Brown, Anna “Annie” Alexis Ferguson (1841-1920) (4 of 4)

/

Unidentified Photographer’s Portrait Photograph of Anna “Annie” alexis Ferguson Brown, Mary Louise Brown Hall, Aletha Hall O’Brien, and Margaret Aletha O’brien

THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: Unidentified



THE SITTER:

Names: Anna “Annie” Alexis Ferguson Brown, Mary Louise Brown Hall, Aletha Hall O’Brien (Baker) & Margaret Aletha O’Brien. Aletha Hall O’Brien Baker would have been known as Aletha Hall O’Brien at the time this portrait was taken.

Description: Aletha Hall O’Brien (Baker) (1883-1966) appears in the center of this pyramidal composition directly above her daughter, Margaret Aletha O’Brien (1908 - 1990). On the left is Anna “Annie” Alexis Ferguson Brown (1841-1920), the child’s maternal great-grandmother. On the right, is Mary Louis Brown Hall (1860-1932), the child’s maternal grandmother.

Biographical Note: Anna “Annie” Alexis Ferguson was born in 1841 in County Galway, Ireland. By age 5, she and her family had immigrated to the United States and lived in Boston, Massachusetts. Annie sailed around Cape Horn and came to California in 1856 to live in Petaluma with her sister and brother-in-law, Sabina and Thomas Rochford. On May 18, 1858, Annie and Daniel Brown were married at the Rochford’s house by Father Louis Auger. Annie and Daniel had twelve children, seven of whom survived until adulthood. Besides raising their children, Annie was active in St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church and participated in local fairs, entering tapestries and other works of art she had created.  Annie lived in Petaluma until a few years after the 1902 death of her husband.  She moved to San Francisco with her son, Vincent and three of her unmarried daughters, Josephine, Emma, and Kathleen Elise. Annie died in San Francisco on March 13, 1920.  She was buried next to Daniel in Calvary Cemetery in Petaluma, and eventually most of their twelve children were interred with them in the Brown Family Plot. 

*This biographical note was written by Anna Alexis Ferguson Brown’s descendant, Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini.

Family Affiliation: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41848304/annie-alexis-brown Search this archive and the Sonoma County Library photograph archive for additional portraits of the Brown family.

Bibliography: Primary Sources: Petaluma Argus-Courier: March 28, 1900, p. 1; March 13, 1916, p. 2; March 13, 1920, p. 4 (obit); March 15, 1920, p. 5.. Petaluma Daily Morning Courier: October 12, 1904, p. 1; March 20, 1922, p.3; September 13, 1911, p. 5; March 14, 1920, p. 8 (obit). Petaluma Weekly Argus: September 1, 1888, p. 2. 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:  5 x 7 3/4 inside of frame

Medium: Gelatin or collodion photographic print

Description, front:

Description, back: Handwritten in script in pencil is : “Annie Alexis Ferguson Brown (left) 1841-1920”; “Mary Louise Brown Hall" (right) 1860-1932”; Aletha Hall O’Brien Baker (top) 1883-1966; and “Margaret O’Brien McSherry Fassoth Reed (BABY) 1908-1996”.

Date: 1910-1912

Condition:

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. 

Brown, Thomas H.(b. 1855)

/

Hugh S. Anderson’s Portrait Photograph of Thomas H. Brown

THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

HUGH S. ANDERSON  was born in 1826 in Scotland and died in 1900 in San Francisco, California. He was active in Petaluma as early as January 1872, and he departed Petaluma in December 1873. His Sunbeam Gallery was located, “At the Old Stand, Opposite H. C. Taft & Co.’s”. (For additional information on this photographer and to view all portraits by him in the collection, click on his name in blue above.)



THE SITTER:

Name: Thomas H. Brown

Description: This portrait was taken of Thomas H. Brown when he was between 17 and 18 years old. He is attired in a sack coat with large lapels and contrasting collar, a high-collared white shirt, and a chevron- shaped necktie that was ineptly colorized. Color has also been added to his cheeks producing, along with his tender gaze, the appearance of an innocent young man.

Biographical Note: Thomas H. Brown was born in New York and traveled with his parents to California. The family arrived in Petaluma around 1865. When his family moved to Alameda, Thomas remained in Petaluma working for the Western Union Telegraph Company until 1889 when he left for San Francisco. He eventually moved with his wife to Reno, Nevada where he served as the manager of the Western Union Telegraph Company for many years.

Family Affiliation: Thomas H. Brown was the eldest son of Petaluma pioneers John K. Brown (1820-1902) a riverboat captain, and Helen W. Walter Brown (1837-1892). He had one sister, Ida Brown Coffin (b. 1858 or 59). He had three brothers: William W. Brown (d. 1905), George W. Brown (b. 1868), and George H. Brown (1869-1922)

Bibliography: Nevada State Journal, May 1, 1891, p. 3; July 14, 1905, p. 5; Oct. 1, 1915, p. 8; August 27, 1930, p. 8. Petaluma Argus-Courier, July 14, 1905, p. 5; Jan. 10, 1933, p.5. Petaluma Courier, Dec. 7, 1887, p. 3; April 3, 1889, p. 3. Petaluma Journal and Argus, Dec. 28, 1865, p. 2. Petaluma Weekly Argus, Dec. 28, 1865, p. 2. Reno Gazette-Journal, April 1, 1901, p.5; Dec. 21, 1901, p. 7.

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  carte de visite, approximately 6.25 x 10.5 cm

Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: This head-and-shoulders portrait has been set within a vertical oval.

Description, back: Hugh Anderson’s imprint appears in the center in red ink.

Date: January 1872 - December 1873

Condition: All four corners of this carte de visite have been clipped. Both sides are slightly soiled.

Owner:  Private collection, 2024-760-02, 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. 

Brown, Helen W. (1833-1892)

/

G & J Hall’s Portrait Photograph of Helen W. Brown

THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographic Studio: G & J Hall, Wakefield

THE SITTER:

Name: Helen W. Brown

Description:

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:





THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  cabinet card

Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front:

Description, back:

Date:

Condition: This cabinet card is in excellent condition.

Owner: Private collection, 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. 

Brown, John K. (1820-1902)

/

G & J Hall’s Portrait Photograph of John K. Brown

THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographic Studio: G & J Hall, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England

Photographers: George and John Hall

THE SITTER:

Name: Captain John K. Brown

Description: In a full-frontal seated poise, Captain Brown exudes an air of comfort and assuredness. He rests his left elbow on the arm of a chair and his right on a side table. He peers off into the distance with an aloof gaze. He is dressed in businessman’s attire: a three piece suit with a white shirt, four-in-hand necktie, pocket hankerchief and a chained pocket watch.

Biographical Note: John K. Brown was born in New York

Family Affiliation: John K. Brown was married to Helen W. Walter Brown (1837-1892). They had at least five children: Thomas H. Brown (born 1855), Ida Brown Coffin (b. 1858 or 59), William W. Brown (d. 1905), George W. Brown (b. 1868), and George H. Brown (1869-1922).


Bibliography:





THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  cabinet card

Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: The portrait includes two pieces of furniture, a side table and a dark wooden chair. There is a curtain in the background on the left and an elaborate painted column on the right.

Description, back: The G & J Hall studio’s elaborate imprint fills the entire backside of this cabinet card. A scalloped label has been placed on the card covering the center bottom edge. Upon it has been typewritten, “CAPTAIN J. K. BROWN, Lloyd’s Grandfather on his Father’s side”.

Date: late 1880s - early 1890s

Condition: This cabinet card is in good condition with the exception of a strip of tape remnant along the top edge of the back side.

Owner: Private collection, 2024-760-01, 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. 

Brown, Tom (2024-760-01)

/

Unidentified Photographer, Portrait Photograph of Tom Brown

THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: unidentified.

THE SITTER:

Name: Tom Brown

Description:

Biographical Note:

Family Affiliation:

Bibliography:


THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  carte de visite, approximately 6.25 x 10.5 cm

Medium:

Description, front:

Description, back:

Date:

Condition:

Owner:  Private collector, 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 website, 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. 

Brown, Emma Rochford (1872-1956)(1 of 2)

/

Unidentified Photographer’s Portrait Photograph of EMMA ROCHFORD BROWN

THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: unidentified

THE SITTER:

Name: Emma Rochford Brown

Description: In this fashionable portrait, Emma Rochford Brown is portrayed as a highly sophicated young lady. She is dressed in a formal, black jacket with large lapels. Wrapped tightly around her neck is a white scarf that is tied at the nape of her neck. An elaborate white lace jabot falls below her scarf and a thin necklace runs down the edge of her lapel. She wears an elegant, light-colored Edwardian picture hat. It has a wide thin brim, loops of ribbon on its top and a rectangular metal adornment in the center front.

Biographical Note: Emma Rochford Brown was born in Petaluma in 1872, the eighth child of Daniel and Anna Alexis Ferguson Brown.  She attended local public schools until 1885 when St. Vincent de Paul School began accepting girls after many years as a boys-only school.  Emma graduated from high school with honors in 1891. Over the years she was very active in local festivals often entering her oil paintings and works of needlepoint.  She frequently visited friends in San Francisco by train and, a few years after the 1902 death of her father, she moved to the city with her mother and unmarried sisters and brother. The Brown Family Estate allowed her many years of support and extensive travel.  Emma Brown died in 1956 at the age of 84 and was buried in the Brown Family plot at the Petaluma Calvary Cemetery.

*This biographical note was written by Emma Rochford Brown’s descendant, Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini.

Family Affiliation: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41913114/emma-rochford-brown Search this archive and the Sonoma County Library photograph archive for additional portraits of the Brown family.

Bibliography: Petaluma Argus-Courier: March 19, 1921, p.7; November 23, 1922, p. 7; September 25, 1956, p. 2 (obit); September 27, 1956, p. 8. Petaluma Courier, August 29, 1888, p. 2; June 24, 1891, p. 2. Petaluma Weekly Argus: August 25, 1888, p. 1. Petaluma Daily Morning Courier: October 8, 1904, p. 1; November 13, 1905, p. 1; July 16, 1912, p.4; November 21, 1912, p.1; July 07, 1915, p. 2; November 25, 1922, p. 5. 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:  4” x 5 1/2”

Medium: matte collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: This portrait has been mounted on textured gray cardstock which has a very thin gold border.

Description, back: Handwritten in script in black pen along the top is: “#459 Crépon Scotch Grey $4.25. (This most probably refers to the texture and color of the portrait’s matte.) Below this handwritten in pencil is: “ September 1901 Emma Brown”.

Date: September, 1901

Condition: With the exception of a white stain on the back and worn corners, this portrait is in good condition

Owner: From the collection of Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini,

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. 

Brown, Kathleen Elise (1877-1970)(1 of 2)

/

Unidentified Photographer and unidentified retoucher’s crayon Portrait of Kathleen Elise Brown


THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: unidentified

Retoucher: unidentified


THE SITTER:

Name: Kathleen Elise Brown

Description: In this full-frontal, head-and shoulders portrait, Kathleen Elise Brown looks directly out at the viewer. She is attired in a simple light-colored blouse with sleeves gathered at her shoulders. Its double scoop neckline is boarded by two lines of thin ribbon embellished with small rosettes. Between the lines of ribbon is a translucent fabric with vertical folds. Brown’s dark hair is parted on her right and arranged to fall over her left shoulder in a single sausage curl. She wears a diadem of small rosettes similar to those on her blouse’s neckline ribbons.

Biographical Note: Kathleen Elise Brown was born in Petaluma on September 21, 1877, the eleventh child of Petaluma pioneers, Daniel Brown and Anna Ferguson Brown.  She preferred her middle name so was always called Elise.  Elise attended Brick Petaluma School and in 1895 at the age of 18 entered the College of Notre Dame in San Francisco as a boarder.  In 1900 she and many family members took part in a two-week family and friends camping trip that she called “To the Geysers or Bust.”  Her brother-in-law, Gil Hall, a local Petaluma attorney, organized the trip. 

After the death of her father in 1902, Elise moved to San Francisco with her mother and other unmarried sisters and brother.  Daniel Brown’s estate supported them comfortably for the rest of their lives.  They were able to take extended trips around the United States and Europe and Asia.  Elise lived the longest of her siblings and managed the estate until she died on October 9, 1970, at the age of 93.  She was buried in Petaluma’s Calvary Cemetery in the Brown Family Plot with her parents and most of her siblings.

*This biographical note was written by Kathleen Elise Brown’s descendant, Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini.

Family Affiliation: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41913557/kathleen-elise-brown Search this archive and the Sonoma County Library photograph archive for additional portraits of the Brown family.

Bibliography: Primary Sources: Petaluma Argus-Courier: March 19, 1921, p.7; October 12, 1970, p. 12 (obit). Petaluma Daily Morning Courier: August 17, 1895, p. 1; January 8, 1909, p. 1; July 16, 1912, p. 4; November 21, 1912, p. 1. 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:  Crayon enlargement also known as a crayon portrait

Medium: Photographic print mounted on paperboard and enhanced with charcoal

Description, front:

Description, back:

Date: 1890 -1900

Condition: This portrait is in excellent condition.

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. 

Brown, Annie Alexis (August 21, 1861- March 22, 1865)

/

Unidentified Photographer, Two ambrotype Portraits of Daniel Brown and his daughter Mary Louise and/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) an/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: Annie Alexis Brown was the second child born to the early Petaluma pioneers, Annie Alexis Ferguson Brown and Daniel Brown. Named after her mother, the child died at age 3 years 7 months and was buried in the Brown family plot at Petaluma’s Calvary Catholic Cemetery.

Family Affiliation: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41885249/annie-alexis-brown Search this archive and the Sonoma County Library photograph archive for additional portraits of the Brown family.

Bibliography: 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. 

Brown, Daniel (c.1830 -1902)(2 of 3)

/

Unidentified Photographer, Portrait Photograph of Daniel Brown

THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: unidentified. This portrait may have been taken at the Bushnell Photography Studio in San Francisco. For an explanation of this speculation, see portrait 3 of 3 of Daniel Brown.


THE SITTER:

Name: Daniel Brown

Description: In this head-and-shoulder portrait, the elderly gentleman’s shoulders are full frontal. He turns his head slightly and glazes off to the viewer’s right. He is balding and sports a gray chin beard with no mustache. He is attired in a business suit with matching vest, a wide-spread collared white shirt, and a dark crossed necktie.

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:  approximately 5” x 7”

Medium:

Description, front: This head-and-shoulder portrait has a uniform gray background and is set within a thin metal frame.

Description, back: Hand written in print script in pencil at the bottom is: “Daniel Brown”, “b. May 1830”, “Tipperary, Ireland”, “d. 20 May 1902 Petaluma CA”, “m. Annie Alexis Ferguson”, “18, May 1858”.

Date: 1895. This portrait was taken at the same sitting as portrait 3 of 3 of Daniel Brown in this archive. On the back of portrait 3 of 3 the date of 1895 is inscribed.

Condition: This portrait is in good condition.

Owner: From the collection of Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini,

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. 

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. 

Brown, Anna “Annie” Alexis Ferguson (1841-1920) (2 of 4)

/

Petaluma Photo Parlors’ portrait photograph of Anna “annie” Alexis Ferguson Brown

THE 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: Anna “Annie” Alexis Ferguson Brown

Description: In this head-and-shoulder portrait, Anna Brown holds herself in a dignified pose and gazes confidently out at the viewer. Her hair is center-parted and pulled to the back of her head. She wears wire-rimmed spectacles, small drop earrings, and a choker with metallic embellishments. Reflecting the fashion of the 1890s, her velvet blouse is adorned with gimp braid trim, and its sleeves are puffed at the shoulder.

Biographical Note: Anna Alexis Ferguson was born in 1841 in County Galway, Ireland. By age 5, she and her family had immigrated to the United States and lived in Boston, Massachusetts. Annie sailed around Cape Horn and came to California in 1856 to live in Petaluma with her sister and brother-in-law, Sabina and Thomas Rochford. On May 18, 1858, Annie and Daniel Brown were married at the Rochford’s house by Father Louis Auger. Annie and Daniel had twelve children, seven of whom survived until adulthood. Besides raising their children, Annie was active in St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church and participated in local fairs, entering tapestries and other works of art she had created.  Annie lived in Petaluma until a few years after the 1902 death of her husband.  She moved to San Francisco with her son, Vincent and three of her unmarried daughters, Josephine, Emma, and Kathleen Elise. Annie died in San Francisco on March 13, 1920.  She was buried next to Daniel in Calvary Cemetery in Petaluma, and eventually most of their twelve children were interred with them in the Brown Family Plot. 

*This biographical note was written by Anna Alexis Ferguson Brown’s descendant, Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini.

Family Affiliation: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41848304/annie-alexis-brown Search this archive and the Sonoma County Library photograph archive for additional portraits of the Brown family.

Bibliography: Primary Sources: Petaluma Argus-Courier: March 28, 1900, p. 1; March 13, 1916, p. 2; March 13, 1920, p. 4 (obit); March 15, 1920, p. 5.. Petaluma Daily Morning Courier: October 12, 1904, p. 1; March 20, 1922, p.3; September 13, 1911, p. 5; March 14, 1920, p. 8 (obit). Petaluma Weekly Argus: September 1, 1888, p. 2. 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: cabinet card

Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: This digital image was not taken from the original cabinet card. It was taken from a copy of the original.

Description, back: The back of this card is either empty or contains only an accession number.

Date: between November 1893 and April 1897

Condition: Because this digital copy was not taken from the original, the condition of the original is unknown.

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. 

Brown, Anna “Annie” Alexis Ferguson (1841-1920) (3 of 4)

/

Unidentified Photographer’s Portrait Photograph of Anna “Annie” alexis Ferguson Brown

THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: Unidentified



THE SITTER:

Name: Anna “Annie” Alexis Ferguson Brown

Description: In this head-and-shoulder portrait, the middle-aged matron gazes confidently out at the viewer. Her serious demeanor is reinforced by her decision to wear her pince-nez, a style of spectacles fashionable in the United States between 1880 and 1910. Her hair is center-parted and pulled to the back of her head into a tight bun visual at the top of her head. Her bun is adorned with a beaded barrette. She wears small round earrings and a circular brooch on her collar. Her blouse is made of ornate black lace, and her jacket, which features large gigot sleeves, is made of dark satin.

Biographical Note: Anna Alexis Ferguson was born in 1841 in County Galway, Ireland. By age 5, she and her family had immigrated to the United States and lived in Boston, Massachusetts. Annie sailed around Cape Horn and came to California in 1856 to live in Petaluma with her sister and brother-in-law, Sabina and Thomas Rochford. On May 18, 1858, Annie and Daniel Brown were married at the Rochford’s house by Father Louis Auger. Annie and Daniel had twelve children, seven of whom survived until adulthood. Besides raising their children, Annie was active in St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church and participated in local fairs, entering tapestries and other works of art she had created.  Annie lived in Petaluma until a few years after the 1902 death of her husband.  She moved to San Francisco with her son, Vincent and three of her unmarried daughters, Josephine, Emma, and Kathleen Elise. Annie died in San Francisco on March 13, 1920.  She was buried next to Daniel in Calvary Cemetery in Petaluma, and eventually most of their twelve children were interred with them in the Brown Family Plot. 

*This biographical note was written by Anna Alexis Ferguson Brown’s descendant, Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini.

Family Affiliation: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41848304/annie-alexis-brown Search this archive and the Sonoma County Library photograph archive for additional portraits of the Brown family.

Bibliography: Primary Sources: Petaluma Argus-Courier: March 28, 1900, p. 1; March 13, 1916, p. 2; March 13, 1920, p. 4 (obit); March 15, 1920, p. 5.. Petaluma Daily Morning Courier: October 12, 1904, p. 1; March 20, 1922, p.3; September 13, 1911, p. 5; March 14, 1920, p. 8 (obit). Petaluma Weekly Argus: September 1, 1888, p. 2. 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:  approximately 5” x 7”

Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock

Description, front: This crisp, sharply focused, head-and-shoulder portrait is set in front of a background of soft, out-of-focus drapery.

Description, back: The green sticker identifies the stationer company, H. S. Gutermute, as the framer of this portrait. Along the bottom, hand printed in pencil is: “Annie Alexis Ferguson”, “b. May 1841 Ireland”, “d. May 1920 San Francisco CA”, “m. Daniel Brown”, “18 May 1858”, and “Petaluma, CA”.

Date: The gigot sleeves and pince-nez suggest this portrait was taken late in the 19th or early in the 20th century.

Condition: This portrait is in good condition.

Owner: From the collection of Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini,

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. 

Brown, Anna “Annie” Alexis Ferguson (1841-1920) (1 of 4)

/

Tyler & Co’s 25 Cent Daguerreotype Rooms’ Portrait Photograph of Anna “Annie” alexis Ferguson Brown

THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographic Studio: Tyler & Co’s 25 Cent Daguerreotype Rooms, corner of Winter and Washington Streets, Boston, MA. This studio was managed by Edward M. Tyler between 1853 and 1855. The slip of paper taken from the back of the portrait, reproduced below, inscribed with “William A. Bean”, may document the name of photographer who created this daguerrotype. https://pioneeramericanphotographers.com/tag/tyler-company/

THE SITTER:

Name: Anna “Annie” Alexis Ferguson Brown. At the time this portrait was taken, the sitter would have been known as Annie Alexis Ferguson.

Description: This teenage girl sits frontally and gazes out at the photographer with a calm and dignified composure. Her hands rest in her lap with her right clasping the wrist of her left. She wears a ring on her right index finger, a small ornament at the base of her throat, and delicate drop earrings. Her dark hair is center-parted and drawn back into a snood, the ends of which can be seen directly above her shoulders. Her dark, short-sleeved dress is fan-pleated from the waist and embellished with white lace at her collar and sleeve ends.

Biographical Note: Anna Alexis Ferguson was born in 1841 in County Galway, Ireland. By age 5, she and her family had immigrated to the United States and lived in Boston, Massachusetts. Annie sailed around Cape Horn and came to California in 1856 to live in Petaluma with her sister and brother-in-law, Sabina and Thomas Rochford. On May 18, 1858, Annie and Daniel Brown were married at the Rochford’s house by Father Louis Auger. Annie and Daniel had twelve children, seven of whom survived until adulthood. Besides raising their children, Annie was active in St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church and participated in local fairs, entering tapestries and other works of art she had created.  Annie lived in Petaluma until a few years after the 1902 death of her husband.  She moved to San Francisco with her son, Vincent and three of her unmarried daughters, Josephine, Emma, and Kathleen Elise. Annie died in San Francisco on March 13, 1920.  She was buried next to Daniel in Calvary Cemetery in Petaluma, and eventually most of their twelve children were interred with them in the Brown Family Plot. 

*This biographical note was written by Anna “Annie” Alexis Ferguson Brown’s descendant, Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini.

Family Affiliation: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41848304/annie-alexis-brown Search this archive and the Sonoma County Library photograph archive for additional portraits of the Brown family.

Bibliography: Primary Sources: Petaluma Argus-Courier: March 28, 1900, p. 1; March 13, 1916, p. 2; March 13, 1920, p. 4 (obit); March 15, 1920, p. 5.. Petaluma Daily Morning Courier: October 12, 1904, p. 1; March 20, 1922, p.3; September 13, 1911, p. 5; March 14, 1920, p. 8 (obit). Petaluma Weekly Argus: September 1, 1888, p. 2. 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, the image itself, as measured outside of its frame, is approximately, 2” by 2 1/2”.

Medium: Daguerreotype

Case Description: Within its frame, this portrait has been mounted off-center to the left. The nonpareil brass mat is typical of the early 1850s. The preserver (foil frame around image) is typical of the 1860s. The case and all its components are likely not original to this image but instead added later perhaps during a restoration of damaged case. The case is of the Eickmeyer band style design introduced in 1855, it is not known whether this is an authentic Eickmeyer or an imitation.

Inscribed note found in case: Annie’s descendants knew little about her childhood until years later when a very old and very small leather case was opened.  Inside the case was this daguerreotype, a very dark image of a young girl.  Also inside the case was a note reproduced above which was written by one of her daughters on the back of a bank deposit slip. Written by Annie Alexis Ferguson Brown’s descendant, Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini

Date: 1855 (In 1855 the Tyler & Co photographic studio moved to Worcester, Massachusetts.)

Condition: Moderate tarnishing of the plate particularly visible along the top and bottom edges. Case appears to have been restored. Case components may not be original to this image.

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. 

Brown, Daniel (c.1830 -1902)(3 of 3)

/

Unidentified Photographer, Portrait Photograph of Daniel Brown

THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: The photographer of this portrait is unidentified; however, its ornate, carved chair can be seen in other portraits taken in the Bushnell Photography Studio in San Francisco, California. For an example see the portrait of George Plummer McNear in this archive.


THE SITTER:

Name: Daniel Brown

Description: The elderly gentleman depicted in this portrait sits with his legs crossed in a highly ornate, carved chair. He is meticulously groomed and attired in an elegant business suit. He strikes a fashionable pensive pose: resting his right elbow on the arm of the chair, he places the fore finger of his right hand upon his cheek. He leans casually to his right and rests his left hand on his thigh. He is balding and sports a gray chin beard with no mustache. In the background is a painted backdrop depicting a vaguely rendered vase, drapery, and foliage.

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.  By1853 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:  oval, approximately 5” x 7”

Medium: matte collodion photographic print

Description, front: This portrait is surrounded by a dark oval mat with a gold inner band.

Description, back: Hand written in pencil along the top is: “1895”, “Daniel Brown”, and “1833 [sic]-1902”. An additional back sheet to this portrait contains a ripped label proclaiming the framer of the portrait to be “Ball Wall Paper”. The Ball Wall Paper Company advertised in the Fresno Morning Republican between 1907 and 1918.

Date: 1895

Condition: This portrait is in good condition.

Owner: From the collection of Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini,

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. 

Brown, Emma Rochford (1872-1956)(2 of 2)

/

Unidentified Photographer’s Portrait Photograph of MArY KELLEY, DR. VINCENT dE PAUL BROWN, EMMA ROCHFORD BROWN, AND KATHLEEN ELISE BROWN

THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: unidentified


THE SITTERS:

Names: (from left to right) Mary Kelley, Dr. Vincent de Paul Brown (seated), Emma Rochford Brown, and Kathleen Elise Brown

Description: Emma Rochford Brown is the tall woman in the center of the composition. To the right is her sister, Kathleen Elise Brown; to the left is Mary Kelley, and seated in front is her brother, Dr. Vincent de Paul Brown. All three women wear magnificent examples of Edwardian picture hats. Emma’s is a flat, thin, wide-brimmed hat embellished on its crown with large loops of ribbon and pheasant feathers that extend far beyond the back of the hat’s brim. In contrast to her elaborate hat, Emma wears a simple, long, fitted, light-colored, pinstriped jacket with a small, high lapel. The collar of her white lace blouse is adorned with a round brooch, and a very long, thin necklace is secured under the lapel of her jacket.

Biographical Note: Emma Rochford Brown was born in Petaluma in 1872, the eighth child of Daniel and Anna Alexis Ferguson Brown.  She attended local public schools until 1885 when St. Vincent de Paul School began accepting girls after many years as a boys-only school.  Emma graduated from high school with honors in 1891. Over the years she was very active in local festivals often entering her oil paintings and works of needlepoint.  She frequently visited friends in San Francisco by train and, a few years after the 1902 death of her father, she moved to the city with her mother and unmarried sisters and brother. The Brown Family Estate allowed her many years of support and extensive travel.  Emma Brown died in 1956 at the age of 84 and was buried in the Brown Family plot at the Petaluma Calvary Cemetery.

*This biographical note was written by Emma Rochford Brown’s descendant, Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini.

Family Affiliation: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41913114/emma-rochford-brown Search this archive and the Sonoma County Library photograph archive for additional portraits of the Brown family.

Bibliography: Petaluma Argus-Courier: March 19, 1921, p.7; November 23, 1922, p. 7; September 25, 1956, p. 2 (obit); September 27, 1956, p. 8. Petaluma Courier, August 29, 1888, p. 2; June 24, 1891, p. 2. Petaluma Weekly Argus: August 25, 1888, p. 1. Petaluma Daily Morning Courier: October 8, 1904, p. 1; November 13, 1905, p. 1; July 16, 1912, p.4; November 21, 1912, p.1; July 07, 1915, p. 2; November 25, 1922, p. 5. For additional information and artifacts pertaining to the Hall family, see the Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini Collection at the Petaluma Historical Library & Museum.


THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Format / Size:  Real photo postcard (RPPC)

Medium: Azo paper with 4 triangles

Description, front: The four persons depicted in this real photo postcard pose in front of a backdrop depicting voluminous, ornate drapery. Handwritten in cursive below the image are the names: “Mary Kelley”, “Dr. V. Brown”, “Emma Brown”, and “Elise Brown”.

Description, back: Handwritten in pencil is, “Pan Pacific Expo”, and “1915”.

Date: 1915

Condition: This postcard is in good condition.

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. 

Brown, Kathleen Elise (1877-1970)(2 of 2)

/

Unidentified Photographer’s Portrait Photograph of Mary Kelley, Dr. Vincent De paul Brown, Emma Rochford Brown, and Kathleen Elise Brown


THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:

Photographer: unidentified


THE SITTERS:

Names: (from left to right) Mary Kelley, Dr. Vincent de Paul Brown (seated), Emma Rochford Brown, and Kathleen Elise Brown, (Kathleen Elise Brown was most often referred to as Elise Brown.)

Description: Kathleen Elise Brown is standing in profile on the right. In the center is her sister, Emma Rochford Brown, and on the left is Mary Kelley. Seated in front is Kathleen Elise and Emma’s brother, Dr. Vincent de Paul Brown. All three women wear magnificent examples of Edwardian picture hats. Kathleen Elise’s is a curved, thin, wide-brimmed hat embellished on its crown with a large satin ribbon bow in front and a dramatic arrangement of bird feathers in back. In contrast to her elaborate hat, Kathleen Elise wears a simple, long, fitted, light-colored jacket and matching skirt. With her right hand, Kathleen Elise grasps the back of the wicker chair her brother is sitting in, and her left hand is concealed within a large fur muff embellished with two taxidermied animal heads on the top front. The muff’s wristlet can be seen secured around the cuff of her left jacket sleeve.

Biographical Note: Kathleen Elise Brown was born in Petaluma on September 21, 1877, the eleventh child of Petaluma pioneers, Daniel Brown and Anna Ferguson Brown.  She preferred her middle name so was always called Elise.  Elise attended Brick Petaluma School and in 1895 at the age of 18 entered the College of Notre Dame in San Francisco as a boarder.  In 1900 she and many family members took part in a two-week family and friends camping trip that she called “To the Geysers or Bust.”  Her brother-in-law, Gil Hall, a local Petaluma attorney, organized the trip. 

After the death of her father in 1902, Elise moved to San Francisco with her mother and other unmarried sisters and brother.  Daniel Brown’s estate supported them comfortably for the rest of their lives.  They were able to take extended trips around the United States and Europe and Asia.  Elise lived the longest of her siblings and managed the estate until she died on October 9, 1970, at the age of 93.  She was buried in Petaluma’s Calvary Cemetery in the Brown Family Plot with her parents and most of her siblings.

*This biographical note was written by Kathleen Elise Brown’s descendant, Kathleen O’Brien Balestrini.

Family Affiliation: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41913557/kathleen-elise-brown Search this archive and the Sonoma County Library photograph archive for additional portraits of the Brown family.

Bibliography: Primary Sources: Petaluma Argus-Courier: March 19, 1921, p.7; October 12, 1970, p. 12 (obit). Petaluma Daily Morning Courier: August 17, 1895, p. 1; January 8, 1909, p. 1; July 16, 1912, p. 4; November 21, 1912, p. 1. 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:  Real photo postcard (RPPC)

Medium: Azo paper with 4 triangles

Description, front: The four persons depicted in this real photo postcard pose in front of a backdrop depicting voluminous, ornate drapery. Handwritten in cursive below the image are the names: “Mary Kelley”, “Dr. V. Brown”, “Emma Brown”, and “Elise Brown”.

Description, back: Handwritten in pencil is, “Pan Pacific Expo”, and “1915”.

Date: 1915

Condition: This postcard is in good condition.

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. 

Brown, Vincent de Paul (1880-1928)

/

Unidentified Photographer’s Portrait Photograph of May Kelley, Dr. Vincent dePaul Brown, Emma Rochford Brown, and Kathleen Elise Brown

THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO

Photographer: unidentified


THE SITTERS:

Names: (from left to right) Mary Kelley, Dr. Vincent de Paul Brown (seated), Emma Rochford Brown, and Kathleen Elise Brown “Elise Brown”

Description: Doctor Vincent de Paul Brown is seated in a large, Victorian, wicker chair surrounded by three women. His sisters Emma and Elisa are on the right, and the woman on the left is Mary Kelley. With a slight, stoic smile, he looks directly are the viewer. He is elegantly dressed in a gentleman’s double-breasted Edwardian overcoat with a black velvet collar. He wears a fashionably high-collared white shirt and large tie. His gloved hands hold his bowler hat in his lap. He is bespectacled and immaculately groomed, with his dark hair parted in the center and combed to each side.

Biographical Note: Vincent de Paul Brown was born January 12, 1880, in Petaluma, the youngest of the twelve children of Daniel Brown and Annie Alexis Ferguson Brown.  He was named after the patron saint of the Petaluma Catholic Church, St. Vincent de Paul.  Vincent attended the Petaluma Brick School until high school when he boarded at St. Ignatius in San Francisco for college prep.  In 1903 he obtained his medical degree at Cooper Medical School (now part of Stanford University), and immediately began his medical career in San Francisco. Following the 1906 earthquake and fire, Dr. Brown was in charge of an improvised hospital set up in an old Pullman railroad car used to treat those injured.  Later he went to Europe and studied ear, nose, and throat, which became his specialty. During the First World War he served as Captain in the Aviation Medical Department.  He was a member of the San Francisco Medical Society and the California Medical Society. Vincent never married and lived with his sisters in San Francisco until his death from pneumonia at 48 on June 25, 1928.  He was buried in Petaluma Calvary Cemetery in the Brown Family Plot.

Family Affiliation: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41898560/vincent-depaul-brown. Search this archive and the Sonoma County Library photograph archive for additional portraits of the Brown family.

Bibliography: Primary Sources: Petaluma Argus-Courier: June 29, 1906, p. 5; May 1, 1909, p. 9; February 1, 1911, p.3; April 18, 1911, p. 8; April 19, 1911, p. 1; July 25, 1911, p. 5; May 20, 1912, p. 1; July 16, 1912, p. 3; July 10, 1917, p. 4; September 19, 1918, p. 2; June 9, 1921, p. 5; March 20, 1923, p. 6; May 14, 1925, p. 6; March 2, 1927, p. 6; June 28, 1928, p. 2. Petaluma Daily Morning Courier: January 8, 1909, p. 1; March 11, 1909, p. 4; March 27, 1909, p. 4; May 1, 1909, p. 2; May 25, 1909, p. 1; February 1, 1911, p. 8; April 19, 1911, p. 8; April 20, 1911, p. 5; May 20, 1912, p. 8; September 5, 1912, p. 6; July 8, 1913, p. 1; October 20, 1914, p. 8; May 17, 1917, p. 4; September 18, 1918, p. 1; January 22, 1922, p. 10; May 19, 1925, p. 5;  March 2, 1927, p. 4; June 27, 1928, p. 8. 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:  Real photo postcard (RPPC)

Medium: Azo paper with 4 triangles

Description, front: The four persons depicted in this real photo postcard pose in front of a backdrop depicting voluminous, ornate drapery. Handwritten in cursive below the image are the names: “May Kelley”, “Dr. V. Brown”, “Emma Brown”, and “Elise Brown”.

Description, back: Handwritten in pencil is, “Pan Pacific Expo”, and “1915”.

Date: 1915

Condition: This postcard is in good condition

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.