Elmer Chickering (1857–1915) was a photographer specializing in portraits in Boston, Massachusetts, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He kept a studio on West Street,[1][2] and photographed politicians, actors, athletes and other public figures such as Kyrle Bellew, John Philip Sousa, Sarah Winnemucca, Edmund Breese, and the Boston Americans.
Biography
editBorn in Vermont in 1857, Chickering moved to Boston and set up a photography studio around the 1880s. His photographic work appeared in numerous publications, including Good Housekeeping. In 1905 Chickering renamed his business as "Elmer Chickering Co."[3]
In 1895 Chickering "took some pictures of A. M. Palmer's company in the play of Trilby. They naturally came into great demand at once. But here the difficulty ensued. Rushing over the wires came a message from Harper & Bros., saying that, as the characters were made up after Du Maurier's drawings, they should regard the sale of any such pictures as an infringement of their copyright. To this Mr. Chickering disagreed, on the ground that the photographs were not copies of any drawings, but of actual scenes on the stage, which any man might sketch. Telegrams flew back and forth, but Harper & Bros, would not yield. Meanwhile, the papers sought for the photographs. ... Inasmuch as he has 160 negatives, the question is of some moment."[4][5]
After Chickering's death in 1915, "the well-known Chickering Studios, West Street, Boston ... is now owned and operated by George H. Hastings and Orrin Champlain. ... Mr. Hastings, personally, manages the Chickering Studio, which is now enjoying a large and profitable patronage."[6]
Examples of Chickering's work are in the New York Public Library.[7]
References
edit- ^ Directory of directors in the city of Boston and vicinity. 1911
- ^ "Elmer Chickering". American Art News. 13. Jun 12, 1915.
- ^ Massachusetts. Dept. of Labor and Industries (1906). Annual report on the statistics of labor, Volume 36.
- ^ The Critic. April 6, 1895; p.266
- ^ Emily Jenkins (1998). "Trilby: Fads, Photographers, and 'Over-Perfect Feet.'". Book History. 1.
- ^ Photo-era magazine, Volume 42. Feb. 1919
- ^ "Photographers in The New York Public Library's Photography Collection" (PDF). New York Public Library. 2010.
Images
edit-
Portrait of Sarah Winnemucca, c. 1884 -
Chickering's "Royal Studio", West St., Boston, ca.1893 -
Portrait of James J. Corbett, 1897 -
Portrait of Robert Allen of the Boston Beaneaters, 1897 -
Poster of Mildred Holland, from photo by Chickering, 1899 -
Portrait of "famous Boston infield of 1900" (clockwise from left) second baseman Bobby Lowe, first baseman Fred Tenney, shortstop Herman Long and third baseman Jimmy Collins -
Portrait of Kyrle Bellew -
Portrait of Mabel Amber -
Portrait of Princess Kiulani of Hawaii
Further reading
editWorks with photos by Chickering
edit- Reifsnider (Jan 1900). "'Sag Harbor': a study of Mr. Herne's drama of real life and its ethical aspects". The Coming Age. 3.
- "Home life of governors: Governor Bates of Massachusetts". Good Housekeeping. May 1903.. Photos of John L. Bates and his family.
- Wilson's Photographic Magazine, 1905
- New England Magazine, May 1906
Works about Chickering
edit- Illustrated Boston, the Metropolis of New England. 1889.
External links
edit
- WorldCat. Chickering, Elmer
- Google news archive. Articles about Chickering.
- NYPL. Works by Chickering
- NYPL. William Henry Crane as David Harum
- Elmer Chickering. "Portraits of boxers and other athletes". Archived from the original on 2014-07-09 – via Harvard University.
- Ron Polito (ed.). "Boston Photographers Cited in 19th Century American Photographic Journals: A Bibliographic Database". Archived from the original on 2015-09-12. Retrieved 2015-05-05 – via Photographic Historical Society of New England. (includes info related to Chickering)