While adding ancestor profiles to WikiTree during the recent Connect-A-Thon, I wrote a very brief, tiny bite-sized bio of Harry Caplan (1873-1936), who was the father-in-law of the brother-in-law of my great uncle Max Birk (1891-1953). Max was the younger brother of my paternal grandfather, Isaac Burk.
Still, I was intrigued by Harry's occupation as listed in the US Census: Photographer, own gallery. I decided to look for Harry in the New York Public Library's Photographers Identities Catalog (PIC for short). You can access the catalog and search for photographers here.
Given that Harry's surname is spelled with a C, not a K, I had no trouble finding him in the PIC--and the details on the page confirmed what I already knew of him, as shown above. You can see the Harry Caplan page on PIC here. The "locations" section of his page shows his correct birth date and place, and the correct death date/place info.
Brooklyn studio, then Manhattan studios
I was interested to see that Harry originally had his studio in Brooklyn, within walking distance of his apartment. Next, he operated a studio at 104th Street near Madison Avenue, which was a busy and increasingly popular residential area at that time, given the expansion of the New York City subway and elevated train system. Easy access to subway lines meant workers could move uptown and only need to hop the train to commute to a downtown job in the heart of the city.
Then he moved just a few doors away and around the corner to Madison Avenue, perhaps for more foot traffic. Sadly, Harry died of a heart attack in 1936, only 62 years old. But I'm sure many families whose ancestors lived in New York City from 1903-1925 inherited photos he took of their kin.
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