Printed in sepia platinum and shown in it’s original wood frame, this fine children’s genre study by Brooklyn Camera Club president William T. Knox dates to 1905 or slightly before as it was known to have been exhibited in the Second American Photographic Salon. It shows a young child attaching a leash from his faithful canine companion to his toy wooden wheelbarrow. A biography of William T. Knox along with a portrait of the photographer by Charles F. Clarke can be found here.

The Second American Photographic Salon: 1905-06

The Second American Photographic Salon was conducted by the American Federation of Photographic Societies under President Curtis Bell. At the time, William Knox was Federation Secretary. His job was to make a record from mail received of those intending to submit work from around the United States and foreign countries, with the deadline for receipt being October 31, 1905. An initial 1000 entries were accepted for this national salon before preliminary judges culled these down for a different set of final judges. The deadline for all entries was November 1, 1905 in the offices of the Metropolitan Camera Club of New York. 

Among other journals, The American Amateur Photographer for July, 1905 printed the guidelines and deadlines for the salon. (pp. 334-6) The final traveling exhibit of exemplary work selected by the judges was initially to commence beginning in late 1905 and continuing through mid 1906. The Photographic Times for August, 1905 (p. 377) listed ten city venues (hosted by their respective camera clubs): New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Pittsburg, (PA-Editor) Chicago, San Francisco, Portland, (Oregon-Editor) Minneapolis, Toronto, Boston.

By January, 1906 however, a notice in The Photo-American listed the order as seven cities:

The Route List for the Second American Photographic Salon is as follows:—

Providence Camera Club, Providence, R. I., Dec. 27, ‘05, to Jan. 6, ‘06.

Pittsburgh Academy of Science and Art (Photographic Section), Pittsburgh. Pa., Jan. 12, ‘06, to Jan. 31, ’06.

Capital Camera Club, Washington, D. C, Feb. 5, ‘06, to Feb. 20. ‘06.

Chicago Camera Club, Chicago, Ill., March 1st to March 22, ‘06.

Minneapolis, Camera Club. Minneapolis, Minn., March 29 to April 14, ‘06.

Metropolitan Camera Club, New York, N. Y., April 18 to May 2, ‘06.  

Boston Camera Club, Boston, Mass., May 7 to May 19, ‘06.    (p. 32)

However, The May, 1906 issue of The Photographic Times revised the above list for the Metropolitan Camera Club’s hosting of the salon, from May 28th to June 9. (p. 140)

Published: Full-page halftone and titled Playmates in: monthly issue of The Photographic Times: May, 1906 p. 226.

Print Notes verso: Original white and red printed paper label to original frame backing paper with black-ink attribution in the hand of William T. Knox:

Playmates

By

Wm. T. Knox

#1

Also in faint graphite on label: For Mother   from- (Wm. T. Knox)

Provenance: Acquired by PhotoSeed in August, 2019 from a dealer in Brooklyn, New York who stated it had come from the former estate of a woman who had lived on E. 12th Street in Brooklyn.