Whitney, Calvin Eastman (1851-1891) (1 of 2)
/John Quincy Reed’s Portrait Photograph of Calvin Eastman Whitney
THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:
JOHN QUINCY REED was born in 1841 in Abington, Massachusetts and died in 1902 in Petaluma. He worked as a photographer in Petaluma for over 25 years, moving his studio within the community to several different locations. He arrived into Petaluma from Stockton in 1870 and continued to work as a photographer in Petaluma until at least 1898. Many of his portraits of Petaluma’s citizens are of exceptionally fine quality. (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: Calvin Eastman Whitney
Description: In this head-and-shoulders portrait, Calvin Eastman Whitney looks down to his right with a blank, distant gaze. He appears to be a young man in his early twenties. His hair is combed, oiled, and parted on his right. He sports a sparse, chevron mustache and wiry sideburns. He is attired in a double-breasted jacket with large, piped lapels and a white shirt with a dark, simple, crossed bow tie beneath a long, pointed collar.
Biographical Note: Calvin Eastman Whitney was born in Maine and traveled to California as a child with his father Albion Whitney. His mother and siblings joined them, and the family established their household in Petaluma. Due to Albion’s rapid success as a Bay Area merchant, the Whitney family soon became wealthy and prominent. Calvin attended Edward L. Lippitt’s school on D Street in Petaluma and, after graduating from Harvard, returned to California. In 1875 he began working as a partner in his father’s merchandise business in San Francisco. Calvin also became a partner of the Brigham Whitney Company, a wholesale dealer in dairy produce located at 320 Front Street in San Francisco. In 1885 a “Certificate of Special Partnership” published in the Petaluma Weekly Argus proclaimed Calvin had gone into business with his younger brother, Arthur L. Whitney, as “general merchandise, commissions, shipping, and forwarding merchants.”
Calvin died in 1891 at the age of 40 from a tragic accident. While attempting to remove debris from the roof of his newly constructed San Francisco home located at 2010 Washington Street, he fell through a skylight to the basement and died instantly. Calvin was buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California.
Family Affiliation: Calvin Eastman Whitney was the oldest child of the prominent Petaluma pioneers, Senator Albion Paris Whitney (1825-1884) and Susan Eastman Durgin Whitney (1832-1917). His siblings included: Cleora Melissa Whitney Hewlett (1854-1930), Nancy Jane Whitney Morrow (1855-1938), Arthur Leslie Whitney (1858-1914), Leona Merrill Whitney (1864-1866), Marcella Whitney Wheaton (1866-1915), Albion Harvey Whitney (1870-1907), and Clara Whitney Spear (1873-1954). In 1883 Calvin married Fannie Boruck, the first daughter of the California journalist Marcus D. Boruck. Calvin and Fannie had three children.
Bibliography:
THE PHOTOGRAPH:
Format / Size: carte de visite, approximately 6.25 x 10.5 cm
Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock
Description, front: This portrait is set within an oval format.
Description, back: Handwritten, diagonally, in cursive, in pencil, in the top left corner is what appears to be “Calvin”. Below this is the photographer’s imprint: J.Q. Reed, Photographic Artist. Over Wells, Fargo & Co’s Ex. Office, Main St., Petaluma, Cal.
Date: 1870 - 1875
Condition: This carte de visite is soiled throughout.
Owner: Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1981-835-22
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.