Hough, Earl Burton

EARL BURTON HOUGH was born in 1878, 1879, or 1880 in Martinez, California, and died in 1976 in Redford, Michigan. As a young man, he worked for the famous San Francisco portrait photographer Isaiah West Taber (1830-1912). In 1900, he married Beatrice Minerva Singleton in San Rafael, California, and they immediately moved to Honolulu, Hawaii.  Hough soon returned to California and, by the end of 1901, was working in Petaluma at the E. R. Healy Ground Floor Gallery. By February 1902, Hough opened his own Petaluma photographic studio, which, according to the Petaluma Daily Morning Courier, was “an elaborate affair”.  Additionally, Hough employed the retoucher, Julius Geohner of Chicago, to assist with his work. Hough employed several techniques to attract customers to his studio: vintage photographs from Petaluma’s past with many recognizable “old-timers” were displayed; “new platinum artist proof photos” were offered to each person placing an order; and the city officers were invited to sit for their portraits with the expectation of installing them at City Hall.  Hough’s efforts appear to have been in vain; his Petaluma studio was in business for only five months. 

Petaluma Daily Morning Courier, Feb. 17, 1902, p. 1

Petaluma Photographic Studio: The location of Hough’s studio was reported to be in the space formerly occupied by the J. C. Wahlen jewelry store on Main Street in the Phoenix block.  Hough advertised his studio in the Petaluma Argus-Courier from March through May 1902.  Some advertisements reported the address as 835 Main Street, but others reported 823 Main Street. In May 1902, his studio was described as “across the street from the Argus office”.  On May 25, 1902, it was reported that Robert Peterson Dammand (1855-1936) had purchased Hough’s gallery and that Dammand would take possession on the first of  June.

Active in Petaluma: February 1902 to June 1902

Bibliography: Petaluma Argus-Courier: April 17, 1902, p.4; March 17, 1902, p.4; May 25, 1902, p.1. Petaluma Daily Morning Courier: January 20, 1902, p.4; January 23, 1902, p.2; February 17, 1902, p.1; March 1, 1902, p.3; March 14, 1902, p.4; April 12, 1902, p.1; April 17, 1902, p.1; May 9, 1902, p.1; May, 26, 1902, p.4; June 25, 1902, p.4. San Francisco Call, June 8, 1900, p. 9.

As of 2022, there are no portraits by Earl Burton Hough in this archive.