Searching for J.N. Wilson’s stereoview cards

I got an email recently from a great-granddaughter of Savannah photographer J.N. (Jerome Nelson) Wilson, whose stereoview card of two black boys from the 19th century has been the subject of recent news stories.

Tina Wilson Callen had been following the developments and was intrigued about the interest in her ancestor. A photo with the boys’ images – similar to a stereoview card made by Wilson – and dubbed a “rare slave photo” was found in an attic in North Carolina recenlty, and questions have been raised about its rarity. 

I was curious about Callen’s quest to collect stereoview cards that Wilson – JN, as she calls him – made. So I decided to email her back and ask her about it. Here are her answers, with some minor editing.

Q: How long have you been collecting or searching for your great-grandfather’s works? Did something in particular spur you to start?

A: I started collecting JN’s stereoviews a few years back. One day while on eBay, I typed his name in for a search and to my surprise a handful of views were available, mostly the common Bonaventure views (Photo above is an early stereoview of a road in  Bonaventure Cemetery). Then I came across some city scenes, then every once in a while a plantation scene. I bought a few of the cheaper-priced ones at first. Once they arrived, that really sparked my interest.

I myself have always enjoyed photography. So it intrigued me to continue some research and I learned more about stereoviews and viewers. Also picked up a couple of books.

Q: What have you been able to find, where and how? How large of a collection of his works do you have?

A: I have about 50 of his views. I mostly like the Savannah city scenes, the waterfront. I do have a very interesting one of Bonaventure with a handful of monuments. You can see the river in the background. Jerry Flemming, the director of cemeteries for the city of Savannah, contacted me after I bought it on eBay. He was bidding also. He wanted to know if I could send him a copy of the view. He does research documenting the dates of the cemetery and had not seen that view before. I sent him a copy. Then a few months later while I was in Savannah I had the pleasure of meeting him, showing what I had collected and he showed me around Bonaventure and the various monuments in some of JN’s views. It was very interesting.

Q: What if any stories were handed down to you about him? Did anyone in the family inherit any of Wilson’s photographs?

A: Not many stories have been handed down. As far as I know, there was not any of JN’s work handed down through the years.

Q: I’ve seen a photo of Wilson, his wife & children. Which child did you descend from?

A: In the photo on the front of the Bonaventure article, James the third child from the left was my grandfather. He passed away before my mother and father were married. All the Wilson families were large and spread out over the years.

Q: Do you live in the South?

A: I grew up in Miami. When my family moved south in the mid-1950’s, we lost touch with most of the Wilsons. I only have contact with a few cousins.

Q: You said that you tried to get the stereoview card of the two black boys that was auctioned recently on eBay, but lost by a second. Tell me about that.

A: Last week (6/7/2010), I came across a collection of JN’s on eBay. I bid on it, mainly interested in the plantation scenes, knowing they usually sell between $50 and $75 on the internet. I have paid a little more for select views. I put my bid in and almost forgot about it ending 6/8. June 8 is my birthday and we were having dinner. When I remembered I jumped up, ran to check on it. I was still the high bidder at $124. I had my max set at $144, so I decided to up it to $162.98 just in case.

 
My son and I were watching the countdown from 10 seconds. At about 4 seconds left, a bid of $163 popped up. I tried to go higher but just did not have enough time. I was sad but figured it was one of those things. I wanted to contact the buyer to see what he was going to do with them (the card was one of 12 selling as a lot on eBay), but could not figure out how to do it. So I just forgot about it and figured I might come across them again one day. No big deal. Then that Friday (6/11), I was working outside and my husband came running out with the article about the Brady picture. I had to go back to eBay to look at the one I was bidding on, then looked in the New York Public Library Digital Gallery to see if it was the same one I had seen there.

Did not know what to think. I knew that JN and other photographers bought and sold negatives all the time back then, but it just did not make sense with the story of John and the bill of sale.

Then a few days later doing yet another search of JN came across your blog. And that really got me thinking. Not being an expert on stereoviews but knowing what I have picked up over the last couple of years and the searches I have done, it sure looks like it was JN’s. I do not know anything about (Civil War photographer Mathew) Brady. But there are still a handful of plantation scenes out there and this one sure fits the bill of all the other ones that JN did.

I come across ones that have an early marking of JN Wilson on the back and then with Havens and Wilson, and O. Pierre Havens on the id. I know JN sold his negatives.

(From Sherry: According to the Smithsonian American Art Museum website, Havens and Wilson opened a photo studio in 1872 in Savannah. In 1888, Havens moved to Jacksonville, Fla., and set up one there. On the web, I found several stereoview cards from the 1870s with blacks and Native Americans attributed to the two men, along with ones by Havens alone here and here. In my research, I found a site with stereoview cards of blacks and Native Americans from the late 19th century done by various  photographers.)