The Watsonville Ladies' Band

 

A camera sees only the light.
But a photographer sees the faces. 

With so much white fabric and shiny brass
getting the contrast right is a challenge.

The lens focuses on highlights and radiance.
But a photographer's attention is drawn to a single moment

From just a small smile or a little head tilt
they instantly recognize it and click the shutter.

A moment of time is preserved on film.

The little girls, surely twins. sit attentively in front of a band of twenty women and one man. The women, all in white dresses, hold mostly brass instruments with a few drums and four clarinets. Though there are a few teenage faces, most of the women look older in their 20s and 30s. It's an engaging group photo only marred by a slightly fuzzy print which I have sharpened and corrected for fading. 

The man has no instrument but is positioned in the back row center, the usual place for a band's director. A woman standing next to him holds a long staff with a bow tied to the end, a common parade mace seen in other women's bands of this era. There is no caption to identify the ensemble but an unexpected bonus is having three names written on the postcard photo—Pearl, Lena, Mama.

The postcard was sent from Watsonville, California on December 22, 1910. It was addressed to Mrs. Birdie Stuart of Nampa, Idaho, just 20 miles west of Boise.

Merry Christmas
from Hattie
117 First St.
Watsonville Calif.

Watsonville is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, on the coast of Monterey Bay. In 1910 it had a population of 4,446 and a well-established newspaper which provided answers about this group. The ladies of Watsonville first organized a brass band in the summer of 1910. By June they had 18 members, both single and married women, and had engaged Mr. Edgar A. Ball, a talented cornetist and employee of the "Ford Company", a local business, to be their leader. A report in the Watsonville newspaper listed the officers of the new band and the secretary was Miss Pearl Mather. Surely this might be the young woman with the euphonium that is identified on the photo. This clue inspired me to do some detective work to solve the other names on the post card. 

In August 1910 the ladies held a supper party following one of their band's practice sessions. It was just the type of local social event to get noticed by Watsonville's newspaper, The Pajaronian, (named after Watsonville's location in the Pajaro Valley south of Santa Cruz.)  Reports like this always contain long lists of guests, which is always a useful resource for photo detectives like myself.

Watsonville CA Pajaronian
18 August 1910

      BAND BANQUETTE.

Bright Bazooists Behave Beautifully

      Besides Blowing Bravely.        

                                      

      (From Thursday's daily.)      

  The Ladies' Band held practice at their last meeting at the home of Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Peckham, and when business was concluded Mrs. Peckham opened the dining room and there was discovered a feast of a la Fairmount ready to be consumed, and the way those band ladies consumed it indicated that the business of blowing bugles is not such a soft snap as some suppose and that there is more or less appetite producing exercise in the practice.

  Miss Pearl Mather was toastmistress, and all of the young ladies contributed to the fun of the event with a short story or a joke.

  The participating members, host and guests were: 

  Pearl Mather, Edna Jefsen, Myrtle Byer, Lena Mather, Alice Byer, Mildred Sandberg, Lois Jefsen, Dorothy Butterfield, Carmen Mortizia, Frances Fowler, Ray Fowler, Irma Kapherner,Marie Rudebeck, Agnes Case, Irene Hopkins, Hattie George, Mrs. Byer, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Peckham, Mr. and Mrs. Ball, Elwood G. Lammiman and Mrs. George.

Pearl Mather was 21 and worked as a bookkeeper for the telephone company. Lena, the clarinetist back row center, was her sister Magdalene Mather, three years younger. In the 1910 census Pearl and Lena were listed as living in Alameda, California with their parents, about 90 miles north of Watsonville next to Oakland. But Pearl also appeared in the Watsonville census as a boarder so perhaps the sisters lived together that summer.

The writer who wished Mrs. Stuart a Merry Christmas was named Hattie, and I think it is Hattie George, another member of this band at the party. In the 1910 census for Watsonville, Hattie was age 26 and employed as a "stenographer" for a "packing company". She lived in Watsonville with just her mother Sadie George, age 51. In other reports of the band Hattie is listed as a trombonist, so she might be the young woman standing behind Pearl or the other trombonist standing on the right. It seems likely that Hattie would assume that Mrs. Stuart would recognize her in the photo but not her two friends, Pearl and Lena, and possibly not her mother—"Mama"—Sadie George. 

I think this  makes a promising hypothesis, but I may have it wrong. In 1910 Mrs. George and Hattie lived at 36 Jefferson St. not on First Street. Today First Street is more of a trade and industry area, so Hattie may have used a business address where she worked. Then again, Pearl and Lena's mother was also named Hattie, so perhaps she was staying in Watsonville that winter and sent the postcard of her daughter's new band to her friend in Idaho. Maybe it's another Hattie altogether. In which case, who is "Mama" behind the bass drum? Is she the mother of the twins? That woman's serious gaze does appear to be directed towards them. And what are their names? Oh, well. Not every mystery can be solved. 

Watsonville CA Pajaronian
18 August 1910

In the same edition as the newspaper's report on their party, the Watsonville Ladies Concert Band also announced their first concert would be on October 3rd at the Watsonville Opera House. 

On that day the theater was packed with friends and families. The Opera House was also equipped with a projector and screen, a relatively new entertainment medium, so short films were shown too. The musical program began with a national air, "America"; followed by a march, "Plantation'; an overture "The Valley of Apples"; a song and dance schottische, "Watermelon Vine"; a cornet solo played by their bandleader E. A. Ball; an "illustrated song" accompanied by a silent film; a waltz, "Moonlight on the Pajaro"; and the finale, "Victory'; ending with the "Star Spangled Banner". 

The newspaper's review gave fulsome praise to the soloists and especially to the band's musicians. "Their training and practice has been thorough and exacting yet of short duration and their work last evening was more than creditable.  It was almost perfect.  Each and every member of the band handled the various musical instruments as do artists and not once did the band falter or lag in the rendition of a selection." 

From this success a second concert of the Watsonville Ladies Concert Band was scheduled for February 1911. That performance was equally well received, despite a few blemishes, but it encouraged the women to strive for even more. The band took on some new members and ordered "natty uniforms". In June they announced that henceforth they would be called the Lady Hussars Concert Band. 

For that summer of 1911 the band's business manager secured dates at theaters and parks outside of Watsonville in towns around the area. They played for a beach park in Capitola; accompanied a road trip of Watsonville town boosters; and were featured at a county apple festival. The band's roster was often listed and Hattie George, trombonist, was with the band, but Pearl and Lena Mather seem to have dropped from the group.

Hollister CA Free Lance
6 September 1911

In September they were booked at the Opal Theatre in Hollister. A new photo of the band was printed in the theater notice, with the women all dressed in wonderful "hussar" uniforms (though Hussars, originally a Hungarian light cavalry unit, seldom wore skirts). The program was 2 hours long with vocal and instrumental solos, dances, and marches played around a feature picture show: "Capt. Kate, the Animal Trainer's Daughter", one of Tom Mix's first films. Ticket prices were 25, 35, and 50 cents.

Lady Hussars Concert Band
of Watsonville, California
Source: Pajarovalleyhistory.org  

Here is another photo of the Lady Hussars Concert Band, a variation of the one printed for the theater notice, from the archives of the Pajaro Valley historical society. Arranged around a plaza are 24 women wearing dark uniforms with hussar style capes, tunics with military braid, and white fur busbies with tall plumes. Mr. Ball is similarly dressed but with a taller white busby. At first I missed him in this photo as he's a bit camouflaged in a black and white print. See if you can spot him. He is better positioned on the left in the newspaper photo. This quasi Central European military fashion was imitated in this era by numerous women's bands. But in August 1914 they quickly disappeared as the Great War in Europe made such imperial Germanic traditions very politically incorrect. 

Despite several rave reports of the band's concerts that summer, there must have been a hidden tension between the band's director, Mr. Edgar Atholburt Ball, and the business manager, Mr. J. D. Madaugh. By November 1911 their disagreements reached a flash point and both Madaugh and Ball abruptly resigned. Ball had also been engaged by a boys band in Watsonville which he  dropped at the same time. By December he was hired to form a traditional men's band in Santa Barbara.  

The Watsonville Lady Hussars Concert Band engaged another man, Elmer J. Whipple, as a replacement. Elmer was a pianist at the Watsonville opera house and his wife played in the band, too. But the band was now reduced to only 15 members and Mr. Whipple failed to inspire new members. By the end of the year the Lady Hussars Band had folded. 

  = * = * =

A story like this happens all the time with musical groups. A daydream is shared with friends and coalesces into a idea. Enthusiasm drives a plan forward, perhaps helped by a trained guide. Practice builds teamwork which is often its own reward. And accomplishments bring praise and recognition. But acclaim sparks ambitions and fuels egos. Conflict incites division and without a resolution that first dream disintegrates. 

Women in the olden times endured many severe strictures in society, many that limited their personal freedom, dignity, and potential. Music became one of their few outlets for individual expression and creativity. On my blog I've featured several stories on photos of women's bands and orchestras like the Watsonville Ladies Concert Band. They all share similar bright faces with often happy smiles. In this era starting a band for young women or girls was more than just an outlet for recreation. It offered an opportunity for young ladies to share a love of music with other women. It was surely fun while it lasted.

I like to believe that somewhere in California, stored away in a forgotten trunk in a dusty old attic, is a fancy embroidered cape and a fuzzy white fur hat. A memento of a long ago summer of making music with friends. 

 

This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday

where every Saturday is Mother's Day.

The Big Brass Return

Back in the olden days,
let's call that anytime prior to our own memory,
folks had decidedly fewer things to brag about
than they do in our 21st century.

 

A man might strut about in a new hat or coat;
show off a new pocket watch or custom carriage;
or brag about a fancy necklace he bought for his wife.
But in those olden times men just didn't have  

very many luxury items to choose from. 

Yet in the mid-19th century some fellows
chose to pose for their portrait leaning on
a very large, shiny brass contraption

twisted into a complicated form
with valves and slides.

These were not ordinary pictures
for friends and family.
They wanted us to pay attention.
This was a musician in charge
of the foundational notes in music.
The Big Brass. 

Today I present four portraits 
of gentlemen who posed with their pride and joy,

a Bass Saxhorn.

My first musician is a young man who proudly posed with his over-the-shoulder E-flat bass saxhorn. The image was developed on a dark metal tintype or ferrotype photograph, roughly 2¼ by 3¾ inches. The little tintype plate is inserted into the camera and captures the light onto a special emulsion that the photographer has painted on the thin sheet metal. It records a positive mirror image instead of a negative image like on film. Consequently his face and saxhorn are reversed from a true likeness. 

This is clear when you look at his cap which has reversed letters. When I "flip" the image using digital software we can see how the instrument, now properly oriented, was played balanced on the left shoulder with the right hand on the valve keys. The letters on his cap now read C. C. BAND. The tintype process produces a unique single photo that was not reproducible at the time. It was popular in America from from around 1859 to 1880. The simplicity of the background on this young man's photo suggests it was a quick novelty photo, maybe taken outdoors or in a tent by a photographer working a fair or amusement park where this man's band was performing. 

1868 catalog of the Isaac Fiske Brass Instrument Company
of Worchester, Massachusetts  

Over-the-shoulder saxhorns were a brass instrument family that became popular in America bands  in the years before the Civil War of 1861-1865. The design originated in Paris in 1845 with a patent by Adolphe Sax who wanted to create a set of conical brass instruments which would cover a full range of sound from sopranino to contrabass. His original patent was for saxhorns with upright bells but the plumbing design cleverly allowed for different configurations. In America the saxhorn bell was arranged to rest on the player's left shoulder with the bell pointing backwards. Since a band usually marched at the head of a parade, this rear-facing bell aimed the music back toward the marching soldiers, thereby keeping everyone in military step. 

The bass saxhorns were especially popular because previously there had been no brass instruments capable of producing low bass tones LOUDLY. The slide trombone in this era had a narrow cylindrical bore and did not have as dominant a voice as it would later have in modern times. It was also difficult to play in tune, given the infinite positions of the slide. But saxhorn's conical bore gave it a greater dynamic range and its valve action let it play in tune over a full chromatic scale. Adolphe Sax's best known invention, of course, was the saxophone which is also made of brass and comes in a variety of sizes. 

1869 catalog of the Boston Musical Instrument Manufactory 

In the 1860s saxhorns were produced by a number of American band instrument companies who marketed them as a ready-made set in seven sizes beginning with the smaller soprano voiced E-flat and B-flat cornets and then expanding to alto, tenor, baritone, bass, and contrabass saxhorns. Manufacturers also offered the same set in an optional design with the bell pointing upwards. In 1868 an Isaac Fiske E-flat bass in brass would cost $130. Made with German Silver, a shiny nickel plate finish, added $20 to the price.  According to the website calculator at www.in2013dollars.com that $130 bass saxhorn in 1867 would now cost around $2,846 in 2025.    

 

My second bass saxhorn player is pictured with his instrument on a carte de visite, a photo made by an albumen print from a collodion negative. Mounted on cardstock it is about 4½ x 2½ inches, roughly the same size as the tintype but lacking some of its clarity. First introduced in the late 1850s, the carte de visite, or cdv, was contemporary with the tintype but it overtook the tintype in popularity because its process allowed for multiple copies from an original negative. Most photographers offered a dozen prints for $1.00.   

Dressed in a bandsman's uniform this man rests his elbow on top his saxhorn's bell. His long uniform coat, epaulet bars, and kepi hat are similar to the uniform of a Union army regimental band. Unfortunately the cdv has no imprint on the back for the photographer, so the bandsman's location could be anywhere. But his cap does have letters above the brim. The focus is not very clear but I think it reads: WA & ** 58 I.  The WA would stand for Washington D.C. but it might be MA for Massachusetts instead. I think this photo dates from the Civil War years mainly because his uniform is very simple. After the war ended uniforms became very elaborate with lots of ornamental braid and fancy shako hats with feather plumes. 

 

Band of 107th U.S. Colored Infantry
Source: Library of Congress

A military band in the 1860s was largely just a brass band with drums. Generally woodwind instruments were not used though a few bands included a single E-flat clarinet or piccolo to play high treble melodies. In this photo from the Library of Congress archives, the Band of 107th U.S. Colored Infantry stands at attention outside the band's barracks. It was taken during the Civil War. The band of 18 musicians has a full set of over-the-shoulder brass instruments from cornets on the left to basses on the right. The bandleader stands on the left with a front-facing cornet. A band like this would typically perform concerts standing in a circle around their leader with all their instrument bells facing outward like the spokes of a wagon wheel. This amplified the band's sound and allowed their music to be heard all over an army's encampment.

My next bass saxhorn player is not dressed as a military bandsman but is clearly a dapper young civilian with his feet casually crossed and with, again, an elbow resting on his saxhorn's bell. This is another unmarked cdv so it is impossible to identify his location. But I think the round corners of the cardstock dates it to after the war, maybe 1870s. Notice the ribbon on his lapel. A prize for a band competition? Maybe a souvenir of a fraternal convention? 

Unknown Union regimental band
from Dowagiac, Michigan
Source: Library of Congress

In this albumen photo from the Library of Congress archives we see a Union regimental brass band from Dowagiac, Michigan. There are twelve men posed with a set of ten over-the-shoulder saxhorns and a pair of drums. They appear to be in a photographer's studio, but I suspect this was taken outdoors. Most of the brass instruments of this era used rotary valves, a German invention, rather than French piston valves. Like any technology in the early industrial age, musical instrument companies were constantly seeking to improve designs and boost sales of their instruments. The rotary valves in the 1860s were not as reliable and had a slower action than piston valves, so by the 1880s American musicians no longer favored over-the-shoulder saxhorns and instead switched to piston valve cornets, euphoniums, helicons, and tubas. 

My last saxhorn player is also in civilian dress with a velvet collar suit coat and satin vest. He upends the standard saxhorn pose to have his instrument resting on its bell. I believe it is the smaller B-flat bass. His chinstrap beard gives him a very patrician air, not a farmer but a businessman, I think. He is also posed in a kind of improvised studio with a linoleum floor and a simple fabric backdrop. 

Surprisingly, he is one of the few musicians in my collection of saxhorn players that has a name. On the back of this cdv is written Samuel Miller and there is an imprint for the photographer, too. "Photographed by Geo. W. Wilcox, Travelling Photographer". Unfortunately both names are too common and not enough to identify where or when this photo was taken. My best guess is sometime in the 1870s and somewhere in Pennsylvania, which was known to have a lot of itinerant photographers and Quaker chin beards.

These men chose to include their saxhorn in their portrait for a reason. It was not a photographer's prop. They wanted to project an image of personal pride and of musical accomplishment. In a way the saxhorn could be a tool signifying their occupation as a musician or a symbol of their musical avocation. But in the mid-19th century a big shiny saxhorn was also something to show off and brag about. Look at me. Listen to my voice. I play the BIG BRASS.  

Here is great video of Tanner Morgan,
band director of Edmond Memorial High School, in Edmond, Oklahoma, 

demonstrating his E-flat Over-the-Shoulder Bass Saxhorn.
His instrument has piston valves instead of the rotary valves seen in my photos.

His YouTube channel Musical Maintenance has more terrific videos 
of his school's Historical Brass Band. 

And here is a short 1955 film of

"Rally Round the Flag" by G.F. Root
played by "The Presidents Own" United States Marine Band
on authentic early instruments including a rank
of over-the-shoulder saxhorns.
Where they found these antique instruments is as big a puzzle
as some of the mysteries in my vintage photographs.
Maybe they borrowed them from the Smithsonian Museum?

For more photos and history 
of over-the-shoulder brass instruments
click these links to my other stories: 
The Big Brass

Mr. Lincoln's Bandsmen
Music for Lawn Tennis

This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday

where bloggers around the globe
celebrate 800 weeks of inspiration!

Hats and Clarinets

 

What makes me choose a photograph for my collection?

Usually it's due to the musical instruments.
Often it's on account of the era or decade.
Occasionally it's because I know who they are.

But sometimes it just comes down
to smiles and hats.

And every now and then I get lucky 
and find a beautiful photo,
a perfect portrait.

This is one of them. 

These two fellows, maybe father and son, were artfully arranged by a skilled photographer who understood side lighting. In this neatly crafted pose the younger man sits on a low rattan chair as his older partner leans over a bass drum. Their clarinets, bowler hats, and affable smiles attract immediate interest. The mustache and bouquet of roses are a bonus. It's a postcard print on AZO brand paper but the divided back is blank. The drum head has a wonderful musical lyre design with the name "Hartford City Band."   

Most of the musician portraits in my collection are images of people like this, whose names are unknown to me. Their photographs were taken long ago and the details of who, when, and where were not recorded on the print. Though sometimes there are clues that let me deduce a rough idea of time or place, more often than not the faces remain anonymous. According to Wikipedia there are 22 towns and cities in the United States named Hartford. And bowler hats were pretty popular for several decades. The best I can do is guess: two bandsmen in nice suits somewhere in America around 1906-1928.

Of course the two men in the photo knew who they were and why they posed for a camera. Investing time and money for a proper professional portrait was once, and still is, an occasion to look your best since the main purpose of a photo is to share it with friends and family. And for musicians it's an opportunity to show off their instrument and get a memento of a special concert.  

The reason I collect these photos is naturally because of their musical theme. But not every musician's portrait makes the cut. Antique photos of clarinet players are as common as pigeons in the park. So for me to add a picture of two clarinetists to my archive it has to be special. This photo hit all the marks. We don't need to know their names to see two good friends proud of their music. Their expressions make us genuinely happy to make their acquaintance. If they were selling tickets to a concert of the Hartford City Band we'd buy six, please.

Though these two clarinetists must remain forever silent
 we can still imagine what music they might have played.

Here is an arrangement for two clarinets
of the famous Flower Duet 
from Léo Delibes' tragic opera Lakmé.

It is beautifully played by
Jose Franch-Ballester and Bernardino Assunçao, clarinets.

They produced this in 2020 as part
of a series of videos made during covid isolation.

This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday

where every photo has a story.