John Lewis Smith from the Wells Smith Family Album c 1870

John Lewis Smith from the Wells Smith Family Album c 1870

Author: William Shew

Year: 1870

This photograph comes from page 9 of the Wells Smith family album, a Victorian-era album preserved and passed down within the family. The portrait is identified as John Lewis Smith (1831–1889), my great-great-grandfather. The image is a small cartes-de-visite. The album copy shows uniform spotting across the jacket and subtle tonal irregularities, likely related to the original photographic process or later environmental exposure. The photograph has been left unrestored to preserve evidence of original studio practice, including visible hand retouching around the eyes, face, and beard—a common feature of 19th-century portrait photography. The verso identifies the photographer as William Shew, whose studio operated at 417 & 423 Montgomery Street, San Francisco. Based on the studio imprint, card format, and comparison with institutional holdings, the photograph most likely dates to the early 1870s. A related photograph by the same photographer is held by the Oregon Historical Society and appears to be from the same sitting, showing similar jacket patterning. Members of the Smith family traveled to San Francisco on multiple occasions, and several photographs in the album of John Smith