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Monthly Archives: April 2012

Ryder’s Ramblings in Elyria

29 Sunday Apr 2012

Posted by mirrorwithamemory in Photography, Rare Books

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

A.H. Greenly, Berea, Books, Burrows Brothers Books, Cleveland, Collamer, Elyria, Horticulture, J.F. Ryder, J.W. Dunham, Nostalgia, Photography, Voigtlander and I

As promised, here is Ryder’s autobiography, Voigtländer and I: In Pursuit of Shadow Catching. It is well-known in the field of photography as one of few autobiographies written by an early photographer. I discovered this book two years ago while working on an assignment for a Histories of Photography course. One of the sources I was using for a paper referenced Ryder’s book. After a simple inter-library loan request, voila! A first edition 1902 copy was mine to borrow. I read it each evening for fun and was shocked to find that Ryder had been to so many places that I had. It was as though I was following in his footsteps. I loved Ryder’s purposeful, yet nostalgic writing style. It was too much to hold a first edition in my hands that wasn’t mine. I had to get my own.

Frantic online searches for the book made me realize I wasn’t going to cheaply find a first edition. I was beside myself. A modern-day reprint just wouldn’t do, not after reading the real thing! I pouted. And wouldn’t you know it, the next day another first edition appeared online…and on sale. I snapped it up.

I’m especially fond of my book for its longstanding Cleveland connection. A few pieces of paper have been left inside the front cover, leaving dark silhouettes on the surrounding pages. The first is a May 8, 1939 letter of inquiry from A.H. Greenly, the Chairman of the Official Classification Committee, to the Burrows Bros. Book Shop in Cleveland. Apparently Greenly wanted a copy of Ryder’s book and the Burrows boys hadn’t followed through in a timely manner. Why A.H. Greenly, a bomb-inspecting man, wanted Voigtländer and I is beyond me. Light reading, I suppose? Anyway, this letter from Greenly seemed to light a fire beneath the Burrows brothers, as the other piece of paper in the book has the scribbled name and address of Ryder’s relative who still lived in Cleveland. Did my book come from this relative upon Greenly’s request?

I guess I was like Greenly in my own right, scrambling to find a copy of Ryder’s book. What can I say? It’s that good.

Today, I’d like to pull some information from Ryder’s autobiography and put my own spin on his experiences in Elyria, Ohio. Ryder settled in the town (now a city) after working his way west from Ithaca as an itinerant. He set up a daguerreotype studio in Elyria in 1849 and maintained business ties there until 1858. In 1852, the building that housed his studio caught fire and destroyed his belongings (including his beloved Voigtländer camera). Despite this traumatic and financially draining experience, Ryder had a soft spot for Elyria. In Voigtländer and I he states:

 My fondness for the beautiful in nature found here much to feed upon. At evening before twilight I found my reserved front seat, which no one else disputed, and enjoyed it to my heart’s content.

On moonlight nights, after “Wils” Ryan, the miller, had shut up shop and gone home, I would lounge on the grass beside the old mill with its great, drippy water-wheel, and enjoy the pleasing rhythm of the falling water, splashing and dripping continuously and soothingly, inducing me to indulgence in waking dreams which led me pleasantly to Ithaca and the old Cascadilla, whose dashing water I so dearly loved.

East Falls of the Black River, Elyria, Ohio. The stair-step stones on the right are the ruins of the old Red Mill. Based on the description above, this was Ryder's favorite vantage point.

And now for the surprise: a daguerreotype from my collection. Written inside the case is “J.W. Dunham. Elyria. Lorain Co., Ohio. $1.00.” With the exception of this portrait, I have never seen another daguerreotype from Elyria. Who was J.W. Dunham? Was this likeness taken by J.F. Ryder and his Voigtländer?

Let’s do a little detective work.    

J.W. Dunham.

We know this man was J.W. Dunham. But who was he, really? There were two in Ohio (as well as a few from other states).

The first is Dr. J. Watson Dunham (1824-1890) from Collamer, near East Cleveland. He was a horticulturist who specialized in grape-growing. He owned several vineyards. Dunham served as president of the Lake Shore Grape Grower’s Association and treasurer of the Ohio State Horticultural Society.

The second J.W. Dunham (1834-1906) was from Hinckley and Berea, Ohio. He was an inventor of farm implements and started the J.W. Dunham & Son Company.

Image courtesy of Miami University Digital Collections. Oxford, Ohio.

Because the two men studied similar topics and lived within 25 miles of each other during the same time period, it is almost impossible to distinguish one from the other; but let’s think a little harder. In the photograph, Dunham rests his hand on a book. This was a classic symbol for scholarship. His top hat on the table and silver-handled walking stick suggest that he was quite the affluent man. If I had to judge his age, I’d guess that he was about thirty at the time this photograph was taken. 

As for the daguerreotype itself, it was set beneath a thick, smooth, nonpareil mat. This smooth style of mat dates to the early 1850s (a stippled nonpareil mat dates earlier). The matted image is encased in a preserver, which dates after 1847. This means that the daguerreotype must be from the early 1850s. Taking this into account, J.W. Dunham of Berea would have been about twenty years old at best. Dr. J.Watson Dunham of Collamer, however, would have been about thirty. Perfect!

Now, did Ryder take the photo? Time to think broadly. In the early 1850s, there were only four daguerreotypists in Elyria: Fred Potter, Charles Park, Edward Wikes, and Ryder himself. Potter was only active in Elyria during the year 1853. As for Park and Wikes, Ryder trained them. I’d say it is likely Ryder had a hand in creating the daguerreotype.

Well readers, that’s the end of today’s adventure. Coming up next: cartes-de-visite!

James Fitzallen Ryder, Cleveland Photographer. An Advertisement…or Six.

28 Saturday Apr 2012

Posted by mirrorwithamemory in Photography

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Advertisements, Archibald Willard, Art, Cleveland, Daguerreotype, Ithaca, James Fitzallen Ryder, Photography

And so the saga begins. For the next several blog entries, I’ve decided to feature my favorite photographer, James Fitzallen Ryder (1826-1904). Born near Ithaca, New York, he was an apprentice for a local daguerreotypist by the name of Professor Brightly. A visit from Cleveland, Ohio photographer Charles Johnson caused Ryder to seriously pursue new techniques in photography. Ryder left Professor Brightly’s makeshift harness shop/photography studio, traveled west, and worked somewhat as an itinerant. He eventually settled in Cleveland, where he began a long, groundbreaking career in the field. Rather than summarize Ryder’s entire biography and scope of work, I’d like to refer you to a blog entry by vintagephotosjohnson. This is the most comprehensive summary and consolidated list of sources I’ve seen on the subject of Ryder.

Below you will see my collection of advertising cards for Ryder’s photography studio. Oddly enough, I purchased them from a seller in England. How these cards ended up across the pond, I have no idea. There are glue marks obscuring parts of the advertisements. This makes me think that someone had pasted them in an album or up somewhere on display. Whoever owned the cards had a specific attachment to them, of which we may never learn.

The cards highlight Ryder’s studio at 239 Superior Street in Cleveland. This was the last, most elaborate, and most permanent location of his studio. As evidenced by text on the cards, Ryder had branched out by this time. In addition to photography, he began to showcase and reproduce work by local artists, perhaps most notably Archibald Willard, in his gallery of fine art. By doing so, Ryder’s studio was known not only as a place to obtain a quality likeness, but also as a showplace for curious passersby. 

Stay tuned for my next post in the series. I plan to talk about my copy of Ryder’s autobiography Voigtländer and I: In Pursuit of Shadow Catching. I might even throw in a special photograph, but that’s a surprise!

The Rewards of a Cozy Evening

27 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by mirrorwithamemory in Uncategorized

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Architecture, Home Decor, Procrastination, Versatile Blogger Award

Last night was chilly. It was the perfect kind of night for my Edith Piaf Pandora station, candles, and chai tea. Earlier in the evening, I had decorated the top of the radiator in my room. Carnations were on sale at the grocery store…they matched well with my garbage-picked bottles, souvenirs, art show treasures, and clearance Hobby Lobby finds.

It was nice to look at as I spent the evening editing a group assignment for school. Our group has documented a historic house from the 1840s to the present. This includes an architectural sketch of the floor plan, an AutoCad drawing, maps, deed searches, photographs, and a physical description of building components over time.

I’ve really enjoyed the project; but seeing as it was my homework for the night, I got restless. I decided to check my blog. 

Lo and behold, alundeberg of readncook had nominated me for the Versatile Blogger Award. Many thanks! I’m glad you find my blog versatile…this post certainly is, at least! Here are the rules:

  • Thank the person who gave you this award. 
  • Include a link to their blog.
  • Select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly.
  • Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award
  • Tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself.
  
And the winners are… 
Donald Reese Photography
Vickster’s Vine
A Room of One’s Own
SaveEveryStep
Exploring London
Foodimentary
The Cabinet Card Gallery
Amusing the Zillion
Ariela’s Studio
Stream of Consciousness      
Designflutter
alittlebitofbre
Garden Muse
Bliss in Images
Antique Owl
  
7 Facts About Me:
  1. I’m an only child.
  2. I enjoy reading when I don’t have to.
  3. I like to take walks.
  4. I go on crazy adventures with a neighborhood cat named Mew.
  5. I’ve never traveled by airplane.
  6. I like to paint and draw.
  7. I know how to play the violin, piano, harp, and guitar.  

Thank you again, alundeberg, for the nomination. To the rest of my readers, check out the winners I’ve selected. There are some pretty neat blogs out there!


With Kid Gloves

25 Wednesday Apr 2012

Posted by mirrorwithamemory in Postcards

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

Berlin, Dresden, Elyria Ohio, Erb's palsy, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Leipzig, Photography, Postcard, Travel, Vienna

I bought this real photo postcard of Kaiser Wilhelm II at a postcard show in Northwest Ohio. It is captioned “Berlin, June 21, 1907.” The photograph was taken right between the Moroccan Crisis of 1905 and the Daily Telegraph Affair of 1908. The Kaiser was a busy guy!

You can see that he holds a pair of white gloves, clutches a spyglass, and leans on a ceremonial sword all with his left arm and hand. These props were more strategic than one might think upon first glance. Wilhelm II had Erb’s palsy, a paralyzing condition caused by nerve damage from rough childbirth. As a result, the Kaiser’s left arm was somewhat disfigured and shorter than his right arm. Props were his way of concealing it.

This postcard was not mailed until December of 1907, months after the caption on the front was written. It was sent from Berlin by a woman named Annie to her cousin, Mrs. Alexander Schillaman of Elyria, Ohio. Below is the transcription.

Saturday.

Dear Cousin,

I received your letter with the order all O.K. Will get your gloves some time next week. They have three day holidays here on Christmas. The postage is alright; there is always enough for that our money has a little more value than German. 6 mark apiece for the gloves and 50 Pfennige [left] over, which is about 12 1/2 cents in our money. That pays the postage. Aunt Joy and Margaret left for Prague this morning 8:30. They expect to stay there about two months. They stop in Dresden and Leipzig and Vienna on the way. It is very bad weather now to travel, but they don’t  intend to do very much. Goodbye, love to both of you.

Annie

I love the correlation between the Kaiser holding his gloves on the front and Annie discussing glove orders on the back.

For a bit of perspective on what life was like for travelers Annie, Joy, and Margaret, here’s some early film footage (1900-1914) of Berlin. Enjoy!

It’s the Little Things in Life

23 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by mirrorwithamemory in Art

≈ 28 Comments

Tags

Art, Dario Marianelli, Dollhouse, Dollhouse Miniatures, Hobby, Inspiration, Nineteenth Century, Period Rooms, Pride and Prejudice

Well, readers, you might know by now that this is an antiques blog; but this time I’m going to break my own rules and show you something that I made rather than bought. I started working with dollhouse miniatures around the age of fourteen. For my first project, I built a large sunny yellow Queen Anne dollhouse. I worked on that house in my grandparents’ basement every day after school for two years. While I was still working away in the basement (and burning my fingers with a hot glue gun), the movie Pride and Prejudice came to theaters (the Keira Knightley version, that is). I was enamored by everything in the film: the scenery, the lavish interiors, Mr. Darcy, and the soundtrack by Dario Marianelli. Of course I had read Jane Austen’s novel prior to the movie, but I was never able to connect with her story until I saw it on the big screen. That was the moment when I fell in love with period rooms. 

I had to make my own interpretation of it.

Using the movie soundtrack and daydreams in my head, I designed my own late eighteenth/early nineteenth-century period room and called it “The Darcy Room.” I built the wooden roombox. Then, I proceeded to paint, spackle, saw, glue, nail, electrify, stain, sew, bleed, and cry. It’s a ton of work, especially since I make a lot of my own interior furnishings to save money. Four years of college have passed since I started, and you can see in the photo above that I still haven’t finished the project. (I need to gild two more legs on my pier table and install two more sconces.) Such is life. I will get back to it.

For some perspective on size, I work in 1:12 scale. This means that one human-sized inch is equivalent to one foot in the model. My roombox is less than two feet wide. The porcelain doll, who previously belonged to another dollhouse enthusiast, is only five inches tall.

So now, click below to play one of the pieces by Dario Marianelli that inspired me and scroll through the photos of my roombox as you listen. Enjoy! 

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