The Drake Brothers in Oberlin
By: usermattw
Tags: antiques, CDV, Oberlin, photography, vintage photography
Click here to view the above larger. Click on the images below to view them larger.
This little carte de visite image caught my eye not only because of the rather flamboyant-looking pair pictured here, but because of its location in Oberlin, Ohio. Since I went to Oberlin College (though, ahem, some years after this picture was taken), I was intrigued. Founded in 1833, the college has always been the main business of the small town that grew around it, so it seemed reasonable to assume that these two were somehow involved in academia, probably students or teachers. Their striking faces looked similar enough that I assumed a relation. Written on the back is:
The first initial fooled me (I thought it was an S), but I came to realize these two are L. E. and W. A. Drake, and indeed they were brothers. I also learned a bit of Oberlin history. In the early days, a number of institutions of education sprouted up around the college. There was some overlap, with shared students, shared Board members, etc. Some, like the Conservatory, were eventually absorbed into the College. But some were not. One of the latter was the Union Business Institute, where the Drake Brothers were employed as teachers who taught, of all things, penmanship. A two-volume history of Oberlin by Professor Robert Fletcher that I found online [thank you, Internet Archive!] says, In the chirographic department the Drake brothers taught business and ornamental Spencerian penmanship, including “Off-Hand Flourishing, Old English, German And Church Text.” Funny to think of a time when good penmanship mattered that much to a businessman.
As for dating the photo, I’m finding some conflicting information online. The school was created from the merger of two others in 1865, and by 1866/67, the Drakes had moved to a new Union Business Institute location in Hillsdale, Michigan, as evidenced by this newspaper item from 1868:
(Funny to think of a time when Michigan was considered “the West”.) On the other hand, the photographer, Alfred C. Platt, supposedly sold his photography business to his brother in 1865, as mentioned in this article here. Additionally, there is no revenue stamp on the back, which would’ve been required from late 1864 to late 1866. So maybe the Drake brothers were already around before 1865, working for one of the schools that became the Union Business Institute? Maybe one of these articles has its facts wrong? Maybe the revenue stamp fell off? Hard to say. But it’s been a fun rabbit hole to go down so far.
I love the way you explore the history of the image. They certainly look like brothers to me.
Thanks, Phil! I’m not as dedicated to researching all of them as I could be, but sometimes I get inspired and the paths I go down can be fun. These two look rather young, and I wonder if I can find out much about what became of them. We’ll see.
They look very young. I’d guess that this photo was made before revenue stamps were required (August 1864), i.e., possibly at the height of the Civil War. It would be interesting to know how they ended up becoming teachers of penmanship.
Yes, I initially assumed they were students. And although I initially assumed it was taken in 1866, I’m now leaning more toward something earlier. As for penmanship, ads for the institute list it as one of the skills necessary for being successful in business, but it’s interesting that both brothers would follow that path.
So nice to read about the exploits of a fellow research queen like myself. Queens that understand that the internet is not just for porn. Queens that question what is found on the internet.
I just read an article where the journalist referred to the relationship between Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill as “besties”. More importantly, they were siblings. And siblings being what they are, are not always besties.
But, enough of my rant. I enlarged the picture, as I am wont to do. To my eyes, the Drake Brothers have rather feminine faces. Or maybe they just look like they could be kin to a former female friend of mine.
I’m sure it’s just a trick of the lighting, but the one on the left almost looks like he’s wearing rouge on his cheeks.