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.

Here is a typical tintype image from the 1860s, mounted in a CDV sized cut-out mat, with an embossed frame pattern. It is identified on back in pencil script as ‘Sister Susana Krup’ and date-stamped by the photographer, Thomas Cummings, Lacaster PA, July 22nd, 1868.

This image of an elderly lady is the earliest I have with an imprint on the front that is more complex than the simple, small, serif font photographer’s imprints found on other early CDVs. In this case, the imprint is gilt, just like the double lines near the outer edge of the card.

Two equal width lines like this are typically found on CDVs dating 1861-65, though rarely it is a feature seen as late as 1868. (Not to be confused with one thick outer line and a thinner inner line, also a common 1860s motif.) That confirms the reported date of 1864 for this image. The woman’s clothing, too, is typical of the mid-1860s.

The photographers, Burrows and Bundy (W F Burrows and either Joseph or Horace Bundy) are also listed in Middletown CT in 1864-65 in W C Darrah’s CDV collection.

So this CDV is probably correctly dated, and represents an early use of larger and more complex fonts in front-side photographer’s imprints. If you have an earlier example, or reason to think this date is in error, be sure to leave a comment!