Charles D. Shrieves and Marshall E. Battin

Odiorne & Shrieves came to West Chester to take over the studio of F. McCutcheon at the corner of High and Market Streets on August 1, 1865^[1]. The partnership ended in three months after the studio struggled to gain popularity.

In the November 4^th edition of the Village Record, Charles D. Shrieves announced a new partnership with Marshall Battin, in the gallery space over Worrall’s bookstore, formerly occupied by C. Alfred Garrett.

Shrieves and Battin were mentioned in the December 19^th edition of the 1865 Village Record as having produced a new style of photograph referred to as an “opal.” The reporter remarked: “It has but lately this style of taking likenesses has reached West Chester and is a very good change from the old way^[3].” The reporter concludes, “Our readers should bear in mind that the next thing to sending a friend the Village Record for a year, as a Christmas present, is to send them a good likeness of themselves.”

The “opals” that are mentioned are also known as opalotypes. They are positive photographs on white glass and are made using various processes, probably wet collodion in this era^[4].

Marshall Battin (1824-1908), formerly a brick layer, came from an old Chester County family. He was born September 8, 1824, to stone mason John Battin and Amy Baldwin Battin of West Bradford Twp.^[5] In 1865, when he embarked on his new career, he was married with four young children. He usually appeared in the West Chester Tax lists as a brick layer except for 1866, his occupation is recorded as a “photographist.” Charles Shrieves entry for that year is crossed out, indicating that he conducted business only in the fall of the previous year and left town before taxes were collected in the spring^[6].

Marshall Battin continued business with a new partner named Finney. Two examples of cartes-de-visite in the collection of the Chester County History Center bear the required IRS tax stamps and are dated April 1866^[7] and May 1866^[8] respectively. It is more than likely that this partnership was also of short duration. The identity of Finney is not known. Marshall Battin returned to brick laying, as evidenced though West Chester tax lists for 1867 and thereafter.

Charles Davis Shrieves was born in about 1834 in Pennsylvania^[9]. In 1861 he married Emma Francis Mills (1841-1927)^[10]. Shrieves served in the Civil War as a Hospital Steward for the 105th Pennsylvania Infantry and with Company F. 63^rd Pennsylvania Infantry^[11]. In the years to come, the couple had three children, William born in 1867, Caroline B. born in 1869 and Sarah F. born in 1871^[12].

In 1860, Charles Shrieves is first listed in McElroy’s Philadelphia City Directory for 1860 as an “artist” living at 407 Catherine Street^[13]. The next year, he is listed as a photographer working in Minersville according to Boyd’s 1861 directory for Pennsylvania^[14].

After he left West Chester, he reappeared in Gopsill’s Philadelphia City and Business Directory for 1867^[15] as living at 534 Lombard Street, with no occupation listed. The following year, he is listed as a druggist with 534 Lombard as his business address and 438 Lombard as his home^[16]. Following him through Philadelphia city directories we find him with a variety of job titles including salesman in 1882^[17], as a clerk in 1884^[18], and beginning in 1886^[19] as an electrician. The last entry for him is in the 1901^[20] directory as an electrician. His death date has not yet been documented.

©Pamela C. Powell, 2019