Cady, Emma S. Elder Coggeshall (1857-1933) (5 of 6)
/Lewis Dowe’s Portrait Photograph of Emma S. Elder Coggeshall
THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:
LEWIS DOWE was born in 1838 in Hanover, New Hampshire and died in 1919 in Portland, Oregon. He arrived in Petaluma in September of 1875 and set up his photography studio in the rooms formerly occupied by photographer Hugh Anderson. Dowe worked in Petaluma as both a “view” and portrait photographer until he departed the town in March of 1882. (For additional information on this photographer and to view all portraits by him in the collection, click on his name in blue above.)
THE SITTER:
Name: Emma S. Elder Coggeshall Cady. At the time this portrait was taken, the sitter’s name was most probably Emma S. Elder Coggeshall. It has been assumed that this is a wedding portrait, and the surname of Emma’s first husband, whom she married in 1877, was Coggeshall.
Description: This cabinet card portrait was taken at the same time as another portrait of Emma in which she is standing. In both portraits she wears the same white lace dress, large drop earrings, and corsage. In both portraits, curls adorn her forehead and her wavy hair is pulled into a large twisted bun at the crown of her head. She is adorned in bridal fashion, and both portraits quite probably commemorate her wedding to her first husband, whose surname was Coggeshall.
Biographical Note: As a student and young women Emma was mentioned often in Petaluma papers’ society section. She received her certificate to teach in the Petaluma Public School system in 1876. In 1919, she was living at A and Sixth Streets.
Family Affiliation: Emma S. Elder Coggeshall Cady was the daughter of Petaluma pioneers, William Elder (1812-1876) and Sarah C. Elder (1819-1891). The Elders were a prominent family in Petaluma. William Elder, born in Scotland, was Petaluma’s first mayor, the first chairman of the Petaluma Board of Trustees, and one of the founders of the Petaluma Congregational church. William Elder also founded, with George Harris, the general merchandising store in Petaluma, Harris & Elder. In 1877, Emma married a man named Coggeshall and with him had three children. Their daughter, Catherine Coggeshall (1884-1982), married Malcolm Lyman Byce (1890-1919) in 1912. Emma later named a man whose surname was Cady.
Bibliography:
THE PHOTOGRAPH:
Format / Size: cabinet card, approximately 10.5 x 14.5 cm
Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock
Description, front: This is a three-quarter view portrait in which the sitter’s image has been cropped just above the waistline.
Description, back: Handwritten in cursive in pencil along the top edge of the card is, “Emma Elder”. Handwritten in cursive in pencil along the bottom is, “Property of Federica Olmsted”. The photographer’s imprint appears in the center, aligned on a vertical diagonal.
Date: May 1877
Condition: With the exception of a vertical scratch in the upper left, this portrait is in good condition.
Owner: Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1984-289-06
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