1900 Edna Coll

Thank you to one of my readers for sending this lovely picture of Edna Coll, dated ca. 1900.

According to the back of the picture, the photographer was Professor C.E. Kline, proprietor of the American Portrait Company, Fowlerville, Michigan.  His name and information was embossed on the backside, as was the custom in the early 1900s. 

Our historical collection, stored at the village office, contains quite a few photographs from that era and many of them are similar to the above picture.  But . . . none of them have Prof. Kline's name on the back, so this is a real find.  The pictures we have show Cathcart as one of the early photographers, and then Jensen was very popular.

From my reader's information, "Charles E. Kline, born about February, 1871, was living on Grand River in 1900, his occupation as photographer.  By 1910, he was living in Solon in Kent County, Michigan, and by 1930 was running his photography business in Grand Rapids."

Thank you for sending along this information.