Penry, John Edward (1872-1954)
/Joslin & Company’s Portrait Photograph of John Edward Penry
PHOTOGRAPHER / PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:
JOSLIN & COMPANY was established by the photographer Amon James Tuft Joslin. He was born in 1839 in Rockwood, New York, and died in 1913 in San Benito County, California. He established the Petaluma Photo Parlor under the name of Joslin & Company in November 1893, and left the studio, departing for Chico, California in April 1897. (For additional information on Joslin and Company and to view all portraits produced by the studio in the collection, click on its name in blue above.)
THE SITTER:
Name: John Edward Penry, aka J. Edward Penry and Edward Penry
Description: In this head-and-shoulders portrait, John Edward Penry looks straight forward with an intense gaze. Dressed in a business gentleman’s attire, he wears a suit jacket and matching vest. His white shirt has a high band collar and his striped necktie has an unusually large knot. On the lapel of his vest, he wears an Odd Fellows pin. The triple links of the pin are a reference to the fraternity’s motto, “Amicitia Amor et Veritas”, “Friendship Love and Truth”. It appears he is wearing an additional piece of jewelry directly below this pin, but it is obscured by the lapel of his jacket.
Biographical Note: According to his obituary published in the Petaluma Argus-Courier on July 26, 1954, p. 6, John Edward Penry was born in Minneapolis, Kansas, lived in Nevada as a child, and located to Petaluma with his parents in 1881. He was the local manager of the Great American Tea Company, and was appointed to the City Council in 1934 to succeed Ludwig Schluckebier. He died in Santa Rosa and was buried in Petaluma’s Cypress Hill Memorial Park.
Family Affiliation: John Edward Penry was the first born son of Petaluma pioneers, James Franklin Penry (1846-1922) and Olive Anna Fernald Penry (1853-1943). He was the husband of Mamie R. Penry (1872-1928) and Minnie Eletha Warner Penry (1875-1948).
Bibliography: Petaluma Argus-Courier, Jan. 31, 1912, p. 8; July 22, 1929, p. 10; June 14, 1939, p.1; July 26, 1954, p.6 (obit). Petaluma Daily Morning Courier, Sept. 14, 1905, p.1; June 26, 1912, p. 6. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/124211540/john_edward_penry
THE PHOTOGRAPH:
Format / Size: cabinet card, approximately 10.75 x 16.5 cm
Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock
Description, front: All four edges of this cabinet card are pinked, and Joslin & Company’s imprint appears along the bottom.
Description, back: Handwritten in cursive in dark blue ink is, “Edward Penry”, “City Councilman”, and “Maze store”.
Date: November 1893 - April 1897
Condition: The edges of this card are frayed and the back side is soiled and stained.
Owner: Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1979-80-04
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.