Spreading the “Beach Bug:”More Selections from the Howard Beach Studio Collection
The entrance to the Howard Beach Studio, located at 469 Virginia Street. The house still stands. Negative #41506.
Given the breath of subject matter contained in the Howard Beach Studio Collection—to say nothing of the aforementioned number of negatives—we just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share more of these images with our readers in this installment of the Old Photo Album. From the famous to the whimsical, the collection would seem to have it all. And thanks to the wonderful partnership between our colleagues and friends at The Buffalo History Museum and SUNY Buffalo State, we are able to tease you with a few more striking images from the collection.
We hope the selection of images that follows helps you, too, to catch the “Beach Bug.”
The card catalog that accompanies the collection is a tremendously important artifact in its own right. This sample from the catalog lists portraits taken in 1908 and 1909, along with their associated negative numbers.
This group from the West Side YMCA was photographed by Howard Beach on November 19, 1917. Negative #42384
Photographer Andrew Simson captured this lovely image of Edna Simson on January 12, 1895. Negative #3818.
George N. Pierce is well-known for his founding of the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company in 1907, but prior to this endeavor the Pierce Cycle Company made what is considered by some to be the finest bicycle of its day. Thus, it is fitting that photographer Eleck F. Hall posed Mr. Pierce standing next to a bicycle (a Pierce, of course!) for this March 26, 1908 photograph. Negative #27246.
There is hardly anyone in Buffalo or Western New York who is not familiar with the name Margaret L. Wendt. The foundation that bears her name is one of the region’s leading benefactors, thanks to Ms. Wendt’s legacy. Photographer Howard Beach captured this lovely image of her on June 7, 1913. Negative #37831
Before she became known as the “First Lady of the American Stage,” photographer Howard Beach captured this profile pose of Miss Katharine Cornell on December 8, 1908. Negative #31728-3
The uniform of this young soldier, listed in the card catalog as “W. J. McBride,” betrays his status as a lieutenant and an aviator in the U.S. Air Service when Howard Beach photographed him on May 20, 1918. Negative #43680-1.
One of the many unique photographs contained in the collection is this photograph of William Eby, executed by Howard Beach on August 29, 1922. Though Eby was technically a Harvard-trained lawyer and not a musician by profession, he played several instruments proficiently. In 1910, he established his “Virtuoso Cornet School” in Kansas City, where he offered lessons by mail. He moved to Buffalo shortly after and expanded the instruments on which he offered instruction, changing the name of his business to the “Virtuoso Music School.” Again, this non-traditional photograph, complete with cornet mouthpiece, seems an appropriate pose for this lawyer-turned-musical instructor. Negative # 47896.
Katharine Cornell was not the only theatrical figure to be photographed by Howard Beach. This dramatically posed image, taken on August 19, 1908, features actress, theater director and drama company manager, Jessie Bonstelle being wooed by actor Julius McVicker. Born and raised in Greece, NY, Bonstelle (born Laura Justine Bonesteel) would star with McVicker in The Great Question, which opened on Broadway two months later. Bonstelle would also direct Katharine Cornell in the Broadway debut of The Enchanted Cottage in 1923. Negative #31153.
And what better way to end a unique series of photographs than with this thoughtful looking little critter? The negative catalog lists the July 20, 1908, Howard Beach photograph under Harriet Mack, so it is thought the dog belonged to her. The wife of Norman E. Mack (publisher of the Buffalo Times), Harriet was a member of the Board of Women Managers for the Pan American Exposition. The addition of the stuffed “Teddy” bear in this charming photo is a unique and timely touch. Negative #31092-2.