Leppo, Clara McNear (1881-1979)(1 of 2)
/Lewis Dowe’s Portrait Photograph of Elizabeth “Betsy” Bailey Williams & Clara McNear
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. When this portrait was taken the baby would have been known by her maiden name, Clara McNear.
Description: In this double portrait Clara McNear is the baby held by her great-great-grandmother, Elizabeth Bailey Williams. Baby Clara is dressed in a white lace gown which contrasts dramatically with William’s black jacket and skirt. In an intricate and intimate composition, Williams’s left hand supports Clara’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 is edged in dark satin. A stiff, white, ruffled collar surrounds her neck, and a white, lace jabot falls almost to her waist. This great-great-grandmother has very dark hair which is parted in the middle. Her ruffled bonnet is decorated with white flowers and is fastened at the neck with a lighter colored ribbon.
Biographical Note:
Family Affiliation: Clara McNear Leppo was born in 1881 to Petaluma pioneers, George Plummer McNear (1857-1947) and Jennie Otis McNear (1857-1883). She married David Harrison Leppo (1876-1928) in 1902, and was buried in Petaluma’s Cypress Hill Memorial Park in 1979.
Bibliography: Elizabeth Bailey Williams & Clara McNear Leppo PDF
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 left 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.