Friends Album: Photos 34 & 35

Read from the beginning here. **Click on the images below for larger versions**

Friend No. 34 looks pretty severe, but she has on a beautiful dress:

Friend No. 34

Check out this close-up of the beading on her dress:

Unfortunately, the back of her photo doesn’t reveal much:

The imprint on the front shows that the photo was taken by the Canfield & Bro. on Bank Street in New Milford, Conn. We encountered photographer James E. Canfield previously. He took Fred Young’s (Friend No. 8’s) photo. Now there is a brother indicated in the studio name. In the 1880 U.S. census, James is listed with a son, 20, who also has ‘photographer’ listed as his profession. Could Ward be the ‘brother’ indicated in the studio name?

I have discovered a New Milford city directory showing that both of them had removed to New Haven by 1888-89.

We’ve definitely seen Friend No. 35 before:

Friend No. 35 aka Friend No. 22 aka Mary Morris

This shot looks so familiar, I’m willing to bet it’s either a copy of Photo No. 22 or a copy of a photo from the same shoot. The fact that she’s wearing the same dress gives it away:

Photo No. 35 (left) and No. 22.

There is a beautiful imprint on the back of Photo No. 35:

Reverse side of Photo No. 35.

Photographer Charles R. Bronson is listed at 407 Main Street in Bridgeport in 1885-86 and 1890-91 city directories. That timeframe is definitely after the period in which I think the original shot was taken (in the 1860s or 1870s), reinforcing the idea that Photo No. 35 is a copy. Bronson is found in an 1874 city directory as well, but at a different address.

[Photos 36 & 37]

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1880 U.S. Census, Litchfield County, Connecticut, population schedule, New Milford, page 30, dwelling 268, family 336, Ward B. Canfield; Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 March 2011); Roll: 101; Family History Film 1254101; Page: 566B; Enumeration District: 31; Image: 0833.

Bridgeport, Connecticut 1874 directory, Charles R. Bronson, p. 24; Ancestry.com (accessed : 25 March 2011).

Bridgeport, Connecticut Directories, 1885-1893, Charles R. Bronson; Ancestry.com (accessed : 25 March 2011).

New Milford Directory, 1888-89 and 1891-92, Ward B. Canfield; Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 March 2011).