This orphan photo is unidentified. It was photographed by Z. Roberts of Roberts & Sumner’s Champion Gallery in Northfield, Minnesota.

A search on the surnames turned up the following, which seem to be the photographers of Roberts & Sumner’s:

  • Ira E. Sumner, photographer, born about 1847, living in Northfield, Rice, Minnesota in 1880.
  • Ira E. Sumner, living in Northfield, Rice, Minnesota in 1875. Occupations were not recorded on the 1875 Minnesota Census.
  • Ira E. Sumner, living in Northfield in 1900, occupation listed as a furniture dealer.
  • Z Roberts in Northfield, Rice, Minnesota in 1875, age 36. Occupations were not recorded on the 1875 Minnesota Census.
  • Zachariah Roberts in Northfield, Rice, Minnesota in 1865. Occupations were not recorded on the 1865 Minnesota Census.
  • Z Roberts, photographer on the U.S. IRS Tax Assessment list for District 2, Minnesota, in 1864.
  • Zachariah Roberts living in Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota in 1885. Occupations were not recorded on the 1865 Minnesota Census.

The style of dress seems to be an 1850s day dress. But based on the above information, it’s unlikely that this photo was taken in the 1850s. My guess would be the dress is a hand-me-down, and the photo was taken in the late 1860 to mid-1870s.

What do you think?

Sources

1880 U.S. Federal Census; Census Place: Northfield, Rice, Minnesota; Roll: T9_632; Family History Film: 1254632; Page: 272.1000; Enumeration District: 136; Image: 0186.

Ancestry.com. Minnesota Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007.

Ancestry.com. U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2008. Original data: National Archives (NARA) microfilm series: M603, M754-M771, M773-M777, M779-M780, M782, M784, M787-M789, M791-M793, M795, M1631, M1775-M1776, T227, T1208-T1209.