Mary Francis “Fanny” Tuttle McKee (1856-1934) was an early woman artisan photographer during the late 1800s and early 1900s in Connecticut. Chris and I haven’t nailed down all the details of her life yet, but the following ad for her studio in Plainville, CT in 1896 shows off ways she was noteworthy:
There are a couple of striking things to point out in that ad. First, the ad is for studio locations in two different towns, Plainville and New Hartford, even though this is an ad in the city directory for just one of the towns Plainville.
Second, and even more noteworthy, the name of the photographer, “F. Tuttle McKee,” is shown with neither a first name nor a “Miss or Mrs” in front of it – i.e. nothing in the studio brand name indicates that it’s a woman photographer. That makes F. Tuttle McKee a rarity among the women photographers profiled so far on Photographs, Pistols & Parasols – she a successful photographer using a “brand” for her business that doesn’t reveal her gender.
Fun, eh?
It’s not just in that one ad, either. Here’s another of her ads from 1896 for the studio branch in New Hartford, CT:
Granted this ad does mention that a “Mrs. McKee” will be “in attendance for ladies and children”. After reading that, unless you already knew that “F. Tuttle McKee” and “Mrs McKee” are the same person, you might be forgiven for thinking that “Mrs. McKee” is a female relative of “F. Tuttle McKee, photographer.”
Now, unfortunately we still don’t have any examples of the “first class work” that F. Tuttle McKee produced – someday we’ll find a photo to buy. Also, as I said, the full details of Ms. McKee’s life are still a bit elusive.
However, the details we do know about her give us plenty of reason today to celebrate “F. Tuttle McKee, Photographer” as an another remarkable Early PICT.
P.S. Fanny McKee was married to a painter named Robert McKeee. He eventually takes up photography … long after he’s been married for a while to the very successsful photographer F. Tuttle McKee. 😉
