Who Were They?

This photo of a baby all bundled up in blankets and cap and what looks like a padded cape just makes me all gushy. I want to cuddle the baby. The image has an incredibly clear shot of the sweat face, rounded cheeks and bright eyes, better than many 19th century cabinet cards. The photographer was William H. Partridge, one of a family of photographers. Father Asa was a daguerrotypist, first in West Virginia and later in Boston. The family studio was called A. C. Partridge and Sons. The sons were William and Edward, who both were successful photographers in their own rights. Around 1884, the brothers had moved to Oregon and opened a studio there. Individually, William and Edward travelled to Alaska to photograph the wild coast and scenery. They held successful shows in Portland and their landscapes sold quite well. By 1887, William had married and returned to Boston, which dates this photograph after that time. William remained in the photography business until 1914. After that time he was involved in real estate. William lived until aged 79, passing in 1939.

At the time of this photo, represented on the back mark, Partridge had four locations:

2832 Washington Street, Boston H’l’ds (Highlands?)

27 Harvard Street, Brookline

18 Blue Hill Ave, Roxbury

No 364 Cambridge Street, Allston

Each location featured “no stairs to climb”.