August 7 1862

There is a brief introduction to the American photographer, Rudolf Eickemeyer (August 7, 1862 to April 25, 1932) at the Red List, and it includes this charming photograph titled "My Niece and her Pet." Though I have seen that title on other pictures, the fact this article includes it may confirm the attribution.



'Rudolf Eickemeyer Jr began taking photographs of the machines his father patented in his engineering firm, Osterheld & Eickemeyer, in 1884. He took up photography full-time in 1895 and, a follower of the Arts and Crafts movement, was eager to reflect how beauty could be found in everyday life. He thus depicted serene foggy landscapes as well as pictorialist portraits of high society women as well as stage actresses clad in costumes that highlighted their beauty with a strong sense of nostalgia. His most famous sitter was the starlet, Evelyn Nesbit, who would be at the center of a national scandal after her husband killed Stanford White, thus increasing the value of Rudolf Eickemeyer Jr’s photographs. The American photographer never forgot his amateur roots that nurtured his practice during the 1880s and made constant efforts to democratize photography with his Kodak instructional pamphlets for beginners and his participation as a juror to various exhibitions.'


Eickemeyer won a gold medal for photography at the 1904 Olympic games (which included the St. Louis World's Fair.)