Chester County Photographist is celebrating its first anniversary! First and foremost, we want to send a shoutout of thanks to Cap Web Solutions for doing an incredible job building this site and supporting us through this fascinating adventure! You can see all the creative things they do with WordPress via this link. For our anniversary…
West Chester’s Centennial in October of 1899 was a photographer’s dream. The town celebrated in a big way. Colorful bunting decorated all the businesses and public buildings. Two huge parades showcased the three local fire companies as well as a civic parade. The local veterans were honored with a grand luncheon as well. There were…
A con man is successful if he can get his mark to believe in an alternative reality. It was not hard for Louis Prevaust to get J. T. Wiley to believe having a studio in the prosperous borough of Oxford would be more lucrative than plying his trade from a traveling wagon. Wiley had been…
As we all tire of the cold dreary days of winter many in the southeastern Pennsylvania region enjoy visiting the Philadelphia Flower Show. First we inhale the fragrance of the flowers before we even see the brilliant colors and designs of the floral displays. It refreshes and inspires us. This was the same feeling that…
I am excited to feature new research by a guest author on Chester County Photographist. Today I am introducing Rebecca Oviedo, a professional archivist and family historian who is lucky enough to be related to photographer William W. West! She is blessed to have in her family’s photo archive many examples of West’s work. She…
Announcing an enlarged and greatly revised biography of photographer Levi Crowl! This West Chester photographer, like many northern photographers, migrated south for the winter. He started doing this in 1855. However, he liked North Carolina so much he stayed, that is, until the outbreak of the Civil War. I discovered a treasure trove of Crowl’s…
The research never ends. Just when you think you are at the end of the paper trail, something new surfaces. Take the case of photographer John Odiorne who died at the young age of 25 shortly after separating from his wife. Something does not add up with his cause of death. John didn’t realize the…
I was excited to find this advertisement for H. B. Freeman’s daguerreotype gallery in addition to his jewelry and watch business. I think it is likely that he set daguerreotype portraits into lockets that he sold in his store. A worthwhile product to introduce to the county seat. The sentimental Victorian public was eager to…
Did you know about the useful search tools on the footer of Chester County Photographist website? Probably not. I can relate. I am the most impatient person when it comes to searching. I want to find what I want and off I go to the next thing. I don’t typically explore all the features on…
Here is a handy tool for assigning a date for a nineteenth century photograph. If you are working on your genealogy or local history project, the Working Dates List will save you considerable time and move your research ahead. You are lucky indeed if you have cartes-de-visite or cabinet cards in your family archives. Have…
