Dated Images

Before P T Barnum founded his famous circus, he had a museum of curiosities called Barnum’s American Museum in New York City. Among the attractions were a variety of unusual people such as albinos, bearded ladies, Siamese twins and small people (the term ‘midget’ is said to have been coined the same year as this photo — 1865, and was popularized by Barnum). Here we have the other end of the scale from little people — Noah Orr (1836-1882), given the honorary title of Colonel because, well, it just seemed fitting for such a big man.

We do not know exactly when this picture was taken, nor when it was printed, but we have the exact day it was sold — thanks to the tax stamp on the reverse. For a two years photographers were required to add stamps to their photos, from 1 Aug 1864 to 1 Aug 1866. The tax was established to help support the Union during the Civil War, but like many taxes it lingered beyond the war itself — this photo was sold November 24th 1865, seven months after the war ended. The photo was printed by E & H T Anthony, who may have taken the original photo, or may have purchased the negative from the original, unidentified, photographer.

The title for this image is printed on the front:

Col Noah Orr, The American Giant, Height 8 ft, 3 in, weight weight 550 lbs, age 22 years, at Barnum’s Museum.

If Orr was born in 1836, he would have been 22 in 1858, but this photo is probably later than that. The historical marker at the house where he died gives his height as 7 ft 8 inches, and I would not be surprised if the weight was not exaggerated a bit too. That’s show business.

From the very early years of photography into the 1950s, a small percentage of photographers made their living going around the country offering to photograph people in their homes. In effect, that translated to in front of their home, where the light was better. Sometimes they brought props that enticed parents to have their children photographed — on a pony, in a goat cart, etc.

In this photograph, the photographers apparently have a studio (at 820 Westminster street, Providence, Rhode Island), but they bill themselves right on their imprint as Prezeau & Tougas, home photographers. Conveniently for us, they also include the year in their imprint, 1903 in this case.

This images shows a little girl of seven or eight years, seated in a rocking chair, holding a baby in a very long christening gown — probably her little brother. It is interesting to note that even at her young age, the girl wears the high stiff collar that was currently in fashion for ladies of that time. Her dress has a fashionable yoke and embroidered trim.

The photographer draped a plain piece of canvas for background, and placed her chair next to a sparse and uninteresting potted plant. The white gown is washed out entirely in this too-contrasty image. If this is as good as they could do, I doubt these photographers stayed in business for long.