Brown, Daniel (c. 1830 -1902)(1 of 3)
/Unidentified Photographer, Two ambrotype Portraits of Daniel Brown and his daughter Mary Louise or Annie Alexis
THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:
Photographer: unidentified. It is possible one of two Petaluma photographers created these ambrotypes: Giles Pease Kellogg or Edward Payson Butler. Kellogg, the first photographer to work in Petaluma, began offering ambrotypes by May 1856, and Butler, who took over Kellogg’s studio on January 10, 1862, continued to create ambrotypes in Petaluma until April 1863. These dates coincide with the years in which Daniel and Annie Brown were raising their young daughters in Petaluma. Daniel Brown married Annie Alexis Ferguson on May 18, 1858, and their first two children, both girls, were born in Petaluma, Mary Louise on March 5, 1860 and Annie Alexis on August 21, 1861.
THE SITTERS:
Name: Daniel Brown and his daughter Mary Louise Brown (Mary Louise Brown Hall) and/or Annie Alexis Brown.
Description: In both ambrotypes, Daniel Brown is portrayed with one of his two toddler daughters. The young father is dressed in his business suit replete with matching vest, pocket watch, neck tie, and straight, high-collared white shirt. He sports a full goatee or chin beard, but no mustache. In the portrait on the left, his daughter has been positioned on a restraining device, the end of which can be seen to the right of her face, and tilted towards her father so that their heads touch. Although this is an endearing pose, she wears a petulant scowl. In the portrait on the right, his daughter sits happily on his lap, his hand supporting her at the waist. In both portraits, the toddler wears white socks, black shoes, and a waisted, drop-shouldered dress which is adorned with wide strips of ribbon at the top of the sleeves.
The two portraits may not have been taken at the same time: there are distinct differences in the details of Daniel’s beard and hair; it appears his bow ties are not the same; and he may not be wearing a vest in the right portrait. If the portraits were taken at different sittings, it is possible that Mary Louise is portrayed in one and Annie Alexis in the other.
Biographical Note: Daniel Brown was born in 1830 in County Tipperary, Ireland, and as a child immigrated to the United States with his family. The Brown family lived in New York City until the late 1840s when his father died. Daniel and his mother and sisters then headed to California. They made it as far as New Orleans and were recorded there in September on the 1850 U.S. Census, Daniel working as a clerk. Two months later, Daniel was again recorded on the 1850 Census, this time in Placerville, California, and this time working as a miner. Daniel had been drawn by the Gold Rush. By 1853, Daniel had settled in Petaluma and was selling liquor. On May 18, 1858, he married Annie Alexis Ferguson, also from Ireland. Daniel and Annie had twelve children; seven lived to adulthood.
An old family story said that Daniel found selling liquor more profitable than digging for gold and this appears to have been accurate. By 1858 Daniel’s name appeared in Petaluma newspapers as “Wholesale Dealer in WINES & LIQUORS.” He continued in his very profitable liquor business for years, accumulated his wealth, and began to invest in land, property, and mining companies, locally and spreading into other counties. He was active in politics, participated in local committees for city development and railroad construction, and was on the board of the Mutual Benefit Association. For years he was on the board of several Petaluma and Santa Rosa banks and until his death he was vice-president of the local Wickersham Bank. Two of the Brown daughters, Mary Louise and Lillian Nathalie, married and had children thereby continuing the Brown-Ferguson line. Daniel Brown was 72 when he died in 1902. He was buried in the Brown Family Plot in the Petaluma Calvary Cemetery. His fortune was set up in a trust that supported his widow and the surviving Brown descendants until the death of the youngest daughter Kathleen Elise in 1970 at 93.
*This biographical note was written by Annie Alexis Ferguson Brown’s descendant, Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini.
Family Affiliation: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41847997/daniel-brown Search this archive and the Sonoma County Library photograph archive for additional portraits of the Brown family.
Bibliography: The Sonoma County Journal: March 19, 1858, p. 2; August 27, 1858, p. 2; October 17, 1862, p. 2; June 5, 1863, p. 2. Petaluma Argus-Courier: January 13, 1900, p.2; January 14, 1902, p.3; April 4, 1902, p. 1; April 30, 1902, p. 4; May 23, 1902, p. 1; October 14, 1902, p. 1. Petaluma Weekly Argus: July 25, 1873, p. 3; February 12, 1875, p.1; October 18, 1878, p. 3; October 28, 1881, p.3. Petaluma Daily Morning Courier: April 94, 1902, p. 3; May 20, 1902, p. 1 & 4; May 23, 1902, p. 1, 2; May 23, 1902, p.2; January 9, 1903, p. 4. For additional information and artifacts pertaining to the Brown family, see the Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini Collection at the Petaluma Historical Library & Museum.
THE PHOTOGRAPH:
Format / Size: According to the owner of the original, both images, as measured outside of their frames, are approximately, 2 3/4” by by 2 1/2”.
Medium: Ambrotype
Description, front: The two ambrotypes are contained in a single brown floral design Union case with brass hinges.
Description, back:
Date: between 1861 and 1863
Condition: Both ambrotypes are in good condition. The Union case has a broken/missing piece from the lower left corner of the front half.
Owner: From the collection of Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini, 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.