Marjorie Eid of the Winneconne (WI) Historical Society reports that more than 100 original photographs by Beatrice Tonnesen have recently been found. Tonnesen grew up in Winneconne. Most of the photos were found in an old, long-unopened envelope box at the Society. The donor is unknown. The collection contains a wonderful range of subjects and time periods, everything from Victorian family scenes to portraits of glamorous flappers.

Scott Cross, Archivist at Oshkosh Public Museum, itself the holder of a large Tonnesen archive, has authenticated the Winneconne photographs, terming them an “absolutely wonderful collection.” Sumner Nelson, Beatrice Tonnesen’s great-nephew, has scanned most of the photos and posted them to this blog. Those images can now be seen in Catalog Album 15.

Popular illustrator Charles Relyea (1863-1932) was especially known for his colorful calendar art featuring glamorous flappers and Indian maidens. Some of his works appear to feature real women who modeled for Beatrice Tonnesen.

In Relyea's “Two Hearts that Beat as One”, right, the beautiful brunette flapper (foreground) looks to me to be the same woman who is shown in the original painting from a photo by Tonnesen that appears in the post dated February 24, 2009 directly below this one. (Scroll down to compare.) It’s also possible that the blonder woman in both images is the same, although I’m less certain about that.

Relyea's “A Duet in the Moonlight”, below right, features two lovely flappers, one of whom appears to be Chicago-based photographic model Adelyne Slavik. I strongly suspect she was one of Tonnesen's models. (For evidence, see Catalog Album 9, images 20-24.)

Compare Relyea's woman in the yellow dress in “Moonlight” with the photo, left, of Adelyne as she appeared in the June 27, 1921 issue of The Bridgeport Telegram. (Adelyne made news in The Telegram, as well as other newspapers across the country, when she came to the defense of a former beau, millionaire J. Stanley Joyce, who was embroiled in a messy divorce trial with notorious gold-digger Peggy Hopkins Joyce. But I digress…)

I think Relyea's apparent use of these two photographic models in his works points to the conclusion that he sometimes painted from photos. And since these photographic models apparently worked for Tonnesen, the photos he used may well have been hers.

All Content Copyright 2009 Lois Emerson

This pastel and watercolor original from a photo by Beatrice Tonnesen was found in the archives of the old Thomas D. Murphy Calendar Company. Traces of the photo underlying the painting can be seen upon close examination. Although it is not known who added the pastel and watercolor elements, the photographic element clearly originated with Beatrice Tonnesen. The dress worn by the dark-haired model is one that was worn by a different model in a photo in the Tonnesen archive of the Oshkosh Public Museum. Based on the dating of other photos featuring these same models, I would place this one at around 1918. I have two other pieces of original illustration art in my collection which I believe to have originated with Tonnesen photos. However, this is the only one I've ever been able to verify.

It is known that the publishing companies purchased photos from Tonnesen and other photographers and then, sometimes, had their own staff illustrators add color, detail and/or backgrounds. It is also known that the photographic studios employed staff artists who sometimes embellished their photographs before selling them to the publishing companies. In Tonnesen's case, we know that both she and her sister Clara sometimes acted as illustrator. With no signature on the painting, however, the identity of the illustrator remains a mystery.

This painting measures approximately 19 X 25 (without mat and frame). Presumably, the Murphy Company published it as a print, although I have never come across one.

All Content Copyright 2009 Lois Emerson

The blond toddler shown in Tonnesen photos and prints circa 1917-20 has been identified as Jane Berghauer (1916-1994). She had earlier been identified by fellow models as Janie Burkhardt or Janie Berkhauer. Searching on close matches, I found that the Chicago Tribune reported on November 3, 1917 that Jane Berghauer had placed second in a “prettiest baby” contest for 1-2 year olds.

Family friends Brenda and Rudy Arreola confirmed that she had modeled as a child. They also have been kind enough to supply biographical information. Jane lived in Chicago all of her life, marrying John Sheridan and eventually becoming vice president of Cosmopolitan National Bank. She also had a younger brother, Vern, who modeled as a child. It is known that he modeled for the catalogs of large department stores such as Marshall Fields. We are currently trying to determine if he modeled for Tonnesen or other art photographers active in the 1920’s. Neither Jane nor Vern had children.

Janie is shown here on a 1923 calendar print (photo ca. 1917-18), titled “Fairyland Days” with fellow model Virginia Waller (1913-2006).

Album 14 – Photo Advertising was added to the Slideshow. This album accompanies the post Tonnesen Sisters: Pioneers in Photo Advertising.

Before the Tonnesen Sisters became known for their art prints, they were known for their pioneering work in advertising. In the 1890's, they came up with the idea of using live models in advertising photos. With Beatrice handling the creative work and Clara tending to business affairs, they marketed their historic new technique nationwide, with phenomenal success.

While a number of large national firms are known to have used Tonnesen photos in their ads, I have found it difficult to positively identify specific examples. This is because the ads tend to feature mostly the product being marketed, rather than the photographer's own sets and props. And the ads are very seldom signed by either an artist or a photographer. The models, of course, are often identifiable, but most of them also modeled for other studios. So, while I can browse an old magazine and identify a great many suspected Tonnesens, it's often difficult to make a positive identification.

Slideshow Album 14 shows six ads believed to have been produced by the Tonnesen Studio. Two of them are attributed within the ad and four of them contain images of items that strongly suggest Tonnesen's involvement. The photo shown above advertises Pickwick Rye and was provided by Laurelei Farley.

All Content Copyright 2008 Lois Emerson

Update: 1/26/2009– I found the following praise for Tonnesen’s contributions to print advertising on a website titled “Graphic Exchange”, www.gxo.com.

“But perhaps it’s fitting that the final word on design should go to the woman who first demonstrated the concept of combining type, illustration and photography in advertising. Chicago-based photographer Beatrice Tonnesen pioneered this style of promotion back in the early 1890’s with tremendous success – and over one hundred years later, print advertising hasn’t found a better way to sell a product.”

-Page 41, The Graphics Industry: Evolution and Revolution – The 100 Most Influential Graphics People of the Last Millenium by Dan Brill and Ron Giddings.