doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Dating a photo by gun

I'd be trying to determine what years E. Upton of Elm Creek was in business, Shouldn't be that hard.

SRH

Good suggestions one and all. The photo is owned by a photo journalist for National Geographic. A digital of the front side only was sent to a friend at UNL. He is asking if there is any other info (like a date) on the back.

I don't know what sort of temporal resolution he is needing, but all of these suggestions are good ones, and probably better than chasing down the shotgun. He just thought it would be fun to ask me because he knows I like old doubles.

Even more than old doubles, I like puzzles.

Well, I know it's not a Stormy Komer hat. The President of the company, Gina Jacquart Thorsen, just emailed me back after checking historical photos. Scratch that one.

I see I can email both the Elm Creek Public library and the town hall, so that might work to accomplish Stan's suggestion.

Is that an "E" or an "S" for the first initial. Or something else. At first glance, I thought E, but I'm not so sure. Regardless, it will be easy to run down if anyone is Elm Creek is willing to do so.

Brent does not have sense enough to grasp that...

Joe, joe, joe. You find clues where you find them. Most photo studios could provide prop outfits but how many had boots to fit? I�ve seen several cowboy photos in a studio with shoes not boots. And shoe styles have changed over the years. Like I say look for little clues if you can. Shoes, hats, saw a wrist watch on one photo that was as thought to be old. It was old but about fifty years short of what they thought. Ended up being a son of the person they thought it was.

Looks like a typical inexpensive Belgian sidelever. Not nice enough to be English unless it is a Moore, Williams, or W. Richards.

I would agree with the 1890-1900 estimated time frame for the photograph. Given the widespread use of various props (including antique guns) for photographs, it's far easier to date the photo by tracking down the photographer. The Village of Elm Creek was incorporated in 1887, and S. Upton was shown in the 1890 business gazette and related village directories as being in the undertaking and furniture business at that time. Undertakers were also known to take photographs of the dearly departed, so it isn't a great stretch to assume Upton might have had a side business in general photography. Several other Nebraska historical documents that I located include photographs of other local figures that were taken by S. Upton. These photos were taken around 1890.

I found the local figures photos that S. Upton took in the late 1890s, but I did not find the town business gazette or anything like that. I have contacted the Elm Creek Librarian but have not heard back from her.

Thanks!

Brent do you have any pictures of you with goats ?

Side lever is on the left side. You can see it by looking through the trigger guard bow. Most likely one of the thousands of cheap Belgium guns imported in the late 19th century. I�d guess the photo is circa 1895.