Strauss-Peyton Studio Portrait Photography - Mark Doty - about 1912
Found this wonderful double portrait photograph in a delightful frame at a local thrift store. It is now being conserved by my good friends at First City Photography in Leavenworth who were as excited to see it as we were!
Strauss Peyton Photography was a very creative and cutting edge studio located in Kansas City from about 1908 to 1960's. Strauss and Peyton did work together before 1908 - but really came into their own in about 1908 when they opened a studio together, There are several good background articles - the best is here:
broadway.cas.sc.edu/content/studio-strauss-peyton
This photo has a handwritten note on the backing paper of the frame that suggests it was taken in on the 20th of some unreadable month in 1906 when the child was 11y 10m old. The back of the photos have the buyers address, job number, but no date. I have contacted the Jackson County Historical Society for any help they can provide with insight into the job number and such as I believe they have the Sitting Cards for much of the Strauss-Peyton Studio work (which was "found" in storage in the KC area a few years ago - and about 5 TONS are at the JCHS!)
The date is likely wrong as the studio really did not exist until about 1908. Also - (as noted below) the boy is believed to have been born in 1899 and appears too old to be Seven Years Old if 1906 is correct. Our guess is that the note on the back of the framing was done at a later date in an effort to educate other family members as to their history.
September 24, 2014 - A review of the book "Strauss-Peyton, Celebrity and Glamour" by Stephen White Editions and a look at the signatures show this style and type (in the book anyway) from about 1914-1917, and after that there were more styles, and the date appears to have been added after 1920. Based on that - I am sticking with the estimate of 1912.
Researching the address shows that the family was a basic middle class family and the father was a construction contractor. The closest birthdate that makes any sense at all for the child is 1899, which would on the surface make him about seven years old here - but we think he looks older (10-12+). Maybe the date was written years later and is simply wrong. The date does not correspond to any birthdays
Some Questions to Ponder:
What would cause a middle class family to have such a nice portrait photograph (double wide too!) taken of a young child? Is this typical of the day to day work for the Strauss-Peyton Studio?
The clothing looks top notch. I believe he has relatives working at Emery Bird Thayer Department Store (upscale) and maybe that is where they came from (and the picture was framed there as well). Is there any chance that this would have been an effort to promote the child into the entertainment industry?
I believe the child is Mark Forest Doty, born in 1899 and passed away in 1973, parents are Charles A. Doty and Cora L Doty of 2449 Askew in Kansas City.
Any insight appreciated
Update August 1, 2016 - I heard back from a relative with a lot of detailed info - most of the speculation above is correct! The information below is copied from our emails with some minor adjustments.
Mark Forrest Doty - Found Photo - Biography
The photo you have posted on Flickr is a relative of mine. Mark (or Markle) Forrest Doty was my paternal grandmother's brother or an uncle to me. Their father was Charles Augustus Doty and his (Charles) final address was 2449 Askew, Kansas City, MO. In 2014 my mother who was living in Kansas City died and she had possession of many old family photos and items. This photograph of Mark Doty was disposed of by me after my mother's death.
Mark was my father’s uncle and my dad adored him. Mark often took my father into the out-of-doors and taught him to fish and hunt. They began fishing Lake of the Ozarks in the early 1930s when it first opened. They fished northern Minnesota during the same time frame driving dirt roads to get there. Hunting was local but they went frequently. The families met every Sunday afternoon for dinner and socializing.
Markle Forrest Doty was the son of Charles Augustus Doty and Cora Lee Doty. Mark was born in 1899 in Bloomington, IL. He had an older brother, Ray, and older sister, my grandmother, Gladys Madeline (Dot). They lived in Bloomington where Charlie grew up in the building contracting business. His father, Henry A. Doty, and grandfather, Henry Doty, were building contractors. Anna Einsminger was his mother. I’m aware that they sunk some of the coal mine shafts near Streator, IL and build homes and buildings including a high school near Bloomington.
Charlie moved to Kansas City in the early 1900s and began his contracting business, Doty and Sons Construction. I’m aware of several buildings he constructed in the Kansas City area. Two that remain are a portion of the St Stephen church at Truman Rd. and Paseo and a KCK fire station on about 33rd and State Ave. Mark worked in this business with his father, his brother Ray, and other relatives.
Mark went to Greenwood Elementary School in KCMO as did his sister, Dot. She went to Manual High School and my guess is he did also. Neither attended college to my knowledge. They lived at 2449 Askew, a house owned by Charles A. Doty. That house was torn down in the building of I-70 in the mid-1960s.
Mark married a lady named Eunice Doxsee and they had 4 children. Charlie Doty died in the mid 1920s and Mark worked with his brother, Ray in construction. Mark was involved in home building for the most part. Both brothers, Mark and Ray, suffered through the Great Depression when the housing industry dried up. Ray died in 1941 before the Depression was over. Mark for some years worked full time for my grandfather (Dot’s husband or his brother-in-law) in his florist shop. The rest of Mark’s family also worked in that shop on holidays.
Mark tried the housing industry again after WWII and managed to keep afloat until the early 1950s when he moved his family to California. My family lost contact with him and his family at that point; although, we knew he was involved with home building there. He took his youngest daughter, Janet, to CA when they moved. His middle daughter Pat married and moved to Louisville. His son Mark Forrest Doty Jr, died to a work-related accident before the move. His oldest child a daughter, Grace Lee, moved and the family lost track of her.
Mark and his wife, Eunice, moved from CA to Louisville when they spent the rest of their lives. Both died there and are buried in Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, KY. Mark died in 1973. I visited the cemetery within the last year.
As for you questions about the photo. The photo is of course Mark and I would guess it was taken between 1905 and 1910. The Dotys then were not wealthy but did have a good income. Photos were apparently important to them as my grandmother, Dot, was one of the first people to own a Polaroid camera in the late 1940s and took many pictures with it. My father had his own darkroom and also took many photos. I think it was traditional for people to go to studios in the early 1900s, if they could afford to do so, and have portraits taken. The Doty side of my family left some photos for future generations.
Emery Bird Thayer was one of the higher end department stores in downtown KCMO. During those days retail shopping was done downtown or in smaller shopping areas like 31st & Troost, 27th & Prospect, etc. Most neighborhoods had their “mom and pop” stores for groceries, hardware, cleaning, etc. If you were shopping for something “fine”, you went downtown. Same was true for downtown KCK. I could only guess why the frame was purchased at EBT. I suppose they wanted something special.
If you delve deeper into the Doty’s history, you will find that Henry A Doty fought in the Civil Wart (Illinois 104th Volunteer Infantry) and Henry’s brother, Capt. John S. H. Doty, was the CO. E commander. John led his company through a number of battles but met his end at the Battle of Peachtree Creek which at that time was just north of Atlanta, GA. His company apparently was the flag company that evening. Beyond that generation is Henry Doty who was born in 1800 in either PA or NY. I’m still working on his history.
Strauss-Peyton Studio Portrait Photography - Mark Doty - about 1912
Found this wonderful double portrait photograph in a delightful frame at a local thrift store. It is now being conserved by my good friends at First City Photography in Leavenworth who were as excited to see it as we were!
Strauss Peyton Photography was a very creative and cutting edge studio located in Kansas City from about 1908 to 1960's. Strauss and Peyton did work together before 1908 - but really came into their own in about 1908 when they opened a studio together, There are several good background articles - the best is here:
broadway.cas.sc.edu/content/studio-strauss-peyton
This photo has a handwritten note on the backing paper of the frame that suggests it was taken in on the 20th of some unreadable month in 1906 when the child was 11y 10m old. The back of the photos have the buyers address, job number, but no date. I have contacted the Jackson County Historical Society for any help they can provide with insight into the job number and such as I believe they have the Sitting Cards for much of the Strauss-Peyton Studio work (which was "found" in storage in the KC area a few years ago - and about 5 TONS are at the JCHS!)
The date is likely wrong as the studio really did not exist until about 1908. Also - (as noted below) the boy is believed to have been born in 1899 and appears too old to be Seven Years Old if 1906 is correct. Our guess is that the note on the back of the framing was done at a later date in an effort to educate other family members as to their history.
September 24, 2014 - A review of the book "Strauss-Peyton, Celebrity and Glamour" by Stephen White Editions and a look at the signatures show this style and type (in the book anyway) from about 1914-1917, and after that there were more styles, and the date appears to have been added after 1920. Based on that - I am sticking with the estimate of 1912.
Researching the address shows that the family was a basic middle class family and the father was a construction contractor. The closest birthdate that makes any sense at all for the child is 1899, which would on the surface make him about seven years old here - but we think he looks older (10-12+). Maybe the date was written years later and is simply wrong. The date does not correspond to any birthdays
Some Questions to Ponder:
What would cause a middle class family to have such a nice portrait photograph (double wide too!) taken of a young child? Is this typical of the day to day work for the Strauss-Peyton Studio?
The clothing looks top notch. I believe he has relatives working at Emery Bird Thayer Department Store (upscale) and maybe that is where they came from (and the picture was framed there as well). Is there any chance that this would have been an effort to promote the child into the entertainment industry?
I believe the child is Mark Forest Doty, born in 1899 and passed away in 1973, parents are Charles A. Doty and Cora L Doty of 2449 Askew in Kansas City.
Any insight appreciated
Update August 1, 2016 - I heard back from a relative with a lot of detailed info - most of the speculation above is correct! The information below is copied from our emails with some minor adjustments.
Mark Forrest Doty - Found Photo - Biography
The photo you have posted on Flickr is a relative of mine. Mark (or Markle) Forrest Doty was my paternal grandmother's brother or an uncle to me. Their father was Charles Augustus Doty and his (Charles) final address was 2449 Askew, Kansas City, MO. In 2014 my mother who was living in Kansas City died and she had possession of many old family photos and items. This photograph of Mark Doty was disposed of by me after my mother's death.
Mark was my father’s uncle and my dad adored him. Mark often took my father into the out-of-doors and taught him to fish and hunt. They began fishing Lake of the Ozarks in the early 1930s when it first opened. They fished northern Minnesota during the same time frame driving dirt roads to get there. Hunting was local but they went frequently. The families met every Sunday afternoon for dinner and socializing.
Markle Forrest Doty was the son of Charles Augustus Doty and Cora Lee Doty. Mark was born in 1899 in Bloomington, IL. He had an older brother, Ray, and older sister, my grandmother, Gladys Madeline (Dot). They lived in Bloomington where Charlie grew up in the building contracting business. His father, Henry A. Doty, and grandfather, Henry Doty, were building contractors. Anna Einsminger was his mother. I’m aware that they sunk some of the coal mine shafts near Streator, IL and build homes and buildings including a high school near Bloomington.
Charlie moved to Kansas City in the early 1900s and began his contracting business, Doty and Sons Construction. I’m aware of several buildings he constructed in the Kansas City area. Two that remain are a portion of the St Stephen church at Truman Rd. and Paseo and a KCK fire station on about 33rd and State Ave. Mark worked in this business with his father, his brother Ray, and other relatives.
Mark went to Greenwood Elementary School in KCMO as did his sister, Dot. She went to Manual High School and my guess is he did also. Neither attended college to my knowledge. They lived at 2449 Askew, a house owned by Charles A. Doty. That house was torn down in the building of I-70 in the mid-1960s.
Mark married a lady named Eunice Doxsee and they had 4 children. Charlie Doty died in the mid 1920s and Mark worked with his brother, Ray in construction. Mark was involved in home building for the most part. Both brothers, Mark and Ray, suffered through the Great Depression when the housing industry dried up. Ray died in 1941 before the Depression was over. Mark for some years worked full time for my grandfather (Dot’s husband or his brother-in-law) in his florist shop. The rest of Mark’s family also worked in that shop on holidays.
Mark tried the housing industry again after WWII and managed to keep afloat until the early 1950s when he moved his family to California. My family lost contact with him and his family at that point; although, we knew he was involved with home building there. He took his youngest daughter, Janet, to CA when they moved. His middle daughter Pat married and moved to Louisville. His son Mark Forrest Doty Jr, died to a work-related accident before the move. His oldest child a daughter, Grace Lee, moved and the family lost track of her.
Mark and his wife, Eunice, moved from CA to Louisville when they spent the rest of their lives. Both died there and are buried in Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, KY. Mark died in 1973. I visited the cemetery within the last year.
As for you questions about the photo. The photo is of course Mark and I would guess it was taken between 1905 and 1910. The Dotys then were not wealthy but did have a good income. Photos were apparently important to them as my grandmother, Dot, was one of the first people to own a Polaroid camera in the late 1940s and took many pictures with it. My father had his own darkroom and also took many photos. I think it was traditional for people to go to studios in the early 1900s, if they could afford to do so, and have portraits taken. The Doty side of my family left some photos for future generations.
Emery Bird Thayer was one of the higher end department stores in downtown KCMO. During those days retail shopping was done downtown or in smaller shopping areas like 31st & Troost, 27th & Prospect, etc. Most neighborhoods had their “mom and pop” stores for groceries, hardware, cleaning, etc. If you were shopping for something “fine”, you went downtown. Same was true for downtown KCK. I could only guess why the frame was purchased at EBT. I suppose they wanted something special.
If you delve deeper into the Doty’s history, you will find that Henry A Doty fought in the Civil Wart (Illinois 104th Volunteer Infantry) and Henry’s brother, Capt. John S. H. Doty, was the CO. E commander. John led his company through a number of battles but met his end at the Battle of Peachtree Creek which at that time was just north of Atlanta, GA. His company apparently was the flag company that evening. Beyond that generation is Henry Doty who was born in 1800 in either PA or NY. I’m still working on his history.