In this blog series – The Archives, we are going to explore the pit bull dog debate through vintage items of yesteryear. There’s a story in these vintage artifacts that will help paint a more accurate picture of the complicated history of pit bull terriers, and how we got here.
In doing this exercise, I hope to accomplish several tasks. Specifically, to preserve history – even the uncomfortable parts society now frowns upon. Because it’s all important in the larger scope of this story.
Additionally, I also feel merely displaying them in a blog doesn’t go far enough. Each item should be researched in hopes of finding out who these dogs and people captured in them were. Because it may be the only trace left of their existence.
With that being said – this special blog series for the Once In A Lifetime documentary begins with an image of a white, male pit bull dog from the 1890s…which would have been right around the time the formal breed name – the American Pit Bull Terrier, was born.
The short answer to that question is – I don’t know. Now, I know I just got done saying one of the points of this exercise is to locate who these dogs and their owners were, but the reality is it’s not always that easy.
It’s a daunting task because most of these are original photographs…which means they haven’t been mass produced, and very likely are a sample size of one.
But, while I don’t have any evidence to uncover important details and facts about this regal white pit bull, there are still clues about this photograph that I’d like to share.
Luckily, these gorgeous photographs called Cabinet Cards often had the photographers name and/or studio printed or embossed on them. So, finding more about the photographer is usually where my research usually begins. With the thought that one clue may lead to another, until it leads you to the dog (and people) being photographed.
The photographer’s name is printed in gold ornamental text at the bottom left of the card. He was a man by the name of Edward Carey Dana. Born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 16, 1852, Mr. Dana moved to New York City in 1975 to become a photographer. And he became quite an accomplished one, at that.
His first studio was located in Brooklyn, New York at 565 Fulton Street. Eventually, he opened two more locations – another in NYC on the corner of 14th Street and 6th Avenue in Manhattan. And, finally, one in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at 101 Fifth Avenue, which is where this photograph was taken.
According to several archives online, Mr. Dana died at the young age of 45 on February 27, 1897 due to kidney problems.
As mentioned earlier in the article, the type of photograph this 1890s pit bull dog is captured on is called a Cabinet Card. It was first developed in the 1860s, and grew in popularity in the 1880s.
Essentially, it’s a photograph mounted on a stiff cardboard, and got their name because they were often displayed in sitting rooms on the shelves of cabinets.
While still used until the 1920s, the popularity of cabinet cards declined at the turn of the century once personal photography became more accessible.
A great summary of how to spot a cabinet card is found in this Science and Media Museum blog post – How to spot a Cabinet Card.
The Archives is a special blog series that looks at the complicated history of pit bull dogs through photographs, newspaper articles, and other historical items. This blog is part of the documentary film – Once In A Lifetime.
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