Dreese, Mrs.(given name and b. & d. dates to be determined)
/Ross & Ormsby’s Portrait Photograph of Mrs. Dreese
THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:
ROSS & ORMSBY was a Petaluma photography studio operated by George Colvaine Ross (born February 12, 1832, Edinburgh, Scotland; died 1893, Petaluma, California) and Elon D. Ormsby (died March 6, 1895, Oakland, California). The Ross & Ormsby studio was located, “At Ross’ old gallery, Main Street, two doors above the Wickersham + Co’s bank”. Ross, already an established portrait photographer in Petaluma, renamed his studio, placing his new partner’s name after his own. The Ross & Ormsby studio was first advertised in the Petaluma Weekly Argus on May 20, 1869, and the final advertisement for the studio appeared on June 11, 1870. (For additional information on this photography studio and to view all portraits in this archive with its imprint, click on its name in blue above.)
THE SITTER:
Name: Mrs. Dreese (as identified on the back of the card)
Description: “Mrs. Dreese” sits in a studio chair with a fringed armrest and looks directly into the camera. She wears a dour expression and is attired in a simple, dark, dress cinched at the waist with a dark belt with a large, oval, silver, buckle. The top of her dress has front buttons, and her sleeves and cuffs are decorated with black ribbon. At her neck is a simple, wide-spread collar and a dark, thin, choker. She also wears an ornately carved brooch at her throat and a long chain which ends in what may be a locket.
Biographical Note:
Family Affiliation: “Mrs. Dreese” may have been the wife of A. H. Dreese, a director of the Mutual Relief Association of Petaluma who served circa 1877-1882. A. H. Dreese was reported to have built a home at the corner of Western Avenue and Keller Streets in 1878. The Petaluma papers mention briefly in the 1870s Adolph, Emil and Hannah Dreese who may have been children of “Mrs. Dreese”.
Bibliography:
THE PHOTOGRAPH:
Format / Size: carte de visite, approximately 6 x 10 cm
Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock
Description, front: This is a stark, early, carte de visite which is devoid of any embellishments with the exception of the fringed armrest of the studio chair and a faint baseboard line.
Description, back: Handwritten vertically in pencil in cursive along the left edge is, “ Mrs. Dreese”. The photographers’ imprint, surrounded by foliated horizontal text dividers, appears in the center in a script with usually large serifs.
Date: May 1869 - 1870 or 71
Condition: This card is soiled, and the top right edge is frayed.
Owner: Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1994-633-34
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