Fairbanks, Dolphus Brice (1854-1908)
/Theodore C. Marceau’s Portrait Photograph of Dolphus Brice Fairbanks
THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:
Photographer: Theodore C. Marceau (1859-1922)
Photographic Studio: 826 Market Street, San Francisco, California
Biographical Note: Throughout the 1880s, Theodore C. Marceau (1859-1922) established a chain of photographic studios in major cities of the United States, including Manhattan, Boston, and Philadelphia. In 1888, he moved to San Francisco and took over George Morse’s studio in the Phelan Building at 826 Market Street. At the end of the decade, he turned the operation of the studio over to Frederick Bushnell. Marceau also organized the Professional Photographers Society of New York and fought for copyright protection of photographic work.
THE SITTER:
Name: Dolphus Brice Fairbanks
Description: This is a formal head-and-shoulders portrait of Dolphus Brice Fairbanks attired presumably in his National Guardsmen’s Colonel uniform. His jacket is double-breasted with a double row of metal buttons. His uniform is adorned with heavy, braided epaulets, a corded lanyard, and an elaborately braided aiguillette. Also, pinned to his jacket on his left side is a medal. Dolphus’ hairline has receded, and he sports large, full muttonchops which blend into his horseshoe mustache.
Biographical Note: Dolphus Brice Fairbanks was born in Augusta, Des Moines County, Iowa on November 7, 1854, and moved with his pioneer parents to Petaluma when he was a child. He attended Petaluma’s public schools as a child; graduated from McClure’s Military Academy in Oakland in 1873; and graduated from the University of California in 1877.
In 1878, he began working at the Petaluma Savings Bank where he remained a director until his death. He also served as the President of Petaluma’s Golden Eagle Milling Company and was a long-time member of the National Guardsmen, ultimately obtaining the position of Colonel of Company C.
Dolphus died December 19, 1908, and was buried in Petaluma’s Cypress Hill Memorial Park.
Family Affiliation: Dolphus Brice Fairbanks was the eldest son of prominent Petaluma pioneers, Hiram Tolbert Fairbanks (1827-1915) and Lucinda Moffet Fairbanks (1833-1907). Dolphus’ wife, Eva Elizabeth Maynard Fairbanks (1864-1943), was the widow of his brother, Joseph Franklin Fairbanks (1858-1901). Dolphus and Eva were married in 1908, just a few months before Dolphus’ death at age 54.
Bibliography: Petaluma Argus-Courier, December 19, 1908, p. 5. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8261446/dolphus_brice_fairbanks. Skip Sommer, “Petaluma Headline, 1897: ‘More Than a Ton of Solid Gold’, The Yukon Gold Rush and Why Alaska’s Fairbanks was named for a ‘gold adventurer’ from Petaluma,” Petaluma Argus-Courier, October 4, 2024, pp. B2 and B10.
THE PHOTOGRAPH:
Format / Size: cabinet card, approximately 11 x 16 cm
Medium: gelatin or collodion photographic print mounted on cardstock
Description, front: The photographer’s imprint is embossed along the bottom edge of the card. It has faded almost beyond legibility.
Description, back: Handwritten in cursive in black ink toward the top right of the card is, “D. B. Fairbanks”. The photographer’s bold, elaborate imprint extends from the top to the bottom of the card. Unfortunately sections of it have been peeled off, presumable when the card was removed from a photo album.
Date: This cabinet card can be dated between the opening of Theodore C. Marceau’s San Francisco photography studio in 1888 and the death of the sitter in 1908.
Condition: There are small black spots throughout the portrait and several on the sitter’s left sleeve. On the back side of the portrait, there are six areas where the surface of the paper have been peeled off, defacing sections of the photographer’s imprint.
Owner: Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1992-X-20
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.