By Richard D. Thompson
Henry B. Wesner (detail)
Courtesy Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois
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Henry B. Wesner was a native of Pennsylvania, one of eight children born to parents Anthony and Julia Wesner of German ancestry. His birth date was September 27, 1853, according to the website Find-A-Grave. When he was eleven years old the family moved to Galesburg, Illinois.
At age 25 Henry married
Josephine C. Biggerstaff and in May of 1878 their only child, daughter Georgia,
was born. By the 1880 federal census he had made his way to California and lived
in the Los Nietos (Whittier) area, where he was a farmer.
In 1881 he moved to San
Bernardino, and two years later began his photographic studio (San Bernardino Courier, January 1, 1892). When he
registered to vote he gave his occupation as “photographer” and signed his name
Henry B. Wesner, giving the date as April 28, 1883. This is only important
because he almost always used his initials, “H. B.” Wesner, and the
registration helps identify him from a myriad of other Wesners.
In 1884 Henry’s elder brother
Michael A. Wesner (born 1852) moved to San Bernardino and the pair decided to
become partners in the photography enterprise, calling their business “The Imperial
Photographic Parlors.”
The Imperial Photographic Parlors, Burt
Block
Courtesy of the author
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That same year, 1884, the
Republican ticket for President and Vice President consisted of James G. Blain
and John A. Logan. A big barn-like building was rented as party headquarters in
San Bernardino. It had a huge sign over the door advertising the candidates with
the heading “Republican Wigwam.”
Henry took a stereoview photograph
of this building and sign, and on the stereoview card stamped “Republican
Wigwam” together with the year, 1884. On the right side of the card the Wesner
series “Views of California Scenery” was printed and on the left side was “H.
B. Wesner.” The use of this name indicates that the photo may have preceded the
partnership or that Henry was using up some preprinted stereo cards he had in
stock. Collectors should be aware that an “H. B. Wesner” photograph could have
been taken at any time during his career, 1883–96, but that The Imperial
Photographic Parlors was probably from the time of the partnership with his
brother, 1884–89.
H. B. Wesner, Republican Wigwam, 1884
Courtesy of The Bancroft Library,
University of California, Berkeley
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At some point the partners
acquired what they named the “Wesner Brothers Photographic Car” (San Bernardino
Daily Courier June 15, 1889). This
may have been similar to another San Bernardino photographer’s traveling
studio, namely William A. Vale, who had a railroad car made up to contain his
photographic equipment—cameras, developing chemicals, dark room, studio, etc.—and
painted “Photographic Car” on it. A sign identified him as the photographer, W.
A. Vale, with the words “photographic gallery.” A picture of this car taken at
Spadra in about 1876 faces page 6 in Philip D. Nathanson’s excellent book, William Adams Vale: Pioneer Photographer
1870–1887, Los Angeles, 2011. It is not unlikely that Vale sold the
photographic car to the Wesners, either upon his retirement in 1887 or at some
point earlier.
H. B. Wesner, Carte-de-visite of an Infant Named Willie,
Wesner’s Photographic Car, San
Bernardino, 1886
Courtesy of Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum, City of Industry, California
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Throughout the years Henry is
shown to be very sociable. He participates in debating societies, he is an
actor in various plays and offers up his studio for use as a rehearsal hall. He
joins social societies and is appointed an officer on various boards of
directors for commercial and governmental institutions. The newspapers record
Henry and Josephine’s attendance at several weddings of well-known San
Bernardino families.
H. B. Wesner, Untitled [New River, Los Angeles], c. 1890
William Hammond Hall Collection, California Historical
Society
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In June of 1888 the San
Bernardino Daily Courier carried
several stories about a trip to the mission at San Juan Capistrano made by a
large group of San Bernardino tourists. This excursion was by rail, on the
newly completed California Southern Railroad. The outing was sponsored by the
Old Boys’ Club and by the San Bernardino Society of California Pioneers, who
asked Henry to accompany the group and take some photographs. Copies of these,
in large-size cabinet photo format, still exist in the archives of the Society.
H. B. Wesner, Pioneer Society and Old Boys Club at Mission San Juan Capistrano,
1888
Courtesy City of San Bernardino Historical and Pioneer
Society
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Inset, Birdseye View Map of San Bernardino, 1887
Courtesy City of San Bernardino Historical
and Pioneer Society
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The photography business was
fiercely competitive during Henry’s time, and the San Bernardino Directory for
1887 listed five photographers. The population of the entire county was only
slightly more than 7,000, so the customer was truly king. Henry tried what today
would be called a loss leader: he
offered to do a cabinet card of babies one year old or less, and do it for
free. This offer was good for one day each month and the reception for the
initial sitting was described as “tumultuous.”
The Burt block was rebuilt
and Henry moved back into a second-story rental. The April 28, 1890, issue of
the San Bernardino Daily Courier
carried an announcement that Henry’s studio was again in operation and that
there was to be a Grand Opening.
Shortly after that Henry began
advertising that he would give away a life-size “Crayon portrait” at the studio.
In October, samples of Henry’s crayon portraits were shown at the County Fair. This
was a process popular from 1860 to 1900 and began with enlarging a photograph
onto drawing paper with a weak emulsion that produced a faint image. The artist
then drew over the portrait with a pencil (not a crayon). The result could be
stunning— depending on the artist’s skill. From a distance it looked like a
photo, but up close it could be seen to be a drawing.
It was a testament to his
expertise when he was chosen by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors
to travel the county and photograph the most “interesting” views he could find.
The Pacific Coast Photographer (Volume
2, 1894, p 406) stated that “the work involved an immense amount of traveling
on the part of the artist” and that he, Henry, provided 120 photos, all sized
14 x 17 inches. Photographer F. C. Freyett of Redlands assisted Henry and
provided an additional 28 photographs. As yet, examples of this project and
format as commissioned by the Board have not been found and it is not known if
any survived.
Imperial Photographic Parlors, Portrait of Unknown Man
Courtesy City of San Bernardino Public Library
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At some point Henry decided
he did not want to be a photographer for the rest of his life and he began to
study law. He had not finished his college degree when a young man, but in
those days it was not required to have a law degree in order to the take the
state Bar exam. It was the practice to study law under the tutelage of an
experienced member of the Bar. The San Bernardino
County Sun mentioned in his obituary that
he studied under Jesse W. Curtis, who was acknowledged to be an extraordinary
talent during his time as a lawyer, and later went on to sit on the California Supreme
Court bench. Henry was admitted to the Bar in Los Angeles in 1895.
On April 23, 1896, Henry announced
in the newspaper that he had “grown weary” of the photography business and was
closing his studio. He left on that day and returned home to Illinois. He made
his home in Chicago and practiced law for about 10 years until ill health
forced him to retire to a farm in Persifer Township, Illinois, just east of
Galesburg, Henry passed away on August 1, 1932, in Galesburg.
When she was quite elderly
his only child, Georgia Wesner Ellsworth, created an endowment with Knox
College in her father’s name. She also donated some photographs and a picture
of a portrait of her father. The portrait looks as if the original might be a
colorized photograph, and as it is likely this was one of Henry’s talents, it
could have been colorized by him. Thanks to his daughter, we have pictures of
Henry Beecher Wesner himself.
Henry B. Wesner
Courtesy Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois
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Richard D.
Thompson has a Master’s degree
in History from the University of California, Riverside, and is presently the
Librarian Emeritus of the City of San Bernardino Historical and Pioneer Society.
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