Accession Number

2008.007.001

Description

A black and white photograph of Edna Wallace Hopper dated 1923 by Apeda Photo Studio. Mrs. Hopper is in side profile and dressed in a dark coloured blouse with a long bejeweled necklace with a locket around her neck, the locket containing a photographic portrait of a middle-aged woman (her mother, Josephine Wallace, later known as Mrs. Alexander Dunsmuir).

Narrative

Ms. Hopper was the stepdaughter of Alexander Dunsmuir. Following a successful theatre career, she branched out into her own line of beauty products and eventually became a Wall Street stock trader. She effectively combined her glamour with her business acumen, and rose to the highest levels in business, a story that this photograph partially communicates. 

The portrait of the middle-aged woman contained in her locket depicts her mother, Josephine Wallace (Mrs. Alexander Dunsmuir), the only known photpgraph of her.

History of Use

This photograph was used in New York City for promotional puposes in 1923. Its history of use from 1923 to 2012 is unknown. The Castle Society acquired the print from an EBay seller in 2012. 

Date

1923

Dimensions

24.3 x 18.4 cm

Material

Paper

Photograph Type

Gelatin silver process

Subject/Image

Edna Wallace Hopper

Medium

Photographic

Support

Paper, Photographic paper

Inscription

on the front: APEDA N.Y.I.
on the verso by hand: Edna Wallace Hopper Pantages 3773; stamped: OCT 1923

Country of Origin

United States of America