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Cabinet Card Photos
...and the Historic Memphis Photographers |
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Bingham .
Balch . Barr & Young . Gebhardt . Hanbury . Moyston . Newton . Taft . Y Day .
etc |
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Cabinet
Card photos got their name from being displayed in or on cabinets in
the family parlor. They go back to the Civil War, but
they were most popular during the 1880's. They're easy to
identify because they were mounted on cardboard measuring 4 1/2
inches by 6 1/2 inches. The card has the photographer's name
and/or advertising printed mostly on the back of the card but
sometimes on the front, or on both.
The
Cabinet Card was a superb way to display the height of Victorian
fashion. For the photos, women wore their most beautiful
dresses, along with elaborate jewelry and hats covered in frills and
fancies. Men wore their best suit, often sporting gold pocket
watches and displaying the new style of a large mustache. |
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Navy
Officer c 1860s |
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Props also played an important role in the Cabinet Card photo, with
photographers setting up elaborate scenes in their studios using
wrought iron gates, phony rocks, tree stumps, hay bales, pedestals, as well as
window and doorway sets for their clients to pose in. As early
as 1857 excellent photographers were setting up shop in Memphis -
mostly on Main Street. Among the earliest were the Bingham
Brothers. Other outstanding
photographers followed in their path, including women photographers
as early as 1866. There was no longer any need for the wealthy
Memphian to travel to New York for that official formal portrait. |
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A
little trivia to help identify
Cabinet Cards Dates . No single rule applies across all
cards. |
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CARD SIZE: |
4 1/2"
x 6 1/2" ... the most popular size. |
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CARD COLORS:
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1866 - 1880 . White
card stock of a light weight.
1880 - 1890 .
Different colors for face and back of mounts.
1882 - 1888 . Face of
buff, matte finished, back of creamy yellow, glossy.
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CARD
BORDERS:
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1866 - 1880 . Red or gold
rules, single and double lines.
1884 - 1885 . Wide
gold borders.
1885 - 1892 . Gold
beveled edges.
1889 - 1896 . Rounded
corner rule of single line.
1890 - 1892 . Metallic
green or gold impressed border.
1896 -
. Impressed outer border, without color.
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EDGES + CORNERS
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1866 - 1890 .
Plain Cut Edges- 1866-1890
1892 - 1900 . Beveled Edges
1886 - 1900 . Scalloped Edges |
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Tax
Revenue from Civil War Photos:
In order
to fund rising costs of the Civil War, the federal government passed
an act in June 1864 requiring that tax stamps be affixed to various
goods, including photographs.
Fees were
assessed with different colored stamps for the various fees:
2c Blue or Orange stamps on images costing 25c or less.
3c
Green stamps on images costing 25c to 50c.
5c Red stamps on images costing 51c to $1.00.
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There were no standard rules established for cancellation of
the stamps, so photographers devised their own rules.
Some took the easy way and marked the stamp with an "X".
Other wrote their initials across the stamp and some added the
date. Some of the more upscale photographers had rubber
stamps made with their name and date. (Collectors take
note: The way a stamp was cancelled, or NOT, can makes a
huge difference to its value. Many "variables"
apply. If you are a collector, check Google and read,
read, read.)
This
very unpopular tax was repealed after August 1866. |
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Click on small
photos to see an enlargement ...
Lots of photos...Please give the page
a moment to load before clicking |
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Bingham, Ben -
Bingham Bros ... Bingham & Craver
... Bingham & Hilliard ...etc.
There
were three Bingham's in Memphis. Benjamin Bingham
was the oldest. His brother was Thomas Bingham. His
nephew, Brown H. Bingham was a
partner in the business and lived until 1920. These men
and their many partners were all noted for
their artistic ability and business energy. They became
the largest and most progressive photography studio in Memphis
and maintained the studio well into the 1900s. The Bingham
name is indelibly associated with quality photography and the
city of Memphis. The inventive Bingham studio also began
going outdoors to photograph city landscape scenes for the
popular stereoscopic viewer, as well as experimenting with early
color photography. |
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Ben
Bingham |
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One of
Bingham's
partners, Charles Hilliard, was married to Regina and after they
divorced, she scratched the "Hilliard" name off the back of all the
pictures that she kept. Benjamin Bingham died in 1897 and is buried
at Elmwood Cemetery. There was a Bingham Photography Studio in
Memphis, up to 1940,
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1880s |
Memphis Girl |
Young Woman |
Memphis Baby |
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Memphis Lady |
Lady with
curls |
Bingham-Craver |
Lady 1880s |
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Winchester |
Memphis Lady |
Child 1860s |
Lady with
hat |
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Two Ladies |
Bingham-Hilliard Article |
Article |
Young Man 1885-88 |
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Jackson Cpl 1900 |
Baby |
Robert R. Church
1891 |
Mamie Golson |
Gentleman |
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J. D. Huhn |
Siblings |
Young Man |
Will Randle |
Policeman |
O. T. Stahl |
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Parade 1870s-Bingham Sign |
Detail:
Bingham Sign |
Parade
1870s-Bingham Sign |
Industrial
Fair |
Industrial
Fair |
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Memphis Levee |
Waterworks and reservoir |
Steamships |
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Brother-Sister
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Two Sisters |
Union Soldier |
Colton Greene |
Young Woman |
General
Gordon |
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3 cadets |
Civil War Soldier |
Lady |
Child |
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| Young Boy |
Young Lady |
Couple |
Old Man |
Bingham |
Bingham
Plot-Elmwood |
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Summary of the various Bingham Studio Names, Logos, and Dates: |
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Bingham
& Bro's |
Bingham
& Craver |
Bingham and Brother |
Bingham &
Hilliard |
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1867-1868 |
1872-1874 |
1876-1880 |
1883-1888 |
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Ben Bingham |
Thuss & Bingham |
Bingham &
Bingham |
Ben
Bingham Studio |
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1889-1892 |
1893
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1891-1894 |
1895-1899 |
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Brown
Bingham |
Bingham's Studio |
Bingham's
Photography Studio |
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1900-1920 |
1921-1926 |
1927-1940 |
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Balch ...
Peplow and Balch
Hiram Allen Balch was born in Madison, Ohio in 1824 and settled
in Joliet, Illinois, where his photographs won awards wherever
exhibited. In 1859 he traveled through Kentucy and
Tennessee until the beginning of the Civil War. After the
capture of Memphis, he opened a gallery there and remained until
1869. Then he bought a thousand acres in Arkansas and
tried farming for 3 years. After a crop failure he went
back to photography in Hot Springs, Arkansas and was burned out
in the great fire of 1879. In 1880 he received an
appointment in the Census Bureau at Washington D. C.
He accepted and ended his career in Washington. |
H. A. Balch |
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Balch's Civil War photos in Memphis are considered his best
work. During this short period he
billed himself as H. A. Balch's Star Photograph Gallery.
Later he took local photographer Robert Peplow as a partner and
the billing changed to Peplow and Balch's Star Gallery. Balch's works include the rank and file soldiers of the war as
well as the famous U. S. Grant and William Sherman during
their assignments in Memphis. |
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Joseph F.
Allison |
Edward H.
Simpson |
Henry L.
Vanhoff |
Peplow-Balch |
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Tom Kelly
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U. Grant |
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Barr &
Young -
Fort Pickering Army Photographers
D. P. Barr
and J. W. Young, Cincinnati photographers, followed Grant and
their Ohio regiment to Memphis and Fort Pickering during the war
- becoming the official photographers of Fort Pickering during
the occupation. Because of them and a few others, we have many
photos of Sherman and Grant in Memphis during the occupation.
We also have a record of the many soldiers at the Fort during
this period. When Grant moved on to his battle at Vicksburg,
Barr and
Young followed him. |
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General
Grant |
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The early photos taken by Barr &
Young have the back-mark "Barr & Young, Army Photographers, Ft.
Pickering, Memphis, Tennessee." Their later civil war work is
marked "Barr & Young, Army Photographers, Palace of Art, Vicksburg,
Mississippi."
Both photographers settled in
Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1864 and for unknown reasons dissolved
their partnership. Barr bought out Young's interest and
advertised that he had opened his own shop, the "Washington
Photograph and Ambrotype Gallery" which was "Guaranteed to give
satisfaction." Young didn't print his name on his photo cards
- simply the name of the business. Barr also published his own
ad and announced that he now had the entire interest in the firm
formerly known as Barr & Young, and was ready to make photos "of
every description with neatness and dispatch." He marked his
photos "D. P. Barr, Army Photographer, Palace of Art, Vicksburg,
Mississippi." |
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Y Day
... and Day & J. F. Coonley
... Day & Wilson
Day
(Yearly Day) was born Ohio, 1821. He is listed in Memphis
Directories from 1865 through 1874. The 1880 census
shows a Y Day, artist, living in Jackson, MS. He appears
to have never married. The existing photographs
that he took in Memphis represent his heyday as a
photographer. In the late 1870's J. F. Coonley begins
using the "Y. Day" logo his own name below it. Later he
uses his own logo at the same Main Street address. Perhaps he took
over Y. Day's studio and business? Coonley was an
assistant of Mathew Brady and after his time in Memphis moved
to the Carribean. |
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Conf. Officer |
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Circus
Performers
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Lawrence |
Young Man |
Y. Day - Coonley |
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Y. Day - Coonley |
Y. Day -
Coonley |
Y. Day -
Coonley |
Y. Day -
Coonley |
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Lady-Flowers |
Coonley -
Lady-Bow |
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Coonley - Young Man |
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Y. Day Civil War Photo |
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Y. Day ...1860 |
Y. Day Civil War Photo |
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Y. Day ...1869 |
Confederate
Gunner |
Y. Day -
Civil War |
Y. Day
...1872 |
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Baby
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Baby -
colorized |
Child |
Lady -
standing |
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Soldier |
Man |
Coonley - Tinted |
Lady in
Profile |
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Moyston
Brothers,
W. H. and J.
H.
W. H.
Moyston Star Photograph Gallery, Memphis ... W. H. and J .H. Moyston,
proprietors. There was also a J. W. Moyston. They're
listed in the Memphis Directories as early as 1872 and their
listing continues into the 1900's ... consistently at 249 and 338 Main. |
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John. H.
Moyston |
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Moyston Logo |
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1884 |
Father-Son |
Brothers 1881 |
Memphis Man |
Anna Thomas |
Bare Shoulders |
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Collection
of Martha Lanier Moore Family Portraits |
Muttonchops |
FAmily |
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T. E. Hanbury
...
Clay Gallery ... Oak
Gallery
T. E.
Hanbury and the Clay Gallery... listed in the 1867
Directory as T.E and J.H. Hanbury. But T. E. and J.
H. Hanbury were active in Memphis as early as 1861. |
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T. E. Hanbury Logo |
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1864 Article |
1866 Ad |
1867 Article |
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C. E. Gebhardt
& Company ...
Cottage Gallery
Charles E. Gebhardt was born in Germany about 1847. The
earliest Gebhardt photos go back to 1877, when he worked with J.
F. Coonley at 251 Main. In 1878 he works with W. H.
Brothers and Co and becomes a partner (Brothers & Gebhardt) the
next year. In 1880, the company becomes C. E. Gebhardt on
Beale Street. During the next few years Gebhardt works
briefly with photographers Tidwell and Hanson at a couple of
nearby locations but essentially the firm name remains C. E.
Gebhardt & Co at 49 -51 Beale St. and 56 Beale St. with a ladies
entrance on Mulberry. |
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In
1895 Gebhardt's son Arthur begins to work with the firm.
This date also coincides with a series of moves from the
long-time Beale Street address to 414 Main (1899), 294 Second St
(1900-1904), 6 South Second (1905), and 169 S. Main (1906-1910).
Charles E. Gebhardt died June 1910 and is buried at Elmwood
Cemetery. Arthur Gebhardt continued to run the business
until 1911. |
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| Siblings 1880s |
Three Men |
Young Lady
1880s |
Lady - Tree |
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| Lady with
Guitar |
Girl with
Umbrella |
Colonel in
the army |
African Amer
man |
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Baby |
African Amer
man |
Young Man |
Young Girl |
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African
American |
Groomsmen |
Young man |
1900 |
Child |
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Martha
Lanier Moore |
Family |
Bride &
Groom |
Martha
Lanier Moore |
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Bell
Studio
...one of the wave of later Memphis photographers. The
name is William F. Bell and his studio was at 313 Main Street -
up to 1902. In 1903, he moved the studio to 67 Madison. |
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Priest 1889 |
Beauty |
1899 |
Vintage |
Aunt Gussie |
Young girl |
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Krauss & Dennerle
K & D
were first listed in the 1888 Memphis Directories.
Addresses on Beale and later at 413 Main. |
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1900 |
Vintage |
Young Lady |
Portrait |
Levi James
Thomas |
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James P.
Newton
James P. Newton
was the first professional African American photographer in
Memphis. He was a migrant from Mississippi and his studio was at 134 South Main in the 1890s and
later on Beale Street. In the earlier days
he and his brother Charles were in business together but in
1891 he was hired as a photographer with Bingham Bros where
he worked until 1897. The Bingham Studio was
considered one of the finest outside St. Louis and It's felt
that Newton "honed his skills" during his tenure at these
studios. After leaving the studio in 1897, he and his
brother went into business again as Newton & Newton at 121
Beale and in 1900 they moved to 382 1/2 Main Street. |
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Newton's work was described as of the highest quality and
his skills with a camera were widely known. He was
also very well known in Chicago and relocated to that city
about 1909. He had acquired a lot of property in
Chicago. Very few of Newton's early works exist today,
but they represent the Memphis black elite, and his studio
was well supported by the black community. It's felt
that Newton played an important role in combating race in
America. |
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Man
w/Bowler |
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Lady 1900
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Bishop &
Needles There's
no information currently available on Bishop & Needles, other
than their studio was located at 262 Main Street during the
Civil War occupation. Bishop
may have been a lady photographer? |
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| Soldier
1865 |
Catherine Hunt |
Soldier |
Soldier
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J. W.
Taft .
Oak
Gallery
The Oak Gallery was located at 282 1/2 Main Street in
Memphis. Photographer-artist J. W. Taft was associated
with this gallery during the Civil War. Since
there's no general information on this photographer, before
or after the war, we are still in the process of trying to
discover more about him. When we began this page, we had
ONLY ONE photo by J. W. Taft. By 2016 his photos
began showing up at regular intervals. Now we know he
was quite popular with the soldiers and the officers at Fort
Pickering, |
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In
addition Taft photographed a series of the USS war ships (We
have located one), and he photographed scenes at Fort
Pickering (We have located two, including a very rare sceneof Black
Americans quartered at the fort). These provide evidence that
J. W. Taft was well ahead of most photographers of the time.
We know that he was well trained but we don't know where he's from.
We suspect that he was one of several photographers who came to
Memphis during the "Occupation" to record the "war" and make some
quick money. Other than his photos, he has left no other paper
trail. |
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| Gen
Sherman |
Gen
Grierson |
D.Palmer
- Sailor |
Gen
Washburn |
Soldier |
Gen Grant
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1
- Provost
Marshal's Office |
2
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Contraband Yard... |
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- USS Essex |
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Photos 1, 2, 3,
4: (There is controversy over these photos.
Some credible sources say they are by McPherson and Oliver of Baton Rouge.
We are not totally convinced but will change our info when/if
definite proof becomes available) |
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4
- 1862 -
Memphis 3rd Street |
Soldier |
Soldier |
Soldier |
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Civil War Woman |
Hunt-Phelan Home |
Civil War Officer |
Lady |
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Deane,
M. O. ...Martin O. ...M. Deane
The Deane studio was first listed in the Memphis Directories
in 1891 as "Deane, M. O., 357 Main Street. In 1892 the
directories list Granville M. Deane as a photographer at 357
Main Street. In 1893 they list M. Deane as "Removed to
Dallas, TX" and Martin O. Deane with a new address at 281
Main Street. In 1894 the directory lists Martin O.
Deane as "Removed to Fort Worth, TX". |
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Deane |
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7 Ladies
- 1891 |
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Actors 1890 |
Actors 1890 |
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...
and other Memphis photographers |
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Hillard:
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Somers: |
Somers |
Somers: |
Somers: |
Logo |
A Richmond |
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Dennerle
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Swilley |
Swilley |
Milloy |
Milloy -1919 |
Milloy |
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Ogden |
Ogden - 1873 |
Ogden |
Harwell-Hancock |
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Harwell |
Harwell |
Harwell |
Harwell |
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Craver |
Craver |
Craver |
Craver |
Craver |
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Craver |
Craver |
Mitchell |
Blanks
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Excelsior |
Excelsior |
Excelsior |
Excelsior |
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Sowers |
Swilley & Lecoq |
Armstrong |
Armstrong |
Armstrong |
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Echard |
Echard |
Echard 1880s |
Echard |
Echard |
Brothers |
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| Brothers -
Cottage Gallery |
Brothers-Shaw-Harwell
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Cottage Gallery |
Cottage
Gallery |
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Oak
Gallery |
Belt Studios |
Belt Studios |
Belt Studios |
Belt Studios |
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*Memphis photographers
Coovert, Hooks, Newman, Poland, and Speers are on another
page of this website
>
Click here |
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Credits |
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The
Historic-Memphis website does not intentionally post copyrighted
photos and material without permission or credit.
On
occasion a "non-credited" photo might possibly be posted because we
were unable to find a name to give credit. Because of the nature of
our non-commercial, non-profit, educational website, we strongly
believe that these photos would be considered "Fair Use. We have
certainly made no monetary gain, although those using this website
for historic or Genealogy research have certainly profited. If by
chance,
we have posted your copyrighted photo, please contact us, and we'll
remove it immediately, or we'll add your credit if that's your
choice. In the past, we have found that many photographers
volunteer to have their works included on these pages and we'll
also do that if you contact us with a photo that fits a particular
page. |
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The "Historic-Memphis" website would like to acknowledge and thank the
following for their contributions which helped make this website
possible:
Memphis
Public Library, Memphis University Library, Memphis Law Library,
Memphis Commercial Appeal, Memphis Press Scimitar, Shelby County
Register of Deeds, Memphis City Schools, Memphis Business Men's
Club, Memphis Chamber of Commerce, Memphis City Park Commission,
Memphis Film Commision, Carnival Memphis, Memphis Historical
Railroad Page, Memphis Heritage Inc, Beale Street Historic District,
Cobblestone Historic District, Memphis Historic Districts, Vance
Lauderdale Family Archives, Tennessee State Archives, Library of
Congress, Kemmons Wilson Family, Richard S. Brashier, Lee Askew,
George Whitworth, Woody Savage and many individuals whose assistance is
acknowledged on the pages of their contributions. Special
thanks to Memphis Realtor, Joe Spake, for giving us carte blanche
access to his outstanding collection of contemporary Memphis photos.
We do not have high definition copies of the photos on these
pages. If anyone wishes to secure high definition photos,
you'll have to contact the photographer or the collector.
(To avoid any possibility of contributing to SPAM, we do not
maintain a file of email addresses for anyone who contacts us). |
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