Wisteria

From the Ellicottville Post, May 22, 1907

I mentioned something about local photographers being itinerant and here's a good example of that: Identified as Josephine Beecher Scoville [1 Sept 1855 - 17 Sept 1905], accession #2013-7-106. Came to Ellicottville in 1870, married William P. Scoville in 1880. Courtesy Ellicottville Historical Society with kind permission from Mary E. Dunbar, town historian L.L. ZUVER (1861-1924)                  Ellicottville (Cattaraugus Co), NY: 1886-1887 (Partner with MH STEWART) Pleasantville (Venango Co), PA: Oil City, (Venango Co), PA: 1905- Tionesta (Forest Co), PA: photography business & general store   L.W. ZUVER (1854-1927) Duke Centre (McKean Co), PA: 1880-1884 El licottvi lle (Cattaraugus Co), NY: (after 1875) August 1884 Salamanca (Cattaraugus Co), NY: after 1875-November 1884 Cleveland, OH: November 1884; engaged in the manufacture of dry plates used in photography Ol...

M. HOWARD STEWART (1858-1932). Photographer in Ellicottville (Cattaraugus Co), NY: 1886-1888, 1889-1890 in Huenerfeld Block on Monroe Street; March 1891 moved to Stewart Block on Main Street until about June of 1899 Middleton (Dauphin Co), PA: about June 1888 to August 1889 Washington (Washington Co), PA: about 1899-1900s M. Howard Stewart was born in 1858 in Utica (Venango County), Pennsylvania. He died in 1932 in Apollo, a borough in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, 35 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. He came to Ellicottville (Cattaraugus County) New York around 1886 and set up a photo gallery with L.L. Zuver. By 1887, their partnership had dissolved and Stewart carried on the business. In 1888, he left for Middleton, PA (Dauphin County) but came back by August of 1889. He built a studio of his own on Main Street in Ellicottville by March of 1891. In June of 1899, it was advertised that Alfred H. Coit bought Stewart’s photography business. Stewart then moved to Washingon (Was...

I would love to be able to say I came up with this, but alas, I cannot! But I did want to share this awesome "pinterest-worthy" photograph project for Mother's Day. The woman in this photograph is a dear woman who I have known for years. She is pictured here with her daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter using a mirror that was originally her mother's. How awesome is that? Though only four generations are pictured, really there are five generations represented. The granddaughter is the one that completed the project. When I asked it how she did, she explained and said it was a pain but worth it. I, and many others, would agree that it was certainly worth it. I hope this inspires you to make a project of your own to honor some aspect of your heritage...

Children of Thos. L. & Mary (Ida) Simmons Dineen (in birth order): Nellie,  Stella, Mabel,   Tom & Raymond (born April 1897) This is a cabinet card. These types of photographs first appeared in the mid-1860s and were popular from about 1875 to 1900. Most cabinet cards are a standard size of 6 1/2" x 4 1/4" although there were size variations later on. See the Phototree.com website  for additional information regarding cabinet cards. What started out as a small project bloomed into a bigger one as I searched farther and farther afield for information. I have always had a fascination for old photographs so a lot of my projects entail research about them. I have studied the history of photography via the finished projects that each era has ushered in as technology and fashion run hand in hand to shape experiences. In attempts to identify old photographs, there are several techniques that one can employ. One is to research the photographer’s information if...