This photo from the C. Murray Album features an older woman with a book open on her lap, surrounded by four children, three boys and a girl. The woman bears some resemblance to one of the women featured early in the C. Murray Album, but I don’t think it is the same woman. If you look back to Who Was She? you will see the resemblance, but I just don’t think it’s the same woman.
The photographer is Dixon in Clay Center, KS, but I haven’t been able to find any information on him.
I’m working on posting the remaining photographs from the C. Murray Album, and this is another of the unidentified families within the album. I also think I have figured out another possible family member who brought the album from Kansas to California, and a more likely owner of the album than I originally thought. When I close out the album, it will be with a post recapping the family and what I know of them.
This cabinet card is most likely from the 1890s as the scalloped edges were most popular during that decade. The family consists of a mother, father, and two daughters. I believe this because of the parted hair on the baby. After the turn of the century, this convention was not followed as much, but up to 1900 it was still very common to part the hair of a girl in the center and the hair of a boy on the side.
The photographers are Zellner & Pennel of Wakefield, KS. They were also located in Junction City at one point, with that location being referenced in the Eighth Biennial Report of the Board of Directors of the Kansas State Historical Society, covering the years 1890-1892.
UPDATE: After studying this photograph for several days, I believe this is the same couple we have seen in the previous photo.
This cabinet card from the C. Murray Album features a couple that look to be middle aged, and I’m dating this photograph in the later 1890s or early 1900s. Kalin was known to be in business between 1890 and 1913, and was the photographer of choice for several of the album inhabitants. Although it is not on this cabinet card, Kalin was known for the “first stairs west of post office” notation on his cabinet cards. Kalin also at one point allowed his studio to be photographed, around 1913.
Secondly, the bodice the woman is wearing reminds me of one I’ve seen in a Belle Epoch reproduction pattern from the incredible TrulyVictorian.com. The incredibly wide sleeves and lapels served to add volume to the shoulders and emphasize small waists. I’ve seen a lovely blouse & jacket combination similar to this one, done in powder blue with white appliqued trim, so in my mind the lady’s clothing in this photo is in that color scheme.
Note, this photograph is an older version of the couple in our last photo from the album!
This is yet another unidentified couple from the C. Murray Album. This cabinet card is on black card stock, which was popular between 1885 and 1895. We know this photo is from the later 1880s because of the bustle that is apparent on the woman’s dress. Looking to the right of her body, you can see the drapery falling behind her. The bustle was popular until about 1889. I can identify 20 buttons on her bodice, which is quite a lot considering she probably was petite. Her hat has been placed on the pedestal to the left of the gentleman, and he is holding his own hat. The woman looks a bit like Kate Parish Streeter to me.
This lovely young woman is one of the unidentified cabinet cards from the C. Murray Album. She may be a cousin, friend, relation of the Streeter family, it’s just impossible to tell now. The photographer, D. B. Chase, was well established in Colorado, and many of his photographs of the region are in a special collection at the New Mexico State University Library. He was one of several photographers who documented the American Southwest in the late 19th century. He was active between 1873-1897, but we can safely date this photo to the 1890s based on the clothing the young lady is wearing. D. B. Chase passed away in 1897.
Who Were They? 