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Josephine Kolmer-Benitz | Page last modified: |
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Josephine Kolmer-Benitz | Page last modified: |
List with the Portraits
The following framed pictures are an important part of Josephine Kolmer/Benitz’s personal collection. They are the first (often only) pictures we have of the subject (person or landscape). All the photos on this page were taken between 1850 and 1870. It is very unlikely there are any earlier photos. Photography was invented in France in 1839, and the first photographer arrived in San Francisco (California, USA) in 1849.
The pictures were stored in a decorated metal box (the size of a candy or cake box). Included with them was the list shown at right. Per handwriting, we believe the list was written by Marjorie M. Macintosh, wife of John E. Bz to whom the photos had been entrusted. Recent (2021) historians have compared the photo of “Mr. Black” (photo 3, see image below) to others of him as an older man and doubt our conclusion that it is James Black of Rancho Olompali. However, among the framed photos, apart from the photo of William, it is the only one of a man alone. James Black was a friend of William & Josephine’s, and was a witness to their marriage.
The photos are daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, or tintypes in golden frames and red velvet lined cases. The pictures were kept in a large tin-box (cookie or candy). Most, if not all, have suffered with the years. Many are exceedingly dark, others are covered in stains. We scanned the originals in their frames. To restore each image, we excised it from its frame, worked on it, and then put it back. It is wonderfully rewarding to see a photo come back to life — see for yourself below.
We have dated the framed portraits based on Josephine’s son Alfred’s diary entry of May 15, 1873. In it he mentions a set of photos which surely must include many if not all these portraits and the portraits in Josephine’s album of CDVs (carte de visite):
... Frank had our photographs on the table when I came home, I gave one to Father, Frank and Bella, Bella said that she would give me one of hers in return. Frank also had a large photograph of our house at Fort Ross, and of father about 20 years ago, and of mother about 15 years ago. and then of himself about 12 years ago and of Josephine when she was three years old, and then he had another picture of himself coming home from hunting.
There are 2 important photos missing from Josephine’s collection, both were taken at Fort Ross ca.1866 — of the family house (ex-Rotchev), and of Josephine and her children. We know both these pictures existed (and may still) because the museum at Fort Ross has a grainy copy of the first, and we discovered a photo of the second in Malcolm Benitz’s pack-rat “files”. We have included them both here as at some point they must surely have been part of Josephine’s collection.
If you are interested in reading up on early photography, here are some interesting sites:
© Peter Benitz (Benitz Family)
