The blond toddler shown in Tonnesen photos and prints circa 1917-20 has been identified as Jane Berghauer (1916-1994). She had earlier been identified by fellow models as Janie Burkhardt or Janie Berkhauer. Searching on close matches, I found that the Chicago Tribune reported on November 3, 1917 that Jane Berghauer had placed second in a “prettiest baby” contest for 1-2 year olds.

Family friends Brenda and Rudy Arreola confirmed that she had modeled as a child. They also have been kind enough to supply biographical information. Jane lived in Chicago all of her life, marrying John Sheridan and eventually becoming vice president of Cosmopolitan National Bank. She also had a younger brother, Vern, who modeled as a child. It is known that he modeled for the catalogs of large department stores such as Marshall Fields. We are currently trying to determine if he modeled for Tonnesen or other art photographers active in the 1920’s. Neither Jane nor Vern had children.

Janie is shown here on a 1923 calendar print (photo ca. 1917-18), titled “Fairyland Days” with fellow model Virginia Waller (1913-2006).

Album 14 – Photo Advertising was added to the Slideshow. This album accompanies the post Tonnesen Sisters: Pioneers in Photo Advertising.

Before the Tonnesen Sisters became known for their art prints, they were known for their pioneering work in advertising. In the 1890's, they came up with the idea of using live models in advertising photos. With Beatrice handling the creative work and Clara tending to business affairs, they marketed their historic new technique nationwide, with phenomenal success.

While a number of large national firms are known to have used Tonnesen photos in their ads, I have found it difficult to positively identify specific examples. This is because the ads tend to feature mostly the product being marketed, rather than the photographer's own sets and props. And the ads are very seldom signed by either an artist or a photographer. The models, of course, are often identifiable, but most of them also modeled for other studios. So, while I can browse an old magazine and identify a great many suspected Tonnesens, it's often difficult to make a positive identification.

Slideshow Album 14 shows six ads believed to have been produced by the Tonnesen Studio. Two of them are attributed within the ad and four of them contain images of items that strongly suggest Tonnesen's involvement. The photo shown above advertises Pickwick Rye and was provided by Laurelei Farley.

All Content Copyright 2008 Lois Emerson

Update: 1/26/2009– I found the following praise for Tonnesen’s contributions to print advertising on a website titled “Graphic Exchange”, www.gxo.com.

“But perhaps it’s fitting that the final word on design should go to the woman who first demonstrated the concept of combining type, illustration and photography in advertising. Chicago-based photographer Beatrice Tonnesen pioneered this style of promotion back in the early 1890’s with tremendous success – and over one hundred years later, print advertising hasn’t found a better way to sell a product.”

-Page 41, The Graphics Industry: Evolution and Revolution – The 100 Most Influential Graphics People of the Last Millenium by Dan Brill and Ron Giddings.