Portrait Magazine

An Early Twentieth Century Journal for Portrait Photographers 

by Gary D. Saretzky

Note: the following is an abbreviated and revised version of an essay published in History of Photography, 20:3 (Autumn 1996), 278. The journal did not publish an index to featured photographers, which is made available here for the first time.

According to its masthead, Portrait, a monthly journal published by the ANSCO Company in Binghamton, New York, from 1909 to 1921, was "a magazine devoted to art-in-portraiture, also profit-in-photography and committed to a `square deal.'" Portrait coincided with the golden age of commercial portraiture, when the influence of amateur art photography combined with market demand to encourage the development of studios where individuals could obtain portraits that went well beyond mere likenesses. In keeping with the artistic aspirations of these photographers, such portraits were printed using controlled processes such as gum bichromate or on commercially available papers, such as ANSCO’s Cyko, for which several variants, including a `linen' surface, was available. Cyko, especially when toned, could resemble gum or platinum prints and was much faster to process.

Although the journal's obvious purpose was to promote the use of ANSCO products, in particular Cyko paper, it also published articles containing news and advice. News features concerned such topics as advances in artificial lighting, the erection of the Hannibal Goodwin monument, and recruitment of photographers for service in World War I. Schedules for, and reports on, professional photographers' conventions were also provided regularly. Published photographs of photographic supply stores and advertisements for a variety of products provide additional historically useful information.

Portrait published advice regularly on the use of photographic materials, compositional strategies, and technical topics. Early issues contained a number of instructional articles by veteran photographer George G. Rockwood. Beginning in 1912 and for the next seven years, the prolific critic Sadakichi Hartmann, sometimes writing under his pseudonym Sidney Allan, contributed an article in  many  issues with guidance on the art of photography. Hartmann did not discuss technical matters, but rather dealt with composition, individual style, posing, handling of tone, accessories, and the like. Many of these essays analyzed the techniques of the great painters of centuries past and did not mention photography. Others reproduced and explicated examples of contemporary photographic workers, including Helmar Lerski, Clara Sipprell, Frank Eugene Smith, and Clarence White. Photographs were also published to illustrate news articles.

In addition to testimonials, Portrait promoted the use of Cyko paper through contests, notably the one announced in March 1914 called, "America's Fifty Loveliest Women Contest." To encourage women to pose, ANSCO offered posters and other promotional literature to photographers. Among the judges was Alfred Stieglitz. The winners were reported in the March 1915 issue; Philip Conklin of Troy, New York, received the first prize. One of the few prize winners whose name is familiar today was E.O. Hoppé, who won three lesser prizes.

Portrait is also a good source for portraits of, and biographical information concerning, practitioners of `art-in-portraiture.' One hundred and forty-two photographers, including seventeen women, were honored with cover stories. (Since seven photographers had partners, the number of studios involved was 135.) Almost every issue featured a portrait of a U.S. or Canadian photographer on the cover, an appreciative profile, including the photographer's endorsement of ANSCO’s Cyko paper, and one or more examples of the photographer's work.

Featured photographers included several members of the Coterie, an informal group of the leading professional portrait photographers in the United States: E.B. ("Pop") Core, Pirie MacDonald, Commodore M.J. Steffens, and Julius C. Strauss. Others, well known in their own day if not our own, included Louis F. and Walter K. Bachrach; Alice Boughton; Mary Carnell; William Shewell Ellis; John Garo; O. Pierre Havens; Lejaren à Hiller; Dudley Hoyt; Gertrude Kaesebier; Alexander L. and Gotthelf Pach; Ryland W. Phillips; George G. Rockwood; and Edward Weston. (The reproductions of Weston's photographs in 1915 are of considerable interest because he later tried to suppress this early work.) A few of those featured were not known particularly for portraiture, such as L.F. Hammer, of Hammer Dry Plates fame, and William H. Rau, more renowned for his production of lantern slides. Dozens of other photographers honored in Portrait's `Hall of Fame' are now rather obscure and their profiles may be among the few sources available on them.

Some prominent North American portrait photographers of this era, such as Elias Goldensky, were not featured in Portrait, even though they used Cyko paper. Nevertheless, Portrait is a potentially useful source concerning numerous photographers and other information pertaining to the practice of professional photography from 1909 to 1921.

Note: I do not have Volume XII, 1920-1921, so only some  scans found via Google Books are provided for those issues.   The last issue I was able to find was January-February 1921, suggesting that the periodical had changed from monthly to bi-monthly..

Index to Featured Photographers

Almstaedt, Isaac. Tompkinsville NY – December 1913   Cover   Profile and portrait of child

Bachrach, Louis Fabian.  Boston MA – October 1917   Cover   Profile and portrait of infant 

Bachrach, Walter Keyser.  Washington DC – May 1913   Cover   Profile and portrait of woman

Bell, H. Lee.  Pensacola FL – November 1913  Cover   Profile and portrait of girl

Berger (Bakody & Berger).  Cleveland OH – March 1913  Cover   Profile and sample photo

Berns, David S.  New York NY – December 1918   Cover   Profile

Bill, J. Anthony.  Cincinati OH – January 1921   Cover   Profile   Portrait of child  Portrait of woman

Bishop A. Allyn.  Newport VT – January 1912  Cover   Profile

Boughton, Alice.  New York NY – December 1916  Cover   Profile and Boughton’s, “Hope, Expectation, and Realization”

Bradley, A.F.  New York NY – September 1910   Cover   Profile

Brock, N.  Asheville NC – August 1911   Cover   Profile

Brush, Edmund A.  Minneapolis MN – July 1910   Cover  Profile

Buckley, L.J.  Binghamton NY – October 1911   Cover   Profile   Buckley portrait of woman

Cargille, Charles.  Johnson City TN – March 1915  Cover   Profile and  portrait of woman

Carnell, Mary.  Philadelphia PA – July 1911   Cover   Profile

Chambers, Dwight.  Chicago IL – August 1918   Cover   Profile and portrait of woman

Claus, George.  Eau Claire WI – August 1914  Cover   Profile and portrait of child

Conklin, Philip. Troy NY – November 1917   Cover   Profile and  portrait of woman

Conkling, O.C.  St. Louis MO – August 1915   Cover   Profile and portrait of mother and infant

Core, E.B.  (“Pop”). New York NY – November 1912  Cover   Profile   Core portrait of 5 children

Crawford, Dorothy Maud.  Burlingame CA – May 1917   Cover   Profile and portrait of child

Culotta, Pasquale S.  Baltimore MD – July 1919   Cover   Profile and portrait of child

D'Rosser.  Pittsburgh PA – April 1920   Cover   Profile and portrait of woman

Dean, Frank E.  Grand Junction CO – March 1914  Cover   Profile and portrait of bearded man

Dewey, A.W.  Fargo ND – December 1914   Cover   Profile

Dickson, Walt. Toronto ON – February 1914   Cover   Profile and portrait of child

Diehl , A.H.  Woodlawn PA – September 1918   Cover   Profile and portrait of woman

Disinger (Foster) & Adams (Ralph D.).  Binghamton NY – January 1918   Cover   Profile and portrait by Adams   Portrait by Disinger

Dobbs, Arthur E.  Winona MN – January 1914   Cover  Profile and portrait of woman

Donnelly , William F.  New Haven CT – September 1919   Cover   Profile

Doty, E.E.  Battle Creek MI – October 1910   Cover  Profile

Dozer, L.A.  Bucyrus OH – June 1913  Cover   Profile

Dworshak , Louis.  Duluth MN – August 1913  Cover   Profile and  portrait of mother and children

Dyall, Will.  Mt. Pleasant IA – November 1911   Cover   Profile  Dyall portrait of woman

Edmonston, David B. Washington DC – April 1911   Cover   Profile   Edmonston portrait of Helen Taft

Ellis, William ShewelI.   Philadelphia PA – November 1909  Cover   Profile

Erickson, John A.  McKeesport PA – June 1918   Cover   Profile and portrait of  man    Erickson portrait of woman

Fenley, Walter R.  Portland ME – February 1917   Cover   Profile and portrait of woman

Francis, Helen I.  Topeka KS – January 1915   Cover  Profile and portrait of Elbert Hubbard

Fritz, Jerome H.  Trenton NJ – June 1920   Cover   Profile   Portrait of woman

Gailbraith, H.C.  Minneapolis MN – June 1912  Cover   Profile   

Garo, John H.  Boston MA – September 1909    Cover  Profile  Profile, continued

Geissler, Frances.  New York NY – April 1915   Cover   Profile   Geissler portrait of child

Gerhard Sisters.  St. Louis MO – September 1911   Cover   Profile

Golling, B.C.  St. Paul MN – January 1911   Cover   Profile

Goodlander Sisters.  Muncie IN – July 1915  Cover   Profile and portrait of woman

Gross, J. Ellsworth.  Chicago IL – December 1910   Cover   Profile

Haley, John F.  Bridgeport CT – June 1911   Cover   Profile

Hammer, L.F.  St. Louis MO – December 1912   Cover   Profile

Hansbury, H.B.  Philadelphia PA – April 1910  Cover  Profile

Hanson , M.D.  Portland ME – November 1910   Cover   Profile

Hargrave, Arthur J.  New York NY – February 1910  Cover   Profile

Hastings, George H.  Haverhill MA – April 1912  Cover   Profile   Hastings portrait of woman

Hatcher, Thurston.  Atlanta GA – January 1917   Cover   Profile and portrait of young woman

Havens, O. Pierre.  Jacksonville FL – February 1911   Cover   Profile

Hearn, Charles Wesley.  Boston MA – March 1911   Cover   Profile by John Garo

Hesse, Louis.  Minneapolis MN – September 1917   Cover   Profile

Higgason, L.L.  Asheville NC – October 1919   Cover   Profile and portrait of soldier

Hiller, Lejaren á.  New York NY – June 1919   Cover   Profile and group photo   Profile, cont. Two dramatic photos by Hiller

Holmboe, Fred.  Bismarck ND – April 1916   Cover  Profile and Holmboe portrait of child

Hornbaker, F.W.  Scranton PA – March 1912   Cover   Profile   Hornbaker portrait of woman

Hostetler, Gus L.  Des Moines IA – December 1919   Cover   Profile and portrait of woman

Hough, Edward H.  Chicago IL – December 1911  Cover   Profile   Hough portrait of girl

Hoyt, Dudley.  New York NY – July 1909  Cover Profile

Hutchinson, Eugene.  Chicago IL – August 1917   Cover   Profile and portrait of Hutchinson by Weston  Two portraits by Hutchinson

Jamieson, Katherine.  Pittsburgh PA – July 1913   Cover   Profile and portrait of boy

Johnson, Belle.  Monroe City MO – September 1916   Cover   Profile and group portrait of six girls

Jones, J. Albert.  Cincinnati OH – March 1917   Cover   Profile and portrait of child

Judd, A.W.  Chattanooga TN – November 1916   Cover   Profile and portrait of mother and child

Kǎsebier, Gertrude.  New York NY – July 1912   Cover   Profile   Kasebier portrait of woman

Knaffl, Joseph.  KnoxviIle TN – May 1916   Cover   Profile and “Good Night,”  young woman with candle

Koehne, William Louis.  Chicago IL – June 1915   Cover   Profile and portrait of child

Kossuth, George J.  Wheeling WV – March 1919   Cover   Profile   Two Kossuth portraits of men

Kough, Charles C.  Greensburg PA – January 1910    Cover  Profile

Launey Sisters.  Savannah GA – September 1912 (Sample photo by Launey Sisters actually by W. Neal Walden)  Cover    Profile

Leatherdale, T.J.  Toronto Ontario Canada – January 1913  Cover   Profile

Lee, Thorwald (Lee Brothers). Minneapolis MN – January 1919   Cover   Profile and portrait of woman

Lewis, C.G.  Toledo OH – May 1910  Cover   Profile    Profile, continued

Lifshey, S.H.  Brooklyn NY – June 1916   Cover (Lifshey by Käsebier)   Profile

Lindquist, F.O.  Superior WI – November 1914  Cover   Profile

Littleton, W.H.  Muncie IN – September 1914  Cover   Profile and  portrait of woman

Loehr, Pearl Grace. New York NY – January 1916   Cover   Profile and portrait of baby

Lumiere, Samuel. New York NY – May 1920

MacDonald, Pirie. New York NY – May 1909    Cover and Profile

Mersereau, Wynn. Brooklyn NY – July 1914  Cover   Profile and portrait of woman

Milloy, Paul. Memphis TN – September 1913  Cover   Profile

Mix, Edward Louis. New York NY – May 1919   Cover   Profile and portrait of child

Moore, C. Bennette. New Orleans LA – February 1912 Cover   Profile   Moore photo of child

Murphy, Will R.  Newton KS – April 1917  Cover   Profile

No Featured Photographer – January 1920– February 1920 – March 1920

Oonk, Harriet Edna. Cincinnati OH – July 1916   Cover   Profile and portrait of child

Pach, Alexander L.  New York NY – December 1917   Cover   Profile and portrait of man

Pach, Gotthelf.  New York NY – August 1916   Cover   Profile and portrait of woman

Parker, William C.   Morristown NJ – February 1919    Cover   Profile  Parker portraits of man and chile

Parkinson, Morris Burke. Boston MA – June 1910   Cover   Profile

Pearlstein, John A.  Brooklyn NY – July 1918   Cover   Profile and portrait of woman

Perlman, Raphael.  New York NY – August 1920   Cover   Profile   Portrait of woman

Peterson, A.K.  Hartford  CT – July 1920   Cover   Portrait of man

Phillips, Ryland W.  Philadelphia PA – December 1909    Cover  Profile

Place, Francis A.  Boston MA – October 1916   Cover   Profile and  portrait of woman

Pohle, Frederick.  Buffalo NY – September 1915   Cover   Profile and portrait of young woman

Powell, L.T.  San Antonio TX – November 1915   Cover   Profile and portrait of actor William A. Howell

Preble, S.L.  Waterville ME – February 1913   Cover   Profile   Preble portrait of girl

Proctor, A.F.  Huntington WV – December 1915   Cover   Profile

Rau, William H.  Philadelphia PA – May 1912    Cover   Profile

Reineke, E. Blanche.  Kansas City MO – June 1914   Cover   Profile and portrait of child

Rosch, J. Edward.  St. Louis MO – April 1914   Cover  Profile

Rockwood, George G.  New York NY – June 1909   Cover  Profile

Schanz, Felix.  Ft. Wayne IN – November 1918   Cover   Profile and portrait of female nurse

Schellenberg, M.O.  San Diego CA – October 1912  Cover   Profile   

Schervee, Herman.  Worcester MA – March 1910  Cover  Profile

Schlotzhauer, Carl.  Lancaster PA – March 1916   Cover   Profile

Schriever, J.B.  Scranton PA – August 1912   Cover   Profile

Sherman, John F.  Newark NJ – October 1914   Cover   Profile and portrait of child

Shinn, Walter Scott.  New York NY – February 1918   Cover   Profile and portrait of child

Smith, H.I.  St. Paul MN – April 1919   Cover   Profile

Smith, May L.  Binghamton NY – September 1920   Cover   Profile   Profile, cont.   portrait of child   portrait of girl

Spurr, E. Willard.  Waterloo IA – February 1916   Cover   Profile and portrait of child

Steffens, M.J., Commodore.  Chicago IL – August 1910    Cover   Profile

Steinberg, Isaac.  New York NY – June 1917   Cover   Profile

Stephenson, W.M.  Atlanta GA – October 1915   Cover   Profile and portrait of child

Strauss, Julius C.  St. Louis MO – October 1909  Cover   Profile

Strickler, J.D.  Pittsburgh PA – May 1918   Cover   Profile and portrait of man   Strickler portrait of girl

Surdam, Mabel Cox. Toronto  Ontario  Canada – August 1919   Cover   Profile and portrait of woman with dog   Portrait of soldier

Titus, A.O.  York PA – March 1918   Cover   Profile and portrait of woman

Toloff, Joseph.  Evanston IL – July 1917   Cover   Profile and portrait of woman

Towles, W.H.  Washington DC – August 1909 Cover  Profile

Tyree, Manly.  Raleigh NC – April 1913   Cover   Profile and portrait of woman

Voiland, H.E.  Sioux City IA – February 1915   Cover   Profile and Voiland portrait of mother and child

Walinger, Charles.  Chicago IL – May 1911   Cover   Profile

Weston, Edward H.  Tropico CA – May 1915   Cover   Profile and portrait of child

Whigham, R.P.  San Francisco CA – May 1914   Cover   Profile   Whigham portrait of woman

Williams, G. Edwin.  Los Angeles CA – April 1918   Cover   Profile and portrait of woman   Portrait of woman and daughter

Williams, R.M.  Evansville IN – October 1913  Cover   Profile and portrait of boy

Witzel, A.W.  Los Angeles CA – November 1920   Cover   Profile   Child on swing   Child with fishbowl   Woman

Zintsmaster, Daniel W.  Minneapolis MN – October 1918    Cover   Profile and portrait of girl