Carte-de-visite of a poodle, Wenderoth & Taylor, photographers. Philadelphia, between 1863 as well as 1865.
This bit cdv of a little white poodle, who is unimpressed with the process of posing for his portrait on a tabletop covered with a dark cloth, provided a research study puzzle that turned up a number of surprises. I’m no professional on poodle grooming, however the web is a question for this kind of offbeat inquiry. So l discovered that this bit fellow has a traditional continental or hunting clip, which from what I can tell was rather unusual in this country. (Once upon a time, somebody drew on the left ear with a pencil, as well as I have not tried to eliminate the marks.) Of course, poodles themselves were unusual creatures, as well as the ones I have discovered in other early photos are commonly delegated be curly all over. nobody understood the conventions of grooming them, I think, as well as there were no expert groomers up until purebred dog shows themselves ended up being popular. (While the very first considerable dog show in this country took location the the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876, they were not all that prominent up until the early 1900s.) The dark marks around the poodle’s eyes are most likely the “tear stains” that light-colored dogs get. except for these, he’s rather fluffy as well as clean.
Most studio portraits of dogs depict them sitting on a chair or a tabletop, or looking alert on the floor next to their owners. however a considerable minority do function this floppy “I provide up” pose, which may have solved the issue of getting some dogs to hold still long sufficient for the exposure. (By now, exposure times were short as well as simple to bear — unless the sitter was a little kid or a pet.)
Then there is the picture itself, a product of the studio of Wenderoth & Taylor. “Wenderoth” is Frederick A. Wenderoth (1819-1884), a painter of the American West, illustrator for Harper’s Weekly, printmaker as well as photographic innovator. born in Germany, Wenderoth joined the California Gold rush in 1851 as well as is noted for his paintings as well as prints of mining life. He obviously even had a sales gallery for his art in Sacramento, having failed to discover much gold. Wenderoth likewise ended up being a daguerreotypist in the early 1850s, as well as he was understood for his experiments with photographic processes. In 1855, he invented a especially laborious process, the “ivorytype,” that was meant to mimic painted miniatures.
By 1858, Wenderoth had settled in Philadelphia, as well as he appears in city directories as both an artist as well as a photographer. around that time, he ended up being joined a photographic studio headed by S. Broadbent. finding in the 900 block of Chesnut Street, the business was in a prime place in a fashionable buying district. In the Philadelphia Inquirer for June 5, 1863, S. Broadbent revealed his retirement. He assured visitors that his partners Mr. Wenderoth as well as Mr. Taylor (William Curtis Taylor) would continue to operate the business as before with Wenderoth as head of the “artists’ department” as well as Taylor in fee of business end, including the “reception rooms”. stylish photography studios of the time needed to have waiting spaces that recalled the parlors of respectable dwellings. Wenderoth & Taylor guaranteed clientele every conceivable type of portrait, from cartes de visite to the “Ivorytype” as well as even oil paintings.
This portrait was made right as the business turned over; the back of the card reads “Wenderoth & Taylor, late Broadbent & Co.” The number “27370,” which was most likely the unfavorable number, is written on the back of the card, as is the scribbled notation “R H (the letters are crossed) Bohlens.” might this be the owner? I question whether this bit poodle had been out promenading on Chesnut street with his owner, who decided a photograph would be a nice method to commemorate a special dog.
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