Wheaton, Marcella “Ella” Whitney (1866-1915) (4 of 6)
/Isaiah West Taber’s Portrait Photograph of Ella Whitney
THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:
Photographer: Isaiah West Taber (1830-1912). Taber opened his first photography studio in 1854 in Syracuse, New York. In 1864 he moved to California and worked at the Bradley and Rulofson studio at 429 Montgomery Street in San Francisco until 1873. By the end of the decade, Taber was creating portraits at his own studio at 8 Montgomery Street in San Francisco. He continued to produce portraits at his new studio location at 121 Post Street between 1893 and 1906. His studio and all its contents were destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Isaiah West Taber: A Photographic Legacy, introduction by Gary F. Kurtz, Windgate Press, Sausalito, California, 2004, Appendix A: Portraits by Taber .
Photographic Studio: Taber Studio, 8 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, California.
THE SITTER:
Name: Marcella “Ella” Whitney Wheaton (At the time this portrait was taken, Ella would have been known by her maiden name, Whitney.)
Description: This is an unusual portrait of Marcella Whitney as a young woman. She wears a black lace shawl pinned at her throat with a bar brooch, and her hair is worn close to her head, similar to the coiffure of Clara Belle Sproul Jewel Ivancovich, portrait 3 of 3 in this archive. It is possible she is attired in her mourning clothes, and that this portrait was taken in 1884, the year of her Father’s death. She would have been 18 years of age.
Biographical Note: As a member of a prominent Petaluma family, Ella was well educated. She attended an Episcopal high school, Saint Mary’s Hall in Benicia, and, according to her obituary, a Bay Area seminary which may be a reference to Mill’s Seminary. According to articles in the Petaluma Weekly Argus, Ella toured Europe between July 1887 and December 1888. She later married Charles B. Wheaton and moved with him to Medford, Massachusetts. She died suddenly at the age of 48 of pneumonia in Medford, but was buried in her family’s plot in Petaluma at the Cypress Hill Memorial Park.
Family Affiliation: Marcella “Ella” Whitney was the fifth child of the prominent Petaluma pioneers Albion Paris Whitney (1825-1884) and Susan Durgin Eastman Whitney (1832-1917). Her father was a California State Senator and wealthy businessman. Her mother managed the family business after his death and was an active participant in the women’s suffrage movement. Her paternal grandmother was Olive Parlin Whitney, and her siblings were Cleora “Millie” Melissa Whitney Hewlett, Nancy Jane “Jenny” Whitney Morrow, Arthur Leslie Whitney, Leona Merrill Whitney, Albion Harvey Whitney and Clara Whitney Spears. Marcella’s husband was Charles B. Wheaton of San Francisco whom she married in 1892.
Bibliography:
THE PHOTOGRAPH:
Format / Size: cabinet card, approximately 10.75 x 16.5 cm
Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock
Description, front: This portrait is framed within a vertical oval. The imprint of Isaiah West Tabor have been cut in half along the bottom edge. It would have read on the left, “Tabor” and along the right, “8 Montgomery Street Opposite the Palace and Grand Hotels, San Francisco”. In the center of the bottom can be seen handwritten in cursive in black ink, “Ella”.
Description, back: Along the bottom edge can be read, “Duplicate copies will be supplied at reduced rates; when ordering the same it is sufficient to state the NAME IN FULL. This negative will be PRESERVED for two years, or for a longer period if required.”.
Date: The photographer’s imprint on the bottom front edge of this card allows us to assume that this portrait was created between 1879-1884. It is possible the portrait dates specifically to 1884, see “Sitter Description” above.
Condition: The bottom edge of this card has been trimmed, truncating the photographer’s imprint. There are large moisture stains on the top two thirds of the front.
Owner: Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1981-835-36
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.