Albuquerque's Women Photographers

Early 20th Century Women Photographers

Photo Archives features pioneering women.

THE CURRENT PHOTO ARCHIVES SHOW, WE LEAD, OTHERS FOLLOW, features five women who owned or co-owned photography studios in Albuquerque around the turn of the 20th Century. In the last issue, we highlighted Mrs. Albright, an early photographer and mentor in Albuquerque. One of Mrs. Albright’s earliest protégés was Eddie Ross, the daughter of New Mexico Territorial Governor Edmund Ross. The Albright and Ross families were first introduced while living in Kansas. When they found themselves reunited in Albuquerque, the intrepid Mrs. Albright discovered a willing trainee.

Eddie Ross worked for Mrs. Albright’s Art Parlor in the late 1880s and Mrs. Albright’s support was invaluable to Eddie. During her time with Mrs. Albright, she not only learned the art of photography, but also advertising, networking, and general business skills. She was a quick learner and set up her own photography studio, Ross Studio, in 1890. Eddie remained friends with Mrs. Albright, and Mrs. Albright’s Art Parlor was the center of the photography world in Albuquerque. She knew everyone, it seemed. It was Mrs. Albright who introduced Eddie Ross to a newly arrived photographer from New York named William Cobb. Eddie and William married in 1891 and Eddie joined William in the running of his photography business, Cobb Studio. The studio was truly a family affair. The couple had four children,

several dogs, and even, at one time, two young wolves. The family members and pets were routine subjects at portrait sittings. In terms of advertising, Eddie Cobb took a page from Mrs. Albright and figured the more attention-grabbing the ad, the better! Eddie sewed photographs to the skirt of her dress and carried a banner that read “Cobb’s Studio” to drum up business. It worked and Cobb Studio was a success.

William Cobb suffered from tuberculosis and died in 1909. Eddie took on the sole management of Cobb Studio, plus the mentoring of her daughter, Daphne, and her son, Wilfred, who were showing talent in the art of photography. Ultimately, Wilfred joined the United States Navy and worked as a military photographer. Eddie held hopes that Daphne would take on the management of Cobb Studio. In the 1920s, Daphne was involved in the everyday business of the studio, eventually holding the title “Master Photo Finisher.” She worked alongside her mother and actively represented Cobb Studio in organizations around town, especially the Business and Professional Women’s Club, which focused on training women for professional careers in Albuquerque. It looked as though the chain of mentorship that began with Mrs. Albright was continuing through two generations of Cobb women. Tragically, in 1928, Daphne Cobb died of tuberculosis while on a trip to California. Despite Wilfred returning to help run the studio, Eddie gave up hope of passing Cobb Studio on to her children. Through grief, world war, an epidemic, a dust bowl, and the Great Depression, Eddie Cobb remained the backbone of the studio for decades. In 1942, she closed Cobb Studio, and three years later, she died. The Museum has a collection of glass plates tracing Cobb Studio’s infancy through its waning years.

ON VIEW

WE LEAD, OTHERS FOLLOW Through November 14

Opposite: Cobb Studio, William Cobb with wolf pups. 1906, digital reproduction of a glass plate negative. Museum purchase. PA1990.013.396

Above left: Cobb Studio, Daphne Cobb reading a Kodak manual. ca. 1920, digital reproduction of a glass plate negative. Museum purchase. PA1990.013.399

Above right: Cobb Studio, Interior of Cobb Studio. ca. 1900, digital reproduction of a glass plate negative. Museum purchase. PA2011.003.485

Below: Cobb Studio, Eddie Cobb. ca. 1895, digital reproduction of a glass plate negative. Museum purchase. PA2011.003.683