Today’s photograph features a young woman (18-25?), and appears to be from the post-war era, so around 1865-1869.
The photo was made by Charlie Mosher’s Fine Art Gallery at 146 Lake Street, Chicago (Illinois). I was able to find a map drawn in 1869 by Rufus Blanchard who was actually located at 146 Lake Street. Unfortunately, the map of Chicago did not go west of the Des Planes River, and that seems to be where the address was located. Interesting, Mr Charles D Mosher was written up in many newspapers and trade journals as an excellent photographer and well known for many years after his career ended. He photographed many of the early pioneers and founders of the town, and these photos were apparently sealed into a time capsule that was opened in 1908. The website Chicagology.com has a great page that I won’t attempt to recreate on Mosher, but please do click over for more fascinating reading. I do wonder if Charlie Mosher and Charles D Mosher are the same person as the obituary does not list the 146 Lake Street location, but instead 168 Lake Street, 12 Lake Street, and a variety of other locations. Perhaps someone was attempting to ride on the coattails of a well known name in the photography world at the time.
Who Were They? 