McNear, George Plummer Sr. (1857 - 1947)(1 of 4)
/George Daniels Morse’s Portrait Photograph of George Plummer McNear
THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:
Photographer: George Daniels Morse (born c. 1835)
Photographic Studio: Palace of Art, Phelan Building, 826 Market Street, San Francisco, California
THE SITTER:
Name: George Plummer McNear Sr.
Description: This cabinet card portrays a young and fashionable George Plummer McNear, a scion of Petaluma’s most prominent pioneer family. He gazes confidently at the camera, his fresh young face adorned with a walrus mustache and bushy muttonchops. He wears a dark notched-collar jacket, white shirt with an English cutaway collar and a large dark necktie.
Biographical Note: Following in the footsteps of his famous, Petaluma, pioneer father, John August McNear (1832-1918), George Plummer McNear Sr. was a prominent Petaluma citizen and successful business man. He invested early in the community’s poultry industry, served on the board of Sonoma County National Bank and was Vice President of the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railroad. He was also a generous philanthropist donating sections of his extensive land holdings to accommodate the community post office, fire station, McNear Park and McNear School.
Family Affiliation: George Plummer McNear was the only child of Petaluma pioneers John Augustus McNear (1832-1918) and his first wife, Clarinda Damsen Williams McNear (1837-1866), to survive to adulthood. George’s first wife was Jennie Otis McNear (1857-1883) who died tragically at the age of 26. Together George and Jennie had one child, Clara McNear Leppo (1881-1979), named in honor of George’s mother. George’s second wife was Ida Belle Denman McNear (1859-1949). Together, they had four children. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/105717995/george-plummer-mcnear.
Bibliography:
THE PHOTOGRAPH:
Format / Size: cabinet card, approximately 10.75 x 16.5 cm
Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock
Description, front: The imprint of this fashionable San Francisco photographer appears along the bottom of the card. The paper on which this portrait is printed is mounted on a high-quality card which has beveled edges.
Description, back: The back of this card is either blank or contains only an accession number.
Date: According to Peter Palmquist, George Daniels Morse operated his Palace of Art studio in the Phelan’s Building at 826 Market, San Francisco location between September 1881 and 1889. Peter E. Palmquist and Thomas R. Kailbourn, Pioneer Photographers of the Far West, Stanford University Press, 2000, p. 408.
Condition: Excellent
Owner: Private collector, digital copy by permission
Reproduction rights: The Petaluma Museum Association makes no assertions as to ownership of any original copyrights to the digitized images here reproduced. These images are intended for personal or research use only. Any other kind of use, including, but not limited to commercial or scholarly publication in any medium or format, public exhibition, or use online or in a web site, may be subject to additional restrictions including but not limited to the copyrights held by parties other than the Association. USERS ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE for determining the existence of such rights and for obtaining any permissions and/or paying associated fees necessary for the proposed use.