Eastman, Flora Frances (1841-1863)
/Lewis Dowe’s Portrait Photograph of Flora Frances Eastman
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 SITTER:
Name: Flora Frances Eastman
Description: This is a head-and-shoulders carte de visite portrait of Flora Frances Eastman. She looks off into the distance to her left and poses with a calm demeanor. The front sections of her center-parted hair have been cut short, and the remainder of her hair may be long and pulled back into a bun. She wears a dark blouse with white, front, buttons. Her blouse has large, faux, lapels created by the application of three lines of black trimming over both of her shoulders. This type of chevron trimming was a typical form of decoration during and directly after the Civil War. She also wears a narrow, wide-spread, white, collar which is adorned with a small, oval, brooch at the center of her neck.
Biographical Note:
Family Affiliation: Flora Frances Eastman was the sister of the Petaluma pioneer, Susan Durgin Eastman Whitney (1832-1917), and Charles Austin Eastman (1848-1916).
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 a vertical oval.
Description, back: Handwritten in pencil in cursive along the top edge is, “Flora - Daujhter of Ottis + Florella Eastman”. Below this is written, “mother’s sister” followed by the initials “CWS”. The later most probably refers to the author of the inscription, Clara Whitney Spear (1873-1954), Susan Durgin Eastman Whitney’s daughter. The photographer’s imprint appears in the center of the card on a diagonal alignment. “L. DOWE, Photographer, Petaluma, Cal.”.
Date: This portrait is a curious anomaly: the photographer of this portrait, Lewis Dowe, worked in Petaluma between September 1875 and March 1882, but the sitter died February 8, 1863 at the age of 21. A possible explanation is that the sitter’s sister, Petaluman, Susan Durgin Eastman Whitney, engaged her favorite photographer, the very talented Lewis Dowe, to create a carte de visite copy from an earlier portrait of Flora. This would explain the flattened and wooden appearance of the image.
Condition: This portrait is soiled and has slight foxing throughout.
Owner: Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 1981-835-15
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.