Matthew W Budlong picture analysis
Ok, so there haven’t been any posts here in a long time. Takes too long to assemble one of those analyses, so we are changing track (again). From now on I will post one image and look at how we can determine the date, identity of the sitter, and identity of the photographer — in so far as those things may be possible. It isn’t always realistic to expect to be able to find these details, but by presenting concrete examples, I will give you lots of practical advice on how to attempt it.
One thing you can do is post the image on the Internet and ask for help! If you have any information about this image, or any others we present in the future, or the photographers who took them, please leave a comment letting us know.
This is a CDV (Carte-de-Visite) so we can be pretty sure right off it dates from the 1860-1900 time range. If it were foreign, I’d add at least ten more years to that range, and if it were French perhaps move the earlier end of the range back five years or so.
We see here a little boy (the hair is parted on one side, and is short on the sides, both boy-styles). It is a head and shoulder portrait that nearly fills the available space, so it is probably after 1875. He is wearing a plaid shirt or blouse, and a huge lace collar. The large lace collars were most popular on little boys clothes in the 1880s and 1890s.
Looking at the back of the card, we see it is inscribed with a name, and there is a photographer’s imprint. The inscription reads ‘Matthew W Budlong’. As that is the only name, and the subject and name are both male, it may well be the name of the subject — but we can not be sure of that. Often written names are those of the intended recipient of that particular print, or were added later and indicate a subsequent owner of the picture. Other names have been written on years later by relatives who are uncertain, and often wrong, about the identity.
The photographer’s imprint shows a monogram, with ‘Jones, Providence, R.I.’ and at the bottom ‘357 Westminster Street, Providence, R.I.’ Looking carefully at the monogram, we see it shows the intertwined letters B F J — probably interpreted in that order as the J we know is Jones, and is larger than the others, while the other two are of equal weight, but the B is above, and hence most likely first.
Checking our database at http://www.classyarts.com/ for Jones in Rhode Island we find only two listed, one of which is in Providence: Benjamin F Jones — certainly the correct person since the initials match the monogram. Our database entry for Jones shows:
Jones, Benjamin F (born abt 1847 in Massachusetts) is listed as a photographer in the 1880 US census for Providence, Providence county RI. The census shows that this person was the spouse of Ida E.
So we know Jones was active in Providence in 1880, though we can not be sure how much earlier or later he may have worked there. Checking that 1880 census listing, we find that Ben and Ida had three children, one born ca 1872 in MA, the other two born RI: 1878 and 1880. So he moved to RI from MA sometime between 1872 and 1878.
Next we search the 1900 census for Ben and Ida, and find them living in Somerville MA, his occupation ‘artistic pictures’ … which probably means he was still a photographer. By that time the couple have two more children, both born in RI, the youngest in 1882. So now we know they moved back from RI to MA between 1882 and 1900.
A search of city directories in MA shows Benjamin F Jones listed in Bradford MA in 1889 as a photo operator, and in Haverhill MA 1894 as ‘artist’. Clearly, Jones operated in Providence no earlier than 1872 and no later than 1889. So next we went to the Providence directories, to see which years we could show him present in that city. The earliest we found available was 1881, which listed Jones. In 1883 the listing showed Jones and Shaal, but in 1884 it goes back to just B. F. Jones. He was listed in 1885, but not 1887. All directory listings give the same address as shown on the CDV. So we know the card must pre-date 1887.
Out next line of research is to look for Matthew W Budlong in Rhode Island. Searching the censuses, we find only one listing for a Matthew Budlong, and that in 1880. He is shown as 11 years old, son of Charles and Jane Budlong. Birth records for Rhode Island (at least those on-line) do not show Matthew, but I found several of his siblings listed.
I couldn’t find any other records for Matthew, except one possible citation, a death record from 1895:
Matthew W Budlong, witt: John C Budlong, Martha A Budlong, died 31 Aug 1895 age 20 yrs
This looks like him, though the age is off a few years, and who are these John and Martha? Those were not the names in the census, or any of his siblings. Then I found another citation for a Matthew S Budlong (the S is probably in error) — an 1895 directory for Providence RI shows Dr. John C Budlong, and in the same residence the Matthew S Budlong, student, boarding.
So very likely, the Matthew W Budlong of our photograph was born about 1875 (death record), and the photograph taken around 1879 or 1880. The Matthew born about 1869 and listed in the 1880 census was either a different person, or the census taker mixed up the ages of Matthew and one of his siblings, or he was considerably older at death than stated in the record. Possibly each record was off a couple years — I can find no Charles Budlong in the 1870 census of the correct age and birthplace except one — and that shows no wife at that time. If Charles and Jane were not married until after 1870, Matthew was probably under ten in 1880, not the 11 shown.
So what does this tell us about our photo? That it can be very difficult to identify such old pictures sometimes? Yes, I suppose so. But the preponderance of evidence seems to suggest a date right around 1880. The photographer search was more productive, but he seems to have stayed a long time in one location, so it only narrows the field to between 1872 and 1887.