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Albert J. Ewing Collection
Description: Taken by traveling photographer Albert J. Ewing, ca. 1896-1912, this photograph appears to show a man and woman posing for their wedding portrait. The groom sits in a chair, wearing a suit with a boutonniere on his lapel, and the bride stands to his right wearing a two-colored dress, a long white veil with a flower wreath, a rose pinned to her dress, and white gloves in her right hand. The backdrop features a pastoral scene. Handwriting on the negative appears to read "Frank Offenburger." Like most of Ewing's work, it was likely taken in southeastern Ohio or central West Virginia. Born in 1870 in Washington County, Ohio, near Marietta, Ewing most likely began his photography career in the 1890s. The 1910 US Census and a 1912-1913 directory list him as a photographer. A negative signed "Ewing Brothers" and a picture with his younger brother, Frank, indicate that Frank may have joined the business. After 1916, directories list Albert as a salesman. He died in 1934. The Ewing Collection consists of 5,055 glass plate negatives, each individually housed and numbered. Additionally, the collection includes approximately 450 modern contact prints made from the glass plate negatives. Subjects include infants and young children, elderly people, families, school and religious groups, animals and rural scenes. In 1982, the Ohio Historical Society received the collection, still housed in the original dry plate negative boxes purchased by Albert J. Ewing. A selection of the original glass plate negatives were exhibited for the first time in 2013 at the Ohio Historical Center. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV71_B14_F802
Subjects: Ewing, Albert J. (1870-1934); Portrait photography--United States--History; Weddings; Wedding costume
Places: Ohio; West Virginia