Minnie's Dream

She was 18, it was the 1890s – what else can a girl do but dream?

Girl in a Full Length Portrait With a name like the Parisian Studio what other photo could you expect? This girl is standing tall in what was supposed to stand in for an elegant setting. The bench she leans her arm on is probably plaster. The ripples of the backdrop can be seen at her feet. The pastoral setting in the background is faded and nondescript. All these contribute to a underwhelming photograph befitting the name Parisian Studio in Chicago’s Loop. The girl wears simple boots and dark stockings which should preface a simple dress. yet this is not so. Lacy velvet wings sprout from her shoulders. A shallow scoop necked dress still has fabric that covers up non-existent decolletage on this prepubescent girl. Her expression is blank and she may not be so happy in her costume and curls. I was unable to hunt down the Parisian Studio easily. 210 State Street was a popular spot for photographers in the 1880s and 1890s. Due to gaps in residency I cannot be sure who ran the Parisian Studio. From 1887-1888 Adolphus von Sickle plied his trade there while John B. Scholl was resident from 1889-1894. This was probably from the early to mid 1890s so it could have been Scholl or another photographer. After the probable demise of the Parisian in 1896, a S. Rosenfeld took over in 1897 and a William M Lapham in 1898.

Girl in a Full Length Portrait

With a name like the Parisian Studio what other photo could you expect? This girl is standing tall in what was supposed to stand in for an elegant setting. The bench she leans her arm on is probably plaster. The ripples of the backdrop can be seen at her feet. The pastoral setting in the background is faded and nondescript. All these contribute to a underwhelming photograph befitting the name Parisian Studio in Chicago’s Loop.

The girl wears simple boots and dark stockings which should preface a simple dress. yet this is not so. Lacy velvet wings sprout from her shoulders. A shallow scoop necked dress still has fabric that covers up non-existent decolletage on this prepubescent girl. Her expression is blank and she may not be so happy in her costume and curls.

I was unable to hunt down the Parisian Studio easily. 210 State Street was a popular spot for photographers in the 1880s and 1890s. Due to gaps in residency I cannot be sure who ran the Parisian Studio. From 1887-1888 Adolphus von Sickle plied his trade there while John B. Scholl was resident from 1889-1894. This was probably from the early to mid 1890s so it could have been Scholl or another photographer. After the probable demise of the Parisian in 1896, a S. Rosenfeld took over in 1897 and a William M Lapham in 1898.

1 month ago | 2 notes
Michael Dwyer Sr, a life of hard work Near the very end of this earlier produced album Minnie placed her aunt and uncle on opposite pages, forever facing each other. Forever a reminder of the kind family that took in relatives they have never seen. Some of Michael’s story has been told concurrent with that of his wife in a recent post. Here’s the rest of Michael’s story Michael Dwyer’s life must have been incredibly hard even by nineteenth century standards. Coming from rural County Limerick he most probably worked around the homestead or as an agricultural laborer from a young age. By age 20 he and his wife had made the passage to America settling in Lowell, Massachusetts. He worked as a laborer rather than a mill operative which was Lowell’s main draw. He may have worked on the farms of nearby Chelmsford, Billerica and other towns. Yet the Dwyers lived most of their lives on the Merrimack and Spicket rather than the confluence of the Merrimack and Concord. By the early 1870s the family had moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts. There again Michael was employed as laborer rather than a mill operative. I think this was again agricultural because by 1883 the whole family moves across the Spicket to Methuen and their own farmland where Michael was listed as a Farmer rather than a laborer. It was this situation where Michael took in his wife’s niece and nephew. The other Dwyer children worked mainly in mill work while others worked on the farm. After decades of working other people’s land and the crushing poverty of rural Western Ireland where small plots were worked for centuries Michael must have been incredibly proud to be able to call himself a farmer. Minnie and Robert lived on this farm for a year or two moving on to Chicago. By 1901 the Dwyers had to move on as well. In 1901 Michael Dwyer was again listed as a laborer living in downtown Lawrence. He would be listed in the city directory in 1906 and 1907 as a laborer. On February 27, 1914 Michael’s life of work ended due to an unknown and luckily for him nonviolent reason. His parents were Michael Dwyer and Bridget Hogan. This photo was probably taken in the 1890s. The photographer T?H? Pickles does not appear in the Lawrence Directories from 1889-1910. But there was a billiard room run by a Thomas H Pickles that operated nearby on Broadway in the early part of the naughts. Maybe they installed a camera with a photographer for less than a year. Here Michael’s thick wool coat is all that can be seen adorned with a pin that cannot be read. You can compare him to his sons, Michael and John? who still had their hair when they had their photos taken.

Michael Dwyer Sr, a life of hard work

Near the very end of this earlier produced album Minnie placed her aunt and uncle on opposite pages, forever facing each other. Forever a reminder of the kind family that took in relatives they have never seen. Some of Michael’s story has been told concurrent with that of his wife in a recent post. Here’s the rest of Michael’s story

Michael Dwyer’s life must have been incredibly hard even by nineteenth century standards. Coming from rural County Limerick he most probably worked around the homestead or as an agricultural laborer from a young age. By age 20 he and his wife had made the passage to America settling in Lowell, Massachusetts. He worked as a laborer rather than a mill operative which was Lowell’s main draw. He may have worked on the farms of nearby Chelmsford, Billerica and other towns.

Yet the Dwyers lived most of their lives on the Merrimack and Spicket rather than the confluence of the Merrimack and Concord. By the early 1870s the family had moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts. There again Michael was employed as laborer rather than a mill operative. I think this was again agricultural because by 1883 the whole family moves across the Spicket to Methuen and their own farmland where Michael was listed as a Farmer rather than a laborer.

It was this situation where Michael took in his wife’s niece and nephew. The other Dwyer children worked mainly in mill work while others worked on the farm. After decades of working other people’s land and the crushing poverty of rural Western Ireland where small plots were worked for centuries Michael must have been incredibly proud to be able to call himself a farmer. Minnie and Robert lived on this farm for a year or two moving on to Chicago. By 1901 the Dwyers had to move on as well.

In 1901 Michael Dwyer was again listed as a laborer living in downtown Lawrence. He would be listed in the city directory in 1906 and 1907 as a laborer. On February 27, 1914 Michael’s life of work ended due to an unknown and luckily for him nonviolent reason. His parents were Michael Dwyer and Bridget Hogan.

This photo was probably taken in the 1890s. The photographer T?H? Pickles does not appear in the Lawrence Directories from 1889-1910. But there was a billiard room run by a Thomas H Pickles that operated nearby on Broadway in the early part of the naughts. Maybe they installed a camera with a photographer for less than a year. Here Michael’s thick wool coat is all that can be seen adorned with a pin that cannot be read. You can compare him to his sons, Michael and John? who still had their hair when they had their photos taken.

2 months ago | 1 note
Mary Dwyer and Family early 1920s After Michael’s passing in 1914 Mary lived at the home depicted here at 36 Bromfield Street in Lawrence two blocks from the Spicket River until her passing in 1926. This photo is from the early 1920s. Minnie continued to correspond and visit her family in the Merrimack valley until her death in  1945. Her daughter Mary Anastasia (there’s that O’Dea name again) even visited well into the 1980s. Mary is the elderly woman sitting in the chair. She’s in her late 70s early 80s here.  Kneeling to her left is Minnie’s eldest son Bob (born 1899). While the two women to her right are probably her spinster daughters Mary (born 1868) and Bridget (born 1874). Standing behind her is most probably Anastasia Coskren. You can compare the 1890s version of her here. Then there’s Minnie herself standing next to her close cousin, friend and companion in the adventure out west in the 1890s. Next to her is her husband John Dineen. Compared with his 1890s self John probably has changed the least albeit moustachless.  

Mary Dwyer and Family early 1920s

After Michael’s passing in 1914 Mary lived at the home depicted here at 36 Bromfield Street in Lawrence two blocks from the Spicket River until her passing in 1926. This photo is from the early 1920s. Minnie continued to correspond and visit her family in the Merrimack valley until her death in  1945. Her daughter Mary Anastasia (there’s that O’Dea name again) even visited well into the 1980s.

Mary is the elderly woman sitting in the chair. She’s in her late 70s early 80s here.  Kneeling to her left is Minnie’s eldest son Bob (born 1899). While the two women to her right are probably her spinster daughters Mary (born 1868) and Bridget (born 1874). Standing behind her is most probably Anastasia Coskren. You can compare the 1890s version of her here. Then there’s Minnie herself standing next to her close cousin, friend and companion in the adventure out west in the 1890s. Next to her is her husband John Dineen. Compared with his 1890s self John probably has changed the least albeit moustachless.

 

2 months ago
Mary O’Dea Dwyer This is Minnie’s maternal aunt. She allowed her and her brother Robert to live with her family when they first came to the United States. Mary was ten years younger than Minnie’s mother Anastasia and Minnie did not know her before disembarking in this country. She came herself with her husband Michael Dwyer in the late 1860s first to Lowell, Massachusetts where he worked as a unskilled laborer possibly digging some of the canals of America’s Venice. By the early 1870s Michael was working in a woolen mill while Mary had the ward of six children. A few of her children have been featured on this blog such as Anastasia (born 1872), Michael (born 1867) and John? (born 1873). Mary is depicted here as a paragon of hard work and simplicity. In her late fifties early sixties in the early 1890s she bore 13 children ten surviving to adulthood. She had to deal with multiple moves and even a few years working on a farm all while raising children as well as numerous grandchildren. Her long hair is tied up simply parted down the middle. Her dress is dark with a lace tie kept in place with a small pin. A velvet collar is the only luxury afforded here. More about Mary tomorrow

Mary O’Dea Dwyer

This is Minnie’s maternal aunt. She allowed her and her brother Robert to live with her family when they first came to the United States. Mary was ten years younger than Minnie’s mother Anastasia and Minnie did not know her before disembarking in this country. She came herself with her husband Michael Dwyer in the late 1860s first to Lowell, Massachusetts where he worked as a unskilled laborer possibly digging some of the canals of America’s Venice. By the early 1870s Michael was working in a woolen mill while Mary had the ward of six children. A few of her children have been featured on this blog such as Anastasia (born 1872), Michael (born 1867) and John? (born 1873).

Mary is depicted here as a paragon of hard work and simplicity. In her late fifties early sixties in the early 1890s she bore 13 children ten surviving to adulthood. She had to deal with multiple moves and even a few years working on a farm all while raising children as well as numerous grandchildren. Her long hair is tied up simply parted down the middle. Her dress is dark with a lace tie kept in place with a small pin. A velvet collar is the only luxury afforded here.

More about Mary tomorrow

2 months ago | 1 note
For the Last Baby Photo I Give You… …the baby with the largest and most ornate gown yet. This little girl or boy seems to be under a year old. The dress is incredibly detailed with a doily lace hem at the neck, sleeves and bottom. A fern pattern is prominent as well as roses within the chevrons making up the arrow patterns. Little balls which would not be considered safe for childrens clothing today adorn the sleeves and top. Again this child doesn’t resemble any of the Woods so I’m marking this baby as one of Minnie’s friends’s children. He or she must have been very special, maybe the eldest to get such a ornate dress. Also the photo was taken at Siegel Cooper in the Loop which could have added to it’s specialness. Here at this tumblr I have two more images left in this album. Then it’s onto the last album which actually is a autograph book.

For the Last Baby Photo I Give You…

…the baby with the largest and most ornate gown yet. This little girl or boy seems to be under a year old. The dress is incredibly detailed with a doily lace hem at the neck, sleeves and bottom. A fern pattern is prominent as well as roses within the chevrons making up the arrow patterns. Little balls which would not be considered safe for childrens clothing today adorn the sleeves and top.

Again this child doesn’t resemble any of the Woods so I’m marking this baby as one of Minnie’s friends’s children. He or she must have been very special, maybe the eldest to get such a ornate dress. Also the photo was taken at Siegel Cooper in the Loop which could have added to it’s specialness.

Here at this tumblr I have two more images left in this album. Then it’s onto the last album which actually is a autograph book.

2 months ago | 1 note
Mystery Conductor This full length cabinet card depicts a railroad conductor. He is dressed not unlike George Carlin or Ringo Starr on Thomas the Tank Engine yet with some 19th century touches. He wears a spread collar and a chunky bowtie. A corsage is in his lapel. His arm is leaning on a faux-Greco-Roman piece of furniture of some sort. The faded background I think is supposed to be a garden scene which is not someplace you would find a train conductor. Remember this photo is coming from the earlier album. This mystery man could be one of many people. He is not one of Minnie’s brothers but he could be a Woods’, O’Dea or other cousin. He could be a husband of a co-worker. He could be someone related to the Coskrens. He resembles Thomas Coskren, Senior but I do not believe that it is him. Again another identity lost to the ages.

Mystery Conductor

This full length cabinet card depicts a railroad conductor. He is dressed not unlike George Carlin or Ringo Starr on Thomas the Tank Engine yet with some 19th century touches. He wears a spread collar and a chunky bowtie. A corsage is in his lapel. His arm is leaning on a faux-Greco-Roman piece of furniture of some sort. The faded background I think is supposed to be a garden scene which is not someplace you would find a train conductor.

Remember this photo is coming from the earlier album. This mystery man could be one of many people. He is not one of Minnie’s brothers but he could be a Woods’, O’Dea or other cousin. He could be a husband of a co-worker. He could be someone related to the Coskrens. He resembles Thomas Coskren, Senior but I do not believe that it is him. Again another identity lost to the ages.

2 months ago | 3 notes
Faux-hawked Baby Here we have a infant of about six months old teetering on a high chair with no adult to be found. That really doesn’t look very safe at all. I hope no baby was hurt at Michael Longergan’s when he used this chair to pose infants. This one must have been incredibly well behaved to survive aa visit in “the chair”. This chubby faced little girl or boy has what would called today a faux-hawk. The gown the baby wears is at least four or five times its length and is bordered with lace. This card was a hidden behind another one in the album. I don’t know why Minnie did this as there were plenty of other spots left in the album. Maybe this child died young and she didn’t want to remember what happened yet didn’t want to throw away the photo. There is no writing on the back of this card so there really aren’t any clues to who this is. The wee babe doesn’t resemble any of her relatives so it is most probably a friend’s child.

Faux-hawked Baby

Here we have a infant of about six months old teetering on a high chair with no adult to be found. That really doesn’t look very safe at all. I hope no baby was hurt at Michael Longergan’s when he used this chair to pose infants. This one must have been incredibly well behaved to survive aa visit in “the chair”. This chubby faced little girl or boy has what would called today a faux-hawk. The gown the baby wears is at least four or five times its length and is bordered with lace.

This card was a hidden behind another one in the album. I don’t know why Minnie did this as there were plenty of other spots left in the album. Maybe this child died young and she didn’t want to remember what happened yet didn’t want to throw away the photo. There is no writing on the back of this card so there really aren’t any clues to who this is. The wee babe doesn’t resemble any of her relatives so it is most probably a friend’s child.

2 months ago | 4 notes
Minnie’s Mixed Race Friend? Before World War I Chicago had very few citizens of African descent. This woman has some features which would identify her as being of mixed African descent. She could have been a co-worker in the hotels Minnie worked in. Starting the 1870s and well into the 20th century European immigrants and African-Americans competed and clashed over housing stock and the same type of work in the fast growing metropolis. This woman may have “passed for white” and was able to work side by side at the Transit and have her photo taken at a large studio in the Loop. She wears a simple dark colored dress which accent her dark hair and even darker eyes. A plain pin nails down her small collar and flaps of cloth cover her shoulders making it seem like her billowy sleeves come forth from them. The front of her hair is heavily curled yet her topknot shows straight hair.

Minnie’s Mixed Race Friend?

Before World War I Chicago had very few citizens of African descent. This woman has some features which would identify her as being of mixed African descent. She could have been a co-worker in the hotels Minnie worked in. Starting the 1870s and well into the 20th century European immigrants and African-Americans competed and clashed over housing stock and the same type of work in the fast growing metropolis. This woman may have “passed for white” and was able to work side by side at the Transit and have her photo taken at a large studio in the Loop.

She wears a simple dark colored dress which accent her dark hair and even darker eyes. A plain pin nails down her small collar and flaps of cloth cover her shoulders making it seem like her billowy sleeves come forth from them. The front of her hair is heavily curled yet her topknot shows straight hair.

3 months ago | 1 note
Woman with a Sly Smile This woman wears probably the most garish dress of any I’ve posted so far.The highly contrasted stripes were probably white or yellow on a dark color like black or brown. It must have been shocking. Covering her decolletage in striking lace has the dress pattern continuing underneath. What looks like velvet breaks the dress up with bows (her hair seems to be tied up with the same bow). Her sleeves are billowing in excess. Her head is slightly tilted as is her smile. The slight upturn on the left side gives her an interesting look. She wears small stud earrings which would be considered plain today wasn’t to the gallery of Minnie’s friends and family as the vast majority wear none. Her hair is tied up plainly and she has the smallest wisps of bangs crowning her high forehead.

Woman with a Sly Smile

This woman wears probably the most garish dress of any I’ve posted so far.The highly contrasted stripes were probably white or yellow on a dark color like black or brown. It must have been shocking. Covering her decolletage in striking lace has the dress pattern continuing underneath. What looks like velvet breaks the dress up with bows (her hair seems to be tied up with the same bow). Her sleeves are billowing in excess.

Her head is slightly tilted as is her smile. The slight upturn on the left side gives her an interesting look. She wears small stud earrings which would be considered plain today wasn’t to the gallery of Minnie’s friends and family as the vast majority wear none. Her hair is tied up plainly and she has the smallest wisps of bangs crowning her high forehead.

3 months ago | 2 notes
Light Eyed Handsome Man This well dressed man resembles the Lemont police officer of a few posts ago. Based on his looks and only being one photo away in the album maybe he was a cousin or brother. Unlike that photo this was taken in Chicago’s Loop at Martin’s. His gaze is direct at the viewer and sure. His eyes are so clear you can almost see the big black box of the camera in his eyes. His full face, large ears and high coif fill out his face. The suit he wears is neat, as his is shirt, only his tie is slightly out of place. I’m unsure who these last few people are and what relationship they had to Minnie. Being from the first few years of her stay in Chicago these could be her new friends from work and people she met through them. They could be friends from church or people she met through the Coskrens. Without any annotation their identities may never be known. In many ways it doesn’t matter. Minnie produced these albums for herself and everyone included meant something to her at some point during her life. Looking at it that way this could have been someone only fleeting in her life experience and just another face to her too.

Light Eyed Handsome Man

This well dressed man resembles the Lemont police officer of a few posts ago. Based on his looks and only being one photo away in the album maybe he was a cousin or brother. Unlike that photo this was taken in Chicago’s Loop at Martin’s. His gaze is direct at the viewer and sure. His eyes are so clear you can almost see the big black box of the camera in his eyes. His full face, large ears and high coif fill out his face. The suit he wears is neat, as his is shirt, only his tie is slightly out of place.

I’m unsure who these last few people are and what relationship they had to Minnie. Being from the first few years of her stay in Chicago these could be her new friends from work and people she met through them. They could be friends from church or people she met through the Coskrens. Without any annotation their identities may never be known. In many ways it doesn’t matter. Minnie produced these albums for herself and everyone included meant something to her at some point during her life. Looking at it that way this could have been someone only fleeting in her life experience and just another face to her too.

3 months ago | 2 notes