Cicero C. Simmons (United States, 1857-1939)


Figure 1.--Here we see a photograph of a Georgia boy riding a tricycle. It was taken by Cicero C. Simmons, an important Georgia photographer. We are not sure when it was taken, probably about 1900. Note the peaked cap. We have not noted very many images of German boys wearing these caps and note that it seems to have a leather rather than a cloth peak (bill).  

An important Georgia photographer was Cicero C. Simmons (1857-1939). A descendent, Richard N. Stone, tells us, "Simmons was a very talented Georgia photographer. He specialized In portraits, documenting special events and portraying everyday rural life. He was a talented artist and photojournalist of his day. Simmons created many wonderful images in his 45 year career that spanned from 1880-1925. His special gift for composition, use of lighting and capturing the moment make his images something to treasure."

Cicero C. Simmons (1857-1939)

An important Georgia photographer was Cicero C. Simmons (1857-1939). A descendent, Richard N. Stone, tells us, "Simmons was a very talented Georgia photographer. He specialized In portraits, documenting special events and portraying everyday rural life. He was a talented artist and photojournalist of his day. Simmons created many wonderful images in his 45 year career that spanned from 1880-1925. His special gift for composition, use of lighting and capturing the moment make his images something to treasure." Simmons left a collection of over 1,000 glass-plate negatives. The collection provides a wonderful pictoral history of the small Georgia town of Talmo during the late-19th and early 20th century (1880-1925). The process of produsing these glass-plate negatives was very complicated, but created beautiful high-resolution images.

Hoyt Murphy

The boy on the tricycle is Hoyt Murphy and his decent is Irish and Native American (figure 1). We are not sure when it was taken, probably about 1900. Note the peaked cap. We have not noted very many images of German boys wearing these caps and note that it seems to have a leather rather than a cloth peak (bill).

Another Boy

We note another trike picture by Simmons. This boy wears an Oliver Twist cap.

Richard N. Stone

Richard N. Stone, a descendent of Simmons, has spent many hours restoring the image taken by Simmons from a scan of the original glass negative. These images are available to the public at modest cost. The Braselton Antique Mall is now offering images originally made by Cicero C. Simmons and reproduced 70 years later by Richard Stone. For information regarding dimensions and shipping, please contact The Braselton Antique Mall at 706.654.3693 or through eMail.

Sources

Jordan, Julie Phillips. "Life and legacy: Pphotographs by the late Cicero Simmons tell of another era," Discover Athens Magazine July 15, 1999.

Stone, Richard, E-mail message, August 3, 2008.






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Created: 1:16 AM 2/15/2006
Last updated: 4:41 PM 8/11/2008