Photographed by
D. B. RUGG,
Main Street, Hiawatha, Kas.
Old photos copied and enlarged.
Circa 1890-1900.
Here's another CDV photograph from my Grandmother's album.
As far as I can determine my ancestors were farmers. It was common for the photographer to have clothes available for clients to wear. The jacket does look a little big. Perhaps this is the case for this handsome young man or he's in his "Sunday best."
The photo is a thin paper mounted on card stock. Measures 2 1/2" x 4" with the photographer's logo stamped on the backside.
This size became the standard and fit into the slotted pages of the little bible-sized albums.
It seems that part of the reason for this particular design of the album was related to the practice of keeping family births, marriages and deaths in the family bible. These CDV albums became a suitable pictorial companion to the family bible.
The small and simple name stamp of the photographer evolved into elegant and elaborate graphic designs for the logo. These logos became a work of art unto themselves. They were popular from the late 1880's in the into the early 1900's, up to about 1908. Great advertising for the photographers of the day!
I've searched for D. B. RUGG, photographer, but haven't found anything yet.
A map of Kansas shows the Hiawatha and Beattie, where my father was born, are about 80 to 90 miles apart on Highway #36, which runs East and West, just a little south of the Kansas and Nebraska State line.
Also, Hiawatha is just a little South and West of Sabetha (Highway #75 runs North and South) where my Grandmother's MILLER family lived.
Records for my Grandmother's MILLER family, show that they were living in Sabetha, Kansas from 1887 until her father's death in 1930.
The style of the carte de visite photograph and the information from our family records helps to date this little photo.
2010 - copyright © Carole Gates
