Smith Family Portrait c 1875-85
Book details
- Title
- Smith Family Portrait c 1875-85
- Author
- F J Meinzer
- Publication year listed
- 1888
- Format
- Public domain eBook
- Reading access
- Free online reader; no registration required
- Source record
- View on Archive.org
About this book
Smith Family Portrait c 1875-85
Author: F. J. Meinzer, Artist, Cottage Grove, Oregon
Year: 1888
Cabinet card portrait of an unidentified couple, likely connected to the Smith branch of early Oregon pioneers. The photograph appears in two sources: the Barbara Hopper Collection and the Victorian album belonging to John Lewis Smith and Esther Wells Smith. Within the album, it is positioned shortly after the page featuring Richard Smith and Martha Ann Pitzer, who arrived in Oregon in 1853—strongly suggesting a Smith connection. Photographed by F. J. Meinzer, Artist, Cottage Grove, Oregon, the image is estimated to date between 1875 and 1885, based on clothing, hairstyle, and mount design. Faint pencil initials on the reverse (“B.B.S.”) may refer to Bertha Bright Smith, indicating the photo was likely intended for her rather than depicting her. Primary identification candidates include James B. Smith (1839–1879) and Mary Anna Hall (1848–1930). Other possibilities include Maria L. Smith and Ransom M. Kelly, or Mary Smith and Jesse Barker, though the youthful appearance of the couple supports the first as the most likely match.