100 years ago today, photographer Bessie R. Edgecombe had the following ad in The Times newspaper in Hammond, Indiana:
I have my doubts about whether or not she was truly the “only lady photographer in Northern Indiana”, but let’s give her the benefit of the doubt as we learn more about her…
Elizabeth “Bessie” Ripley married Arthur E. “Harry” Edgecombe in 1908. Afterwards they ran a photograph studio together in Somerville, Massachusetts. There’s a notice in the newspaper in 1908 that mentions that Bessie’s mother bought a photo studio in Sommerville for Harry to run after the wedding. Which is interesting – even before their wedding, Bessie had been a photographer who had been already running her own studio for several years.
But her mother buys Bessie’s husband-to-be the studio. Hmm. Maybe Bessie’s mother didn’t approve of Bessie working? Or, maybe Bessie herself had hoped to be able to stay at home after she got married? No way to know what the true story was from any of the available evidence, unfortunately.
Whatever Mrs. Ripley’s intent, in the end Bessie and Harry successfully ran that studio in Sommerville together.
Their marriage, though, wasn’t as successful.
In fact, Harry’s history when it came to marriage was a bit — well, let’s just call it complicated. He got married to and divorced from quite a number of women over the years, including marrying Bessie twice. (It’s possible that their original August 1908 wedding took place before Harry’s divorce from a previous wife was final, hence the need for another ceremony. But even that’s not entirely clear.)
As I said, it’s complicated.
In any case, Bessie Edgecombe divorced Harry Edgecombe definitively in 1920. Shortly thereafter, she moved to Hammond, Indiana, where she opened a photography studio on her own. Interestingly, the studio name she used for her new studio’s name wasn’t her last name, but just her initials, “B. R. E.” (for Bessie Ripley Edgecombe.)
Bessie ran her studio in Hammond until 1927, when she got re-married and subsequently retired from the photography business. Ultimately she moved to Gary, Indiana with her second husband (who is an accountant, not a photographer).
Now, Bessie Ripley Edgecombe was not the only early woman photographer to use just her initials for her studio name, but it was a somewhat unique choice, since few photographers — men or women — chose to do that.
As I already mentioned, I also am not convinced that Bessie Ripley Edgecombe was really “the only lady photographer in Northern Indiana”, although she may have been one of few in 1924.
But I’m convinced that her ad campaign for “friendship photographs for your vest pocket” is somewhat unique – it’s definitely a different spin on the reason to get your photo taken. So that, at least, is something unique I associate with the photographer Bessie Ripley Edgecome – and that’s worthy of celebrating when seeing her ad from 100 years ago today!
