Williams, Elizabeth “Betsy” Bailey (1792-1882)
/Lewis Dowe’s Portrait Photograph of Elizabeth “Betsy” Bailey Williams and Clara McNear Leppo
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 SITTERS:
Names: Elizabeth “Betsy” Bailey Williams & Clara McNear Leppo
Description: In this masterful double portrait, Elizabeth Bailey Williams is depicted holding her great-great-grandaughter, Clara McNear Leppo. William’s black jacket and skirt contrast dramatically with the baby’s white lace gown, creating a striking composition. In an intricate and intimate composition, Williams’s left hand supports the baby’s back and the enlarged middle or index finger of her right hand is clasped by the fingers of the baby’s right hand. Williams wears glasses and gazes directly at the viewer while the square-faced baby looks off to the viewer’s right. Williams’s cuff and dropped waist jacket are edged in dark satin. A stiff, white, ruffled collar surrounds her neck, and a white, lace jabot falls almost to her waist. William’s center-parted hair is surprisingly very dark. She appears to be wearing a dark bonnet or braided and curled hairpiece which rests on the crown of her head and falls to cover her ears. Elizabeth Bailey Williams & Clara McNear Leppo PDF
Biographical Note: Elizabeth Bailey Williams was born in Woolwich, Maine in 1792 and was buried in 1882 in Petaluma’s Cypress Hill Memorial Park. According to her grandson, George Roscoe Williams (1839-1934), she was left a widow in her late twenties with seven children to raise. She provided for them by running a grocery and dry goods store in Wiscasset, Maine. In the course of her lifetime she moved extensively within the United States. In the spring of 1853 she departed Maine with her granddaughter, Clara Williams McNear, and several other family members to settle in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Due to the tension preceding the Civil War, she returned to Wiscasset in 1859. Her decision to move to Petaluma later in her life was undoubedtly motivated by her desire to be with her son and grandchildren.
Family Affiliation: Elizabeth Bailey Williams was the mother of Petaluma pioneer, George Bailey Williams (1809-1899); the grandmother of George Roscoe Williams (1839-1934) and Clara Williams McNear (1837-1866); and the great grandmother of Clara McNear Leppo (1881-1979). https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/72920010/betsy-elizabeth-williams.
THE PHOTOGRAPH:
Format: cabinet card, approximately 10.75 x 16.5 cm
Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock
Description, front: This masterful double portrait is framed within an arched, ecru, mat which is edged in light blue. The photographer’s imprint runs along the bottom blue strip; on the right is the photographer’s signature presented in cursive letters, “L Dowe”, and on the right in block print is “PETALUMA, CAL”. Hand written, in blue ink cursive along the bottom ecru strip is written, “Mrs Betsy Williams 90 years, Clara McNear 5 mos. Great great grd”.
Description, back: Hand written in black ink cursive along on the top: “Mrs Betsy Williams 90 years. Clara McNear 5 months. Great-Great-Grand Mother”. Written in black ink cursive along the bottom: “for Mrs. Maria Wright from Mrs. Eliza Garrett”. (Eliza Jane Williams Garrett (1813-1884) was the daughter of Elizabeth Bailey Williams.)
Date: 1881
Condition: slight foxing throughout
Owner: Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 2006-1-78
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.