THE HEART OF THE CITY
CHARLES SCHRIBER COCHRAN STUDIOS
79 King Street East
(pre-1890 address 68 King Street East)
Hamilton has been the home of many fine
photographers. Perhaps one of the best was Charles Schriber (C.S.) Cochran. In 1886, he
moved to Hamilton from London, Ontario, where he was born in 1854. That same year he
started a photo studio located at 124 King Street East.
When the studio first opened, Cochran could not take pictures. He hired an assistant, Alexander McKenzie Cunningham. Cochran eventually learned the business as time wore on. The Business and its reputation grew steadily and by the mid-1890s, Cochrans was the leading studio in the country. Most local dignitaries and organizations had portraits done there. Women would have their bridal portraits done and come back a year or so later to have their first child photographed. Then their second, third, and fourth child and so on. Soon it was family portraits. Visits to C.S. Cochrans studio were an important part of any Hamilton familys life. A.M. Cunningham had a skill for arranging people to achieve the most artistic results. And the prints were incredibly clear because they were made straight from the glass negatives without being enlarged at all. "Cabinet" photos were sold to wealthier people, and average folks bought "tintype" photographs.
C.S. Cochrans photographic studio won medals
of honour and diplomas at the Jamaica Convention in 1891. They also won awards at the
Worlds Colombian Exposition in 1893. Cochrans studio regularly received awards
at the conventions of the Photographic Association of Canada. Cochran was commissioned by
W.H. Carre to do studies for a book called Artwork on Hamilton published in 1899.
The photographs taken were some of the best of the City in the period.
In 1899, the business moved from King Street East to 3 James Street north. In the new location, Cochran provided the same services as before, such as artistic portraits, scenic photography, and colour or black and white enlargements. He also added new services, like selling amateur cameras and supplies, supplying the latest designs in picture frames and mouldings, and importing / dealing in works of art. The average price for a photograph was 20 cents.
The Hamilton Spectator called the new studio the
handsomest and best-appointed photo studio in Canada. On the opening day, 2,000 people
visited the new studio. On the first floor was the office. The room was quite a spectacle,
finished in quartered oak, artistic grille-work, linoleum of carpet pattern, terra-cotta
walls, gilt and cream design, and a metallic ceiling. Cochran had designed two cabinets
that displayed frames, mouldings, and supplies for amateurs. An oak staircase led from the
office, first to a resting room, and then to a reception room, which was very artistic in
appearance. Wilton carpet covered the floor and the windows were attractively draped. Fine
photographs decorated the walls and a circular cushion seat hugged the pillar in the
middle of the room. North of the reception room was a dressing room for sitters and the
operating room. This room, measuring 20 by 40 feet, was equipped with splendid light and a
variety of backgrounds. Upstairs from this floor were stock rooms and printing rooms. The
new studio was beautiful.
Cochrans Studio was once commissioned by the Board of Education of the City of Hamilton. The Board decided that they wanted to decorate the walls of their room in City Hall by hanging a portrait of each man elected Chairman of the Board in the last 25 years. They hired Cochran and were very pleased with the photographs. Cochran exhibited the photos at his studio for a week before handing them over the Board of Education. The Hamilton Times for March 5, 1892, stated that the quality was superior to anything before seen in Hamilton. The paper reported that "Hamilton has just reason to feel proud of possessing such a photographer as Mr. Cochran ".
In late 1902, Cochran sold his interests in the
company to Cunningham. He stayed in Hamilton for another year, then left for the United
States in 1904. From 1907 to 1912, Cochran had a studio in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Later,
he moved to California where he lived until his death in 1933. Cunningham continued the
business in Hamilton. In 1915 his son entered the business, and in 1923 the name changed
to A.M. Cunningham & Son when the business became a partnership. In February 1926,
Cunningham died suddenly and the studios name changed to Cunningham & Son.
On January 30, 1934 a fire downtown caused $100,000 in damages to downtown offices. Cunninghams studio faced the greatest stock loss of all the buildings. The threat of highly combustible photographic films and chemicals made the job very dangerous for firefighters. In the end, the damages amounted to about $35,000. Tragically, the fire destroyed or damaged 160,000 negatives, some dating back to the studios opening. The negatives had been carefully preserved and numbered and comprised the most complete photographic record in Hamilton. The negatives and glass plates would have provided an outstanding history of Hamilton had they not been destroyed.
Charles Schriber Cochran had been an important figure in Hamiltons history. He was an active member of the Photographic Association of Canada having served as the groups President from 1891 to 1892. He had been a Freemason and was a member of Temple Lodge. Cochran also attended meetings for the Hamilton Association for the Advancement of Literature, Science, and Art. His studio even provided technical assistance and prizes for this groups amateur camera club. Cochrans studio was important because it gave a sense of recognition to Hamilton. Many people were proud that such a skilled photographer resided in their hometown.
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