Historic Photographic Terminology
There are certain terms used throughout this website that refer to photographic formats no longer in use. Definitions of some of them are given below:
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Charlotte Photographers and Their Works, 1855 - 1925
James Edward Hemphill (1886-1959)
James E. Hemphill worked in Charlotte from 1917 to 1959. Besides Henry Hayden, he is the only known black photographer in Charlotte prior to 1925. He was born in Blackstock, South Carolina in 1886. Hemphill was the son of James and Frances Hemphill. (1) He firsts appears in the Charlotte City Directory in 1912. Hemphill and Jonathan S.J. Byers ran a restaurant called Hemphill and Byers. Two years later, the men operated the Epicurin Lunch at 500 Mint Street. (2) Starting in 1917, Hemphill worked as a photographer.
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)
John William Moon (1871-1931) and Mary E. Hays Moon (1884-1952)
The Carolina Room probably has one of the largest collections of John and Mary E. Moon photographs. Known for their large panoramas, the couple captured family gatherings, company employee, local officials and during World War I they were the only local photographers allowed to film life at Campe Greene, a military training camp just outside of Charlotte. John William Moon (1871-1931) was born in Freetown, Cortland County, New York. He was the son of Nelson Moon and Fannie Ryan. Moon and his wife, Mary E.
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)