I recently had the privilege of viewing the “painting records” of the now defunct Thomas D. Murphy Calendar Company of Red Oak, Iowa. TDM was a frequent buyer of photos by Beatrice Tonnesen and, occasionally, of her paintings. In the case of the colorful calendar print shown here, I was able to trace its path from Tonnesen’s Studio in Chicago to the TDM Company.

The records reveal that the “copyright only” was acquired from Tonnesen for a “colored photograph” titled “Fedora” by the artist on 4/8/1904. Since Tonnesen took black and white photographs, I assume that either she or one of her staff members added the color. The TDM Company then retitled it “Muriel” and made it available in their 1905 calendar line for purchase by their customers, whose businesses were advertised on the calendars. The notation that only the copyright was purchased, seems to indicate that Tonnesen retained the actual colored photo.

It was very rare for a calendar company to use a piece of artwork as quickly after purchase as TDM used this one. In most cases, the length of time between copyright and publication on a calendar was at least two years. It was also rare for Tonnesen’s photography to be credited on the published calendar prints. In this case, the information under the print reads, left to right: Copyright 1904, The Thos. D. Murphy Co, Red Oak Iowa; M-4514 MURIEL; From Photo by Tonneson. (Note the misspelling of her name.)

My thanks to Rick and Charlotte Martin for facilitating and assisting my research.

Copyright (c) 2010 Lois Emerson

Collectors treasure the beautiful color prints found on advertising calendars of  the early twentieth century, known as “The Golden Age of Illustration.”  But, as we know, many of those beautiful illustrations started as equally beautiful black and white photos by Beatrice Tonnesen and others.  Unfortunately, because the calendar companies that published the color prints usually discarded the original photos, we rarely see the two together.  Now, thanks largely to the recent discovery of an archive of Tonnesen’s original photos in her hometown of Winneconne, WI, we can match many of them with the color prints found in my collection and the collections of others. Sumner Nelson has scanned the original photos and restored them for display in the Beatrice Tonnesen Catalog.   Here, for your enjoyment, is a true “before and after” presentation of vintage calendar art .  See the accompanying slideshow, and match each photo with its resultant color print.

Copyright (c) 2010 Lois Emerson

It appears to me that Ziegfeld Follies dancer Eva Grady, sometimes known professionally as Eva Brady, appeared in some of Beatrice Tonnesen’s work ca. 1918-20.  Of course, barring documentation from someone associated with either the model or Tonnesen herself, I’m never completely certain about these things.  But here’s how I came to believe that Tonnesen photographed one of Ziegfeld’s glamorous performers.

From about 1915 until about 1920 or so, fashion shows, known then as “style shows,” were very popular in Chicago and in communities throughout the mid-west.  I’ve discovered that photos of some of the era’s top artist models, including some whom I believe posed for Tonnesen, as well as famed illustrators such as Henry Hutt, Zula Kenyon, C. Allan Gilbert and others, can be found in the press coverage attendant to these events. A Chicago-based troupe of models would tour the mid-west, modeling each season’s fashions amid much fanfare including lavish parades, talent shows and speeches by local dignitaries. The events often lasted for several days, with daily, photo-filled newspaper features trumpeting them.  Several months ago, while searching an online newspaper archive, I came across an item in the September 27, 1919 issue of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette titled “Fort Wayne’s Great 1919 Style Show.”  Beneath the headline were photos of three of the featured models.  Two of them were models I’d seen and read about before – Adelyne Slavik and Mae Burns – women I believe to have modeled for Tonnesen.  The third model was identified as “Eva McGrady”, and though I’d never run across her name before, her face looked familiar!  She looked to me exactly like the woman gazing from a framed portrait that sat on a table in a 1920 photo I’d seen of Beatrice Tonnesen’s studio.  A follow-up story on the Fort Wayne Style Show corrected the model’s name to “Eva Grady.”  I routinely made a note of both names, attached it to the corresponding Tonnesen photo in my files and forgot all about Eva Grady.

Continue reading →

It was shortly after receiving the March issue of Chicago Magazine in his mail that David Lloyd made a startling discovery. A photo of his wife's grandmother, Beulah Clark Dunn, was prominently displayed on page 96. Alerted by her husband, and a bit skeptical, Rose Lloyd opened the magazine and immediately recognized the photo, by Beatrice Tonnesen, as identical to one she had stored safely among her family memorabilia.

I am deeply grateful to Rose for what she did next! With lightning speed, she rounded up nearly forty photos of her beautiful grandmother, scanned them and emailed them to me. She also provided biographical information, documents and news clippings that allow us a fascinating glimpse into the world of calendar and advertising art in the 1920's. (See accompanying slideshow.)

Continue reading →

Editor’s Note: There are new developments in the story of the “Glory of Youth” photo .  A reader who has an original of that photo has identified the model as her grandmother, Beulah Clark Dunn.  Interestingly, like Vera Hedderman whose story is told below, she was born in 1903 and won newspaper acclaim for her beauty.  The two models bore a resemblance to one another, and both posed for print art in the early ’20s. But it now appears that it was Beulah Clark Dunn who actually sat for the “Glory of Youth” photo.  Her story appears, above, in the post titled “Chicago Area Family…”  We thank the families of both models for generously sharing their stories and helping to enrich our understanding of the “Golden Age of Illustration.” – Lois, 4/22/10

No sooner had the March issue of Chicago Magazine, with its feature on Beatrice Tonnesen titled “Camera Obscura”, hit the newsstands than I received an email from Senior Editor Geoffrey Johnson, the article's author. It seems a local resident, Bridget Roth, had spotted a woman she believed to be her grandmother among the many Tonnesen photos and prints that were featured! Naturally, I contacted Bridget immediately.

Continue reading →