bookmark_borderDFW in vintage photos, take II

Here is another selection of rare and mostly one-of-a-kind photos of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, drawn from my personal collection of prints, slides, and film negatives.

C.H. Edwards' Music House, 1890s

Charles Hodge Edwards moved to Dallas in the 1870s and opened a piano store at 407 Main Street. He set up shop in at least three locations before settling by 1884 at 733-735 Main. This cabinet card photo, most likely from the 1890s, captures that final location, the address having been changed in 1891 to 265-267 Main Street as part of a citywide address renumbering initiative. C.H. Edwards' younger brother, James H. Edwards, is identified at the bottom of the photo as the third from left of the six people pictured. Today, the old site of the music house is occupied by the Westin Hotel/One Main Place.
C.H. Edwards Music House, 1890s
C.H. Edwards Music House at 265-267 Main Street, 1890s
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bookmark_borderEmma Lucore follow up: Visiting the old locations in 2025

Emma Lucore's first Fort Worth studios were at 109 E 3rd Street, next door to the original Fort Worth Opera House, and at 808 Main Street, one block north of husband Bassett's wood and coal yard. Both these original studio locations are still in use today by active businesses. I paid a few visits to the area to get a look at the sites as they stand in the 21st century. On one of my visits, I was accompanied by a friend.
1889 Sanborn insurance map detail
Detail of 1889 Sanborn insurance map, recording the Fort Worth Opera House and photo studio next door
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bookmark_borderEmma J. Lucore, early Fort Worth photographer

Lucore & Ward Opera Studio cabinet card imprint

(Update: I visit the old Fort Worth studio locations in this follow up post)

If you're a follower of this blog and website, you know that one of my interests is photography, both contemporary and historical. I've featured several collections of vintage and antique photos alongside my own, and I'm currently in the midst of a longish-term project to chronicle the histories of early local photographers. Toward this end, about five months ago, I began assembling a collection of Fort Worth-area cabinet cards. These included works by Burdge, Daniel, Mignon, Swartz, Thomason & Leffler, Works, and one of my rare acquisitions from a female photographer, Emma Lucore. I'd never heard of Emma Lucore before then, and I decided to have a look into who she was and how long her studio was in operation.

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