Photograph
Portrait of a Child
| Studio portrait in front of a painted backdrop of an African American child (probably a girl) wearing a white dress. Text written on the back of the photograph reads "Mrs. Butts, next week, middle, 633 E. Johnson," which is probably a photographer's note. |
| Image ID: | 37383 |
|---|---|
| Creation Date: | circa 1900 |
| Creator Name: | Nielson, Andrew C. & Nielson, Edward, Madison, Wisconsin |
| City: | Madison |
| County: | Dane |
| State: | Wisconsin |
| Collection Name: | Carroll S. Lewis photographs, ca. 1880-ca. 1941 |
| Genre: | Photograph |
| Original Format Type: | photographic print, b&w |
| Original Format Number: | M2002-184 |
| Original Dimensions: | 4.25 x 6.5 inches |
| This is no doubt a child of Benjamin and Amy (Roberts) Butts. Born circa 1850 as a slave in Virginia, "Bennie" was supposedly taken in by the Fifth Wisconsin Battery when it occupied Petersburg, Virginia during the Civil War, and came back to Richland Center WI with Col.(?) Butts (whose surname he adopted). In 1870 he was a clerk in Madison, then a barber from about 1871 to 1900, when he became a messenger at the new Wisconsin Historical Society building on State St - a job he held for 30 years, until his death. He married Amy Roberts circa 1888; they had eight children, but several died as infants. They rented at 633 E Johnson St from about 1892; by 1907 they had purchased their own home at 329 E Dayton St, where they lived until their deaths in 1930 (Amy in January and Bennie in March). [This photograph would therefore have been taken circa 1892-1906.] Both are buried in Madison's Forest Hill Cemetery, next to five of their children. |
| Murals |
| Painting |
| Dresses |
| African Americans |
| Children |
| Indoor photography |
| Portrait photography |
| Photography |
| Studios and dark rooms |
| This image is issued by the Wisconsin Historical Society. Use of the image requires written permission from the staff of the Collections Division. It may not be sold or redistributed, copied or distributed as a photograph, electronic file, or any other media. The image should not be significantly altered through conventional or electronic means. Images altered beyond standard cropping and resizing require further negotiation with a staff member. The user is responsible for all issues of copyright. Please Credit: Wisconsin Historical Society. |
| Location: | Wisconsin Historical Society Archives, 4th Floor, Madison, Wisconsin |
|---|