Butler, Edward Payson
/
Petaluma argus, July 16, 1862, p.3.
EDWARD PAYSON BUTLER was born in 1834 in Clinton, Pennsylvania, and died in 1923 in Saratoga, California. Butler was an ambrotype and paper photographer, and in January 1862, he took over the photographic gallery of Giles Pease Kellogg located within Petaluma’s Phoenix Block and renamed it “Butler’s Ambrotype and Photographic Gallery”. Butler marketed himself as Kellogg’s successor and proclaimed in his advertisements, “In order to meet the demands of the times, I am now taking pictures of all styles, in the very best manner, at the following reduced rates: medium ambrotype pictures, taken for $1.00 to $1.50 each. Photographs, full size $3.00 for the first and $1.00 for each additional one. Album and card pictures, $4.00 per dozen. Daguerreotypes copied and pictures inserted in rings and lockets, in superior style. Views of buildings taken at short notice. Pictures of children taken in the best manner. Entire satisfaction guaranteed.” This was followed by an invitation to call and examine specimens of his work at his residence on the second floor of the Washington Hotel.
According to the Petaluma Argus, Butler co-partnered with Bryan Johnson in December 1862, and they worked together at the gallery until April 1863, when Johnson took sole possession of the business and renamed it “Johnson’s Premium Pioneer Photographic Gallery”. Butler departed Petaluma in May 1863 and continued his work as a photographer in the California cities of Watsonville, San Francisco, and Santa Cruz, as well as in the Nevada cities of Virginia City and Reno.
During his two years in Petaluma, Butler served as a member of the community’s “First Fire Company” and volunteered his artistic skills by serving on the “Committee of Arrangements” for the decoration of the Petaluma Engine Company’s New Year Ball held in McCune’s Hall.
Petaluma Photographic Studio: Butler opened his “Butler’s Ambrotype and Photographic Gallery” in July 1862 within Petaluma’s Phoenix Block, second floor, Main Street, and departed Petaluma May 1983.
Active in Petaluma: January 1862 - April 1863
Bibliography: Carl Mautz, Biographies of Western Photographers, A Reference Guide to Photographers Working in the 19th Century American West, Expanded and Revised Edition, 2018, p. 110. Peter E. Palmquist and Thomas R. Kailbourn, Pioneer Photographers of the Far West, Stanford University Press, 2000, p. 143. Petaluma Argus, July 9, 1862, p. 3; July 16, 1862, p. 3; Dec. 24, 1862, p.2; Dec. 31, 1862, p. 2. Petaluma Weekly Argus, July 13, 1877, p. 1. Sonoma County Journal, Jan. 17, 1862, p. 2; Jan. 31, 1862, p. 2. Sonoma Democrat, Dec. 6, 1862, p. 4, column 5; Jan. 31, 1863, p. 3; Feb. 7, 1863, p. 2. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/33093840/edward-payson-butler.
Unfortunately, the Petaluma Historical Library & Museum owns no portraits that can be definitively attributed to this important, early photographer; however, several early ambrotypes of Petaluma pioneers without an identified photographer may have been created by him. These portraits can be found by typing “Butler” in the search bar above.