photographers

Verdie Lee Perrell (1902 -1970)

Verdie Lee Perrell was born in Guilford County, North Carolina in 1902. He was affiliated with The Gallagher Commercial Studio from 1922-1925. From there he partnered with W. Marvin Dunaway and formed Dunaway and Perrell Detective Agency and Commpercial Photography in 1926. One year later, Perrell was the sole propietor of the studio from 1927 to 1930. The Studio disappears after then and Perrell worked with Charlotte Engraving from 1930 to 1937 and later Whitsett Photo Company from 1938 to 1942. During World War II, Perrell worked as a defense worker.

Henry G. Oliver

Henry G. Oliver ran Peoples Photo Shop at 408 South Tryon Street. Although his advertisement appeared regularly in the Caduceus, Oliver, himself, only appears in the 1921 Charlotte City Directory. (1)

Advertisement from The Caduceus, December 14, 1918, p. 11.

To see more photographers in this exhibit, click on "Charlotte Photographers."

Leonard C. Cooke (1877-1950)

Leonard Cooper Cooke was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1877. He first appeared in Charlotte in 1915. His studio was first located in his home at 324 North Tryon Street (1) Cooke later would open a studio at 1702 E. 4th Street, where he remained until his retirement in 1946. (2) He passed away on March 21, 1950 in Shelby, North Carolina. (3)

Advertisement from The Caduceus, December 7, 1918.

To see more photographers in this exhibit, click on "Charlotte Photographers."

Edward F. Gallagher (1881-1943)

Edward F. Gallagher (1888-1943) first appears in the Charlotte City directory in 1909. (1) A native of Kentucky, he was a first generation Irish-American. By 1925, Gallagher became president of the Colonial Realty Company and left his studio in the hands of Verdie Perrell, who would eventually open his own studio and even form a detective agency. (2) Gallagher died in Gastonia and is is buried in Elmwood Cemetery. (3)

William Thomas Lindsay (1860 - 1932)

Morse’s partner, William Thomas Lindsay was born in Texas in 1860, and depending on which document you go by, he was either born in Fort Worth or Waco, Texas. (1) The spelling of his surname is quite different on these official documents. According to his granddaughter, the correct spelling is Linsday. (2) Where Lindsay was between 1860 and 1918 is unknown. By 1918, Lindsay was living in Charlotte and working at the Lindsay & Morse studio at 208 South Tryon Street.

Alton Wells Franklin (1878 - 1943?)

Alton Wells Franklin was born in Chesterfield, Virginia in 1878. While living in Petersburg, Virginia, he met and married his first wife, Claudia B. Willis. Around 1908, Franklin became an itinerant partner with a Mr. Hicks, who is listed in the 1909 Charlotte City directory, and their studio was located at 1 West Fifth Street. (1) According to the 1920 city directory and the census, he employed Inez or Meg Flowers as an artist in his studio. The young woman boarded with Franklin and his wife, Claudia, in their home at 302 North Tryon Street. (2)

William Morse (1868 - 1932)

Charlotte native William Morse was born on September 27, 1868. He was the son of Richard Morse who owned a marble yard at 210 South Tryon Street. Over the years, William Morse operated his studio with two partners, W. Carson Davis (1909-1910) and William Thomas Lindsay in 1918. (1) By 1920, Morse purchased the Photo Shop from Jonathan Cushman.Morse worked right up until his death on May 24, 1932. (2) He died of a heart failure at the age of 64 while riding in an automobile with another Charlotte photographer, Luther Philaman. (3)

Leon Ernest Seay (1863-1930)

Leon Ernest Seay was born in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1862. He began work as a photographer sometime in the 1890s. Seay came to Charlotte in 1906 and formed a partnership with Charles W. Eutsler. Together they ran a studio from Eutsler’s home at 21 North Tryon Street until 1910. (1) In 1907, Seay formed another partnership with Zachius "Zackie" E. Scott (1866-1943), who owned a studio at 904 Elizabeth Avenue, which was beyond the original four wards. Scott moved to Fort Mill the next year.

John B. Readman (1851 - 1903)

Readman first appears in the Charlotte directory around 1899. ( 1) Born in New York in April of 1851, his father was from England and his mother was a New Yorker. Readman dabbled in the theatrical business and worked in newspapers in California. He arrived in Charlotte in 1896. (2) Readman’s studio was located at 18 South Tryon Street, and he lived in a boarding house on 3rd Street. (3) By 1902, his wife, Emily, joined him, and they lived at 237 South Tryon Street, which was just a few blocks down from Readman’s Studio that was now located at 27 South Tryon Street.

James H. Van Ness (1841-1925)

Baumgarten’s sole competitor for a number of years was James H. Van Ness. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland on March 17, 1841. Educated at a private school, Waugh and Majors, Van Ness graduated in 1858, and began working at his father’s grocery store until 1862. At that time, Van Ness joined the Confederate Army and served with the 15th Virginia Cavalry. From all accounts, he was engaged in numerous battles and skirmishes where he performed bravely. (1)

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