courtesy Glenwood Historical Society, Carleton Hubbard Collection
While Dennis announced in November 1902 that he and his wife were moving to California for his wife’s health, it seems that they relocated to Pueblo, Colorado, naming his business the Rembrandt Studio. In December 1904, Dennis advertised the sale of his Pueblo studio due to his wife’s illness. They removed to Long Beach, California where Mrs. Dennis passed away in August 1905.
Dennis returned to Glenwood Springs in 1906, becoming a cattle rancher. He died on July 24, 1927, Glenwood Springs. He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Canon City, next to his wife.
Thank you to Carolyn Cipperly, Archivist, Glenwood Springs Historical Society, for research help and Beverly W. Brannan for proof reading this post. Roger Genser confirmed the attribution of Dennis’ Canon city street scene. The Peter E. Palmquist Memorial Fund for Historical Photographic Research provided funds for the scans from the Glenwood Historical Society.
William Edwin Few was born on March 27, 1847, in New York state to William Few and Frances H. Phillips Few.Few enlisted in the Civil War at the age of eighteen, joining the New York 8th Cavalry Regiment, Company K on March 23, 1865.He mustered out on June 27, 1865, in Alexandria, Virginia.
Disbrow & Few, photographers. Mary Allen Watson and her nanny, June 15, 1866, albumen silver print on cdv mount. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Washington, D.C.
The following year, Few took up photography with a partner named Disbrow.They operated as Disbrow & Few in Albion and Barre, New York. The firm photographed six-month old Mary Allen “Daisy” Watson (1865-1944) sitting on the lap of her Black nanny in June 1866.While the 1860 and 1870 census records list servants in the household, none match up with the woman pictured.
By 1870, Few had moved his business to Independence, Iowa, and a few years later he traveled south, setting up shop in Little Rock, Arkansas.The 1880 census lists him as a photographic artist in Delavan, Illinois.
Based on Few’s Canon City street scene showing blacksmiths Hyde & Ashby, the photographer arrived in Colorado before March 1881, when Hyde took sole control over the shop.In 1883, photographer Augustus W. Dennis took Few as a partner in his Canon City studio. After 1883, there are gaps in Few’s career. He surfaces Montrose, Colorado in 1888 and in 1893 in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, again working with Dennis, until his contract expired in May 1894. Later, Few moved twelve miles west to New Castle, Colorado, making cabinet card photos for three dollars per dozen.
Will E. Few, photographer. Canon City street scene, circa 1881, albumen silver print on boudoir card. Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas.
Around 1897, Few moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, working as a caretaker at Lookout Mountain and residing in the Cravens House, a Civil War battle site.William E. Few died on May 22, 1920, in Chattanooga.His remains reside at the Chattanooga National Cemetery.
Thank you to Elisabeth Parker, former assistant chief, Prints & Photographs Division, Washington, D.C., for proof-reading this post.
