Young man in Lowell, Massachusetts

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This image caught my eye in an antiques store because the outfit and pose felt relatively casual for a portrait of that time. It’s a little carte de visite image taken by G. E. Gilchrest of Lowell, Massachusetts. As you can see below, the sitter has indicated it was taken August 1866. What’s interesting, though, is the presence of the revenue stamp. Those were required by law for the purpose of raising money for the Civil War effort, but the law ceased to be in effect on July 31, 1866. Possibly the sitter got the date wrong. But I’ve also read that there are examples of revenue stamps being sold after the cut-off date because news hadn’t reached the photographers in time. I think there’s a good chance that’s the case here.

After examining this photo, I noticed the below photo displayed next to it, and I thought, “Wait, isn’t that the same guy?” I bought it just to be sure, since I hate splitting up photos that belong together.

This second photo was taken by “Gurney” at 707 Broadway in New York City. I believe that would be the father and son team of Jeremiah and Benjamin Gurney, who were apparently noted for taking photos of Broadway actors. This second photo appears to be dated March 1869, with a second penciled reference to “Cheyenne Sept 7th ’69” below it. So the top photo indicates he had it taken for something that I can’t make out, when he was in Lowell for just one night, while the below photo indicates he had the photo taken three years later on Broadway, and suggests that a few months later he was swinging through Cheyenne, Wyoming. Perhaps he was a touring actor? That’s assuming these are photos of the same guy, of course.

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