Elijah B. Core, (1853-1931) a children’s portrait specialist, was the President of the PAA in 1901 and is listed with the New York City address of  572 Fifth Ave. in this 1902 program book. Before setting up a studio in Manhattan at the turn of the century, Core had first been in business in Lincoln, IL from 1874-1884 and then moved to and established a business in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he maintained studios as E.B. Core & Co. at 56 W. Fifth, 1885-87; 58 W. Fifth, 1888-92; 206 W. Fourth, 1895-99.  (1.)

While running his Cincinnati concern, Core also shows up in the city directory of Newport, Kentucky, a short distance across the river from Cincinnati, where he also operated a studio at 111 Taylor in 1890 and identified as Core, Elijah B., photographer, 27 W 3rd in Newport in the 1892 directory. (2.)

At around 20 years of age, Core established his first studio in Lincoln, Illinois, in 1874. Two years later, in 1876, he taught his younger brother, William Florance Core, the photographic trade.  In the 1886 volume, History of Logan County, Illinois, it states:

At the age of twenty he began to learn 
photography with his brother, Elijah Core, from whom he pur- 
chased his present gallery October 18, 1884, the “gallery having 
been established at Lincoln by his brother in 1874. (3.)

Presumably, the ten names written on the chalkboard also appear in this photograph. The three girls at right side of photo pretend to read the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood.

1. Ohio Photographers: 1839-1900: by Diane VanSkiver Gagel: Carl Mautz Publishing: Nevada City, CA: 1998: p. 48
2. Langdon’s List of 19th & Early 20th Century Photographers: website accessed: March, 2012
3. City of Lincoln: in: History of Logan County, Illinois, Together with Sketches of Its Cities: Inter-State Publishing Co.: Chicago: 1886: p. 463