Recently, Martin Schweig asked if I wanted to sift though boxes of old photographs from the archives of his father, Martin, Sr., and grandfather, Morris Schweig. Martin is the third generation of Schweig photographers to work in St. Louis. He suggested that, on days when I was looking for "filler" to post on the blog, I could borrow from his treasure trove of photographs. I jumped at the chance, though I would hardly label these fascinating photographs--and ones that I'll post later on fashion, wedding dresses, and old Muny Opera costumes---"filler."
Morris Schweig, Martin's grandfather, opened his first photography studio in 1890 at 1717 Franklin. In 1914 he moved "Schweig Art Nouveau Photography" to 4727-4729 Delmar, shown in the photo above. The studio, which was torn down decades ago, was located just east of the vacant grocery store property at the northwest corner of Kingshighway and Delmar.Martin Schweig, Jr., moved the studio to 4657 Maryland (the site of the St. Louis Chess Club) in 1952. In the mid-seventies he moved across the street to 4658 Maryland, where Boutique/83 is now located.The photograph above shows a Post-Dispatch delivery truck, with a driver straight out of Central Casting.
From left, Lemoine Skinner, Alicia Polk Withers, unidentified woman (does anyone recognize the pretty lady?), William Julius Polk, and Wickham Moore at a reception following a music concert. When I asked Sarah Dunn, Lemoine Skinner's daughter, to help identify the people in the photo, she wrote back saying: "Aren't they elegant?" Alicia Polk Withers is Sarah's aunt, and "Polky" was uncle to Sarah and eleven other cousins, who all spent their childhood growing up in the CWE.
Hope you enjoyed these, there are many more to come. Thanks Martin.
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