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I reunite identified family photos that I find in antique shops and second hand stores with genealogists and family historians. If you see one of your ancestors here and would like to obtain the original, feel free to contact me at familyphotoreunion [ at ] yahoo [ dot ] com. I also accept donations of pre-1927 images to be reunited. I hope you enjoy your visit!
~The Archivist


Showing posts with label Cooper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cooper. Show all posts

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Comparing Notes: Is this Jessie Bucke and Daughters, London, Ontario?



This started out as a "What a Shame" post, since the photograph isn't properly identified but perhaps there is hope we can discover who the three women are.  There is a photographer's imprint:  Frank Cooper, 169 & 173 Dundas Street, London, Ont."  And, it does have an inscription on the back that looks like "L. Brooch," "2 Brooch" or "L. Burch." 


I didn't have much luck finding a suitable match in the Canada Census for "Brooch."  I then moved on to the photographer and found a wonderful collection of Frank Cooper portraits on the London Public Library Image Gallery.

Frank Cooper (1845-1914) opened his studio in 1868 on Richmond Street.  Between 1884 -1907 he operated on 169, 171 & 173 Dundas, and in 1908, at 330 Dundas.  This photograph probably dates to the late 1890s.

I was hoping to find an identified copy of this image on the site, but sadly, I did not.  I found two interesting portraits, though, the subjects of which have similarities to the older woman in my photograph.  What do you think?  Are these the same woman?

Image Courtesy of London Public Library Image Gallery:

Then there is this portrait by the Edy Brothers in London, Ontario (below), on which the London Public Library archivist has asked the question "Is the couple Dr. Richard Maurice Bucke and his wife Jessie Bucke?"  Richard Maurice Bucke was a noted psychiatrist and close friend of Walt Whitman.  He died in 1902.

Image Courtesy of London Public Library Image Gallery:

What do you think?  Are either of these images the same person as in my "Mystery Brooch" portrait?  Or is it just a matter of similar headwear and clothing?

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

When an ID is Not an ID: Sewar Cooper/Craper



Today's image was taken by renown Manhattan photographer Jose Maria Mora (1850-1926).  In 1870, Mora opened for business on 707 Broadway. He became a favourite photographer of the famous. His client list included Thomas Edison, George Armstrong Custer, Lillie Langtree, Mark Twain, along with noted actors, opera singers, authors and even royalty.  Mora also photographed the not-so-famous.

The studio closed in 1893, so the photograph above must have been taken somewhere between 1870 and 1893.  The photographer seems to have kept the same inscription throughout the history of his studio. There may have been early variations, but I haven't come across any.  If I had to guess, I would place this photo in the mid-to-late 1880s.

This particular photograph is inscribed on the back:


What do you make of the surname?  The first name looks like "Sewar."  Okay, unusual, but possible.  Also could be a misspelling of Seward.  Hmmm...now, what about that surname?  Is it Cooper?  Craper? Carper? Croper?  I just don't know.  I ran a few variations through Google, Ancestry and Familysearch to no avail.  So, on the off-chance that this fellow was once someone famous, does anyone recognize him?