Who Were They?

At first glance, you see a sweet faced little boy sitting in a chair for his photo. But as you look more closely, be sure to look at his hair. The boy must have been blonde and his hair didn’t photograph well, because it has been drawn in. It is honestly difficult to tell if the hair was drawn onto the negative, or if onto the print after the fact. Early photoshop.

The photo was made at the Rote studio in Lancaster, PA. Lancaster History tells us that Rote operated at his first location 106 N Queen Street from 1873-1885. The New York Public Library website further tells us that Jacob E. Rote opened his shop at 50 1/2 North Queen Street in June 1883, and operated there until 1898. Rote died in 1901.