Danish immigrants Missouri
Fotografen som har affotograferet det fynske ægtepar er Henry Tobias i St. Louis, Mo. (Missouri). Han var aktiv i årene omkring 1880.
Der er ingen tvivl om, at billedet af det ældre ægtepar er fotograferet i Danmark, sandsynligvis i Svendborg. Indsidder eller husmand Hans Jespersen fra 1788 og Cathrine Christensdatter fra 1804 kan man følge i folketællingerne for Svendborg Amt. De boede i mange år i Dongs Højrup i Kirkeby sogn, nord for Svendborg. De fik i hvert fald ni børn. Den ældste var Karen Hansdatter født 1826 den yngste Jens Hansen født 1846. Ni børn på tyve år! En folketælling fra 1860 fortæller, at 69 årige Hans Jespersen og hans 56årige hustru endnu havde deres to yngste børn på 18 og 14 år boende hjemme. Billedet af ægteparret i deres fineste tøj og med hver sin arm anbragt på den lille guideron, så de nemmere kunne sidde helt stille, medens fotograferingen foregik, må være taget ganske få år senere. Hvem af deres børn, der udvandrede, er ikke umiddelbart til at finde ud af, drengene hed Jesper, Christen, Peder, Hans, Jokum og Jens Hansen, pigerne Karen, Johanne og Anne Marie – alle gode danske navne. St. Louis i Missouri ligger umiddelbart syd for staten Illinois, som var en af danskernes favorit udvandringsdestinationer. Hvorfor billedet er havnet i Danmark kan man kun gætte på. Men mon ikke det er blevet kopieret til børnebørnene, så de kunne se deres bedsteforældre hjemme i Danmark. |
The photographer who photographed the married couple from Funen is Henry Tobias in St. Louis, Mo. (Missouri ). He was a photographer in the years around 1880.
There is no doubt that the image of the elderly couple was photographed in Denmark, probably in Svendborg. Smallholder Hans Jespersen born 1788 and Cathrine Christensdatter from 1804, you can follow in censuses of Svendborg County. They lived for many years in Dongs Højrup in Kirkeby parish, north of Svendborg. They had at least nine children. The oldest was Karen Hansdatter, born in 1826, the youngest Jens Hansen born 1846. Nine children in twenty years! A census from 1860 reports that 69 years old Hans Jespersen and his wife 56 years yet had their two youngest children 18 and 14 years living at home. The image of the couple in their finest clothes and with their arms placed on the small guideron so they could more easily sit still while photographing was going on, must be taken a few years later. Which of their children who migrated are not immediately to find out, the boys names were Jesper, Christen, Peter, Hans, Jokum and Jens Hansen, the girls Karen, Johanne and Anne Marie - all good Danish names. St. Louis, Missouri is located immediately south of the state of Illinois, which was one of Danish favorite emigration destinations. Why the picture has ended up in Denmark, one can only guess. But I wonder if it has been copied to the grandchildren so they could see their grandparents home in Denmark. |
Photographer Ludwig F. Hammer, 1834-1921.
St. Louis, Missouri was once known as the center of America's dry plate industry. Some attributed this phenomenon to the muddy water of the Mississippi River while others suggested St. Louis' climate was responsible. Whatever the reason, Mr. Ludwig F. Hammer and his St. Louis-based competitors provided nineteenth-century America with the highest quality dry plates. Born in Wurttemberg, Germany in 1834, Mr. Hammer completed his formal education in Germany before immigrating to the United States in 1854 in hopes of opening his own photography studio, which achieved modest success that allowed him to provide for his growing family. The man who became known by the affectionate moniker "Papa Hammer" sold his photography studio to his son Ludwig Jr. in 1890. His attentions turned to dry plates, which culminated in the establishment of the Hammer Dry Plate Company, of which Mr. Hammer served as president and manager. It became so successful that the illustrious Scovill & Adams manufacturing company became the firm's Eastern agents. The Hammer Dry Plate Company soon distinguished itself for its durable and affordable dry plates, and became the a leading producer in both St. Louis and elsewhere. As its clever advertising reminded old and potential customers, if a holder was loaded and twelve of Hammer's dry plates were exposed and a photographer did nothing more with the camera for an entire year and this operation was repeated, the dry plate quality would be identical to those that were exposed the previous year. |
It was Mr. Hammer's commitment to quality and customer service that was the driving force behind his company's success. His company provided satisfied customers with fog-free negatives and plates that were both fast and extremely adaptable. The company was also famous for its extremely informative short text entitled "A Short Story on Negative Company," which it shipped free to all inquiring customers. Mr. Hammer's pleasant and amicable disposition won him several friends within the St. Louis community, and he encouraged his family to be active participants in both business and civic affairs.
The loss of his beloved wife in 1907, though devastating, did not slow Mr. Hammer down. He continued to to make improvements to his dry plates and always seemed to remain a step ahead of his competition. By the 1920s, the four leading dry plate manufacturers throughout the United States were Eastman Kodak Company, and the 'big three' St. Louis-based Central Dry Plate Company, Cramer Dry Plate Company, and of course the Hammer Dry Plate Company. The business continued flourishing after Mr. Hammer's death on May 8, 1921 at the age of 87. Hammer dry plates are highly prized by photographic historians and collectors. Source HER. |
Foto J. Haas, Broadway, St. Louis. Mo. De tre kabinetkort (fotograferne Hammer, Thomas og Haas) er kommet fra samme sted, altså med samme danske familierelationer. (Visitkortet øverst på siden er kommet til på et andet tidspunkt, affotograferet i St. Louis.)