Notes
That sure is a big apple. B. Tucker Kure has noted on the reverse that she thinks this is Mr. Lawrence at the Hood River exhibit at a fruit fair. I can't quite make out the details of the labels on the honey jars. Perhaps some of our beekeepers will be interested in how they cared for hives in the early 1900's.
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Comments
I think those are actual bee hives beside him to show people how the bees work. That box of apples up there by his shoulder appears to me to be a 80 count size, a pretty good size for an apple.
In that era there was always lots of fairs and the Hood River growers did ship their fruit to other states to fairs. In fact my great-grandfather sent an exhibit of his fruit to the St. Louis Worlds Fair where he won prizes and also took the train back to attend.
Charlott on 30th May 2018 @ 7:06am
snappy dresser! one of my research projects is Oregon On Wheels...for multiple years in the late 1800s the State Board of Immigration of Oregon sent a staffed exhibit rail car east to hype immigration to Oregon. One of the painted phrases on the outside of the 1891 rail car: "the land of big red apples".
Arlen Sheldrake on 30th May 2018 @ 8:52am
From the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum:
"George Lawrence Company Exhibit
This newly-expanded exhibit features the leatherworking machinery and tools of an industry integrally tied to the history of the west. From Irish immigrant roots dating to 1857, the George Lawrence Company of Portland grew to become a famed icon in saddle making. The artistry and skill of 140 years in operation is conveyed in this unique collection, funded by The James F. & Marion L. Miller Foundation, the Oregon Cultural Trust, and the Lawrence family."
If this actually is Mr. Lawrence, you can click on the Lawrence tag, and see more photos of the Lawrence home and the leather business.
L.E. on 30th May 2018 @ 9:40pm
I don't think it's the same Mr. Lawrence. He had a summer home on Belmont Street, but I haven't seen any evidence he had an orchard or kept bees. I remember chuckling as I read his letter to the city council telling them if they paved the streets downtown they would destroy all commerce in the city.
Arthur on 30th May 2018 @ 10:04pm
Arthur, she may have been referring to Ellis Lawrence, a well known Portland architect who owned an "apple ranch" near Odell from 1907 to 1924. In a paper written on his architectural career, it said "He reported proudly that his apples had won the "Sweepstakes" at the 1910 Oregon State Horticultural Show." HOWEVER, from other photos I have seen of him, this does not look like him.
Ellen on 20th February 2019 @ 5:16pm