Featured Adelaide Schell -- Who Was She?

Fig, our minds are working the same way... I had just created a jpeg with Rockwood's stamp when I saw the replies and posted my last message.

It's small and hard to make out since for some strange reason I didn't do a closeup of it. I increased the contrast and hope you can make it out.

 

The general circumstance of the Avenue B Adelaide just didn't fit with what is written on the back of card. She had no siblings, so there was no spouse of one who could refer to the ladies in picture as "my mother-in-law and sister-in-law." Schell was that Adelaide's married name not her maiden name. And we couldn't find any musical connection to her either.

 

Pat, Forgive me. I just went back and read the early posts and see now why you are bringing up Rockwood. I was so focused on the location and then the search for records - and finally all the scandalous goings-on, that the name of the photographer was the last thing on my mind.

 

No need to apologize, Bakersgma! We're all just trying to piece together the tidbits we can find.

I'm curious to find out if the signature on Fig's photo is the same as on mine.

 

I looked at Fig's photo again, and from what I can make out, it doesn't look like the same signature.

 

Here is the photographer's imprint on mine.

 

They do look a bit different from each other...

 

I looked at other George Rockwood images on the web, and his signature varied at different times, so who knows.

This one is similar to yours, but not identical...
http://cabinetcardgallery.wordpress.com/category/photographer-rockwood/

And these are all different...
http://www.georgerockwood.com/rockwoodphotographs.htm

From what I've read, there's no indication that George Rockwood had more than one location.

In Google Books, I found ads in photography publications for a photographer named Rockwood at uptown addresses. One of them is for a Rockwood, Jr. from the early 1900s, so maybe George Rockwood had a son who went into the business. I didn't see any mention of this in the biographical info I found on George, though.

http://books.google.com/books?id=Ld8SAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA183&dq=rockwood jr photographer amsterdam avenue&hl=en&sa=X&ei=2La4U-7eDYiPyASk6YCoBA&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=rockwood jr photographer amsterdam avenue&f=false

Also, one of the ads was from the early 1920s where the photographer was trying to sell his business. George Rockwood died in 1911, so clearly there was another Rockwood who did photography in NYC in the first part of the 20th century!

It would be interesting to know if they were related, but I don't have the resources to research that.

 

Here's a link to the ad where Rockwood Studio is being offered for sale in 1922...

http://books.google.com/books?id=I4ZRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA242&dq=rockwood photographer amsterdam avenue&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hba4U67TKcmPyASynoLQAQ&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=rockwood photographer amsterdam avenue&f=false

What's a freaky is the ad is in a publication called "Abel's Photography Weekly" and the studio was on Amsterdam Avenue. The reason it's freaky is there's a painting being discussed in the Art forum, where the markings on the back say "Amsterdam" (as in the Netherlands), and someone suggested the artist might be Abels. What a strange coincidence!

 

Pat, Thank you for the links. I do think in some of these links there is a strong resemblance to the imprint in my photo. The way that the downward stroke of the right leg of the R in "Rockwood" curves around in a circle is a very similar style. And also the font of the letters looks similar.

Now, if George G. Rockwood passed away in 1911, what about his son George H. Rockwood, who used "Rockwood, Jr."? Well, it turns out that the son died two months before his father did. See Find A Grave:

Father:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=121574703

Son:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=121576659

It turns out that George G. Rockwood had a brother Elihu who originally was in business with George. Some online sources say that Elihu opened his own photo studio later on, but I haven't confirmed that. Elihu died in 1908.

So, I'm thinking that the distinctive features of the word Rockwood that look similar to George's might still indicate a family connection. But am just not sure yet. If all of these people passed away before 1920, who was selling the Rockwood studio on Amsterdam Avenue in 1922? The ad that is linked says, "Declining years and health cause of selling." That seems to indicate the person had owned the studio for quite a while... that is not proven, but seems to be an indication.

This doesn't really connect to my original query, but I'm interested now.

 

Oh, by the way... I also found this one in an eBay listing. The logo is at an angle like mine, but the location says "Washington Heights." Could that be the same studio that was on Amsterdam Ave.?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Cab...80427?pt=Art_Photo_Images&hash=item58a42611eb

 

OK, I think I know the connection now. In the 1916 New York City Directory the owner of Rockwell's Studio at 510 W. 145th St. was listed as J. Augustus Randel. It turns out that he was the son-in-law of George G. Rockwood.

J. Augustus Randel is listed in this compiled genealogy as having married Mary Araminta Rockwood, daughter of George Gardner and Araminta Bouton Rockwood. They married 14 December 1876:

http://books.google.com/books?id=ni...EwAA#v=onepage&q="j. augustus randel"&f=false

In Polk's (Trow's) New York Copartnership and Corporation Directory of 1904, J. Augustus Randel is listed as Secretary of the corporation called Rockwood Photographer. George G. Rockwood was president:

http://books.google.com/books?id=Y-...Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q="augustus randel"&f=false

So, not looking further into this I'd say that J. Augustus Randel may have taken over the studio at 145th and Amsterdam after the death of George. However, he may have always run it...

One thing I might do is try to figure out how long the studio existed at that location. It is not listed as a studio location in any of the biographical information I've found about George. That would be somewhat useful in my quest, since it could help to verify the date of my photo (although I feel confident in the previous general date range).

 

Fig, that's interesting what you found. Since the logos are similar, but some give uptown addresses, I think your hunch is right that they may have been produced by a relative of the downtown George Rockwood. Perhaps this Rockwood was trying to capitalize on the fame and success of George G. Rockwood?

When I was searching a couple of days ago, I think I found two or three uptown addresses given for a Rockwood photography business, from different years. I think the locations were fairly close to each other, and I imagine it's possible that they are all references to the same business, owned by the same person, that moved to different location.

Amsterdam Avenue is in Washington Heights, in upper Manhattan.

 

Pat,
My previous 2 posts may not have made clear that J. Augustus Randel was in business with his father-in-law George G. Rockwood. I didn't mention that I had found a much earlier notice in a magazine or newspaper about a "Brooklyn Bridge" studio for George Rockwell (across from city hall, it said). This notice was from the 1870s, I think. The notice was placed by Mr. Rockwell and said that the studio was being run by J. Augustus Randel and one other person. So everything Randel was doing was sanctioned by his father-in-law. And I believe that the Amsterdam Ave. studio was in existence before 1911, when George Rockwell died.

Thanks for confirming where Washington Heights is! That other logo I found was probably just an alternative to the one in my photo, from the same studio.

 

Fig, sorry... somehow I missed your first paragraph about the son-in-law being the owner of an uptown studio.

I did some more searching in Google books, and found biographical info on George G. Rockwood in a 1912 photography magazine. The writer said that in his later years George expanded his business and had multiple studios in different locations in NYC (link below).

I'd think this would explain why some of his imprints had a location included, and should help in dating your photo.

http://books.google.com/books?id=4vBAAAAAYAAJ&lpg=PA388&dq=rockwood photography&pg=PA389#v=onepage&q=rockwood photography&f=false

I also found a reference to George G.'s son that called him a West End photographer. From what I could find, in that time period the "West End" was an area that either overlapped with Washington Heights, or started just south of it. So prior to his death, he may have managed one of the other NYC studios.

http://books.google.com/books?id=rQJQAAAAYAAJ&dq=rockwood randel photography&pg=PA29#v=onepage&q=rockwood randel photography&f=false

Also, an 1882 ad listed two locations for Rockwood photography...

-- G.G. Rockwood at Union Square (near the Broadway address and either where his studio was before or after the Broadway one, I forget which)

-- Rockwood & Randel at Chatham Street, which I don't think exists anymore although here is a Chatham Square further downtown. So possibly this address is the one that was across from City Hall. I don't know the history of NYC's City Hall, but believe it was always downtown. (I grew up in NYC, but didn't pay attention to things like this as a kid.)

http://books.google.com/books?id=9GkUAAAAYAAJ&dq=rockwood randel photography&pg=PP23#v=onepage&q=rockwood randel photography&f=false

Also, in 1911, a brief biography after George G. Rockwood's death in another publication said that at the time of his death he had several studios in the City, but the one where he and his brother became best known was the studio at Broadway and 13th Street.

http://books.google.com/books?id=xWY-AQAAMAAJ&dq=rockwood photography&pg=PA922#v=onepage&q=rockwood photography&f=false

 

Thank you, Pat! I'll look at these when I have a chance. I really appreciate your help, and also the help of elarnia and bakersgma, and others who have posted to this thread! (Don't want to slight anybody but as I'm writing this I can't see the entire thread.)

 

You're very welcome, Fig... it's fun looking this stuff up, and I hope it all helps!

 

I just looked at the links from a couple of posts earlier. Love this ad you found!

http://books.google.com/books?id=9G...onepage&q=rockwood randel photography&f=false

 

Isn't the ad cool?

I've sold a lot of Victorian trade cards from the 1880s, and love the graphics, typography, and sales pitches.

 

Yes, I love the ad.

Let's hope for more posts of ephemera!