Bios of Jefferson City/Cole County Photographers

B. F. Oliver

Business address: 416 Jefferson St., Jefferson City

Benjamin Franklin Oliver, the popular landscape artist and photographer of Jefferson City, was born on a farm near Barkersville in Callaway County, six miles northeast of Jefferson City, April 4, 1858. He was raised and educated in the nearby schools. In 1878 he went to St. Louis and from there to Shelbyville, Illinois where he apprenticed himself to Sitter and Lanney the noted photographer and artist to learn the art of photographing.

Soon after he came to Jefferson City, and after a few months with Mr. Suden, he traveled with a portable gallery. In 1880 he went to Sweet Springs, Missouri, a summer resort, where he bought a photograph studio and started a business. He remained there until the spring of 1881 when he moved to Butler, Bates County and continued the business about two years. He sold out and accepted a position with Latour, the famous photographer of Sedalia and remained with him for two years.

From there he removed to Kansas City and engaged in the work of enlarging portraits and selling the material incident to that business. In this work he traveled over a large portion of Kansas, Nebraska and Southwest Missouri. He was married in Kansas City, 1884, to Miss Carrie Hardin and they subsequently had six children.

In 1886 he went to Fulton, Missouri, where he remained seven years, engaging in the work of his art. While at Fulton he was appointed by the World Fair Commission of Missouri to photograph the Missouri State buildings to be exhibited at the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893.

In 1894 he removed his headquarters to Jefferson City, where he continued and made frequent extended tours through the country, taking views of landscapes, etc. In 1901 he returned the Callaway County farm to care for his widowed mother until her death in 1908. In addition to his business as a photographer, Mr. Oliver was a chicken fancier, the finest Barred Plymouth Rocks and Brown Leghorns in the state being represented in his poultry yard.

Mr. Oliver had large experiences in his work and has some very fine negatives taken from views and scenes in different parts of the country. He doubtless covered more people with his camera than any other artist in the state.

F. G. Suden

Business address: Dallmeyer Building, 208-210 E. High St., Jefferson City

Residence: 227 East Dunklin St.

Frederick Gustave Suden was born in Schulan, Holstein, Germany, April 11, 1849, where his father was an extensive dealer in coffees and spices. Frederick was educated in the schools of his birth place. At the age of 16 he shipped as steward on the Germania, a tramp steamer, engaged in the South American trade.

During his service he visited all the important seaports of South America, the West Indies, Mexico, and the seaports of Europe on the Atlantic seaboard. Among other places during his connection with this steamer, he visited the City of New York. Leaving the Germania, he spent several months in learning of the New World, after which he returned to Europe, from which place he soon sailed for New York City, where he remained until 1869, and learned the art of photography.

He came to Missouri in 1871, stopping first in St. Louis where he worked in different galleries. After procuring an outfit, he became an itinerant artist of Missouri which he continued in 1878, when he located in Jefferson City and established a gallery.

In 1880 he made a visit to Europe. In 1881 he was united in marriage to Helen, daughter of Herman and Helen Tellman. To this union were born four children: Louis A., is an efficient assistant in his father’s gallery; Helen M. is a pupil at ST. Peter’s Parochial School; Stella A. and William H. are at home.

In 1889 Mr. Suden again visited Europe, taking in the Paris Exposition and visiting his relatives in Germany.

Mr. Suden had an excellent professional reputation and made photographs of many prominent people of the State, his work almost makes a history of the commonwealth. He photographed each General Assembly for the past 15 years and in his list of negatives can be found almost every prominent individual who visited or was engaged with the State Departments during the period of his work.

Carl F. Deeg

Business address: 225 East High Street

Carl Deeg first established his photography business in Jefferson City in 1888. He first worked with F. G. Suden at 125 E. High Street and later went out on his own with a studio located at 225 East High Street where he continued in business until 1938. Mr. Deeg was widely recognized as a photographer of unusual ability. He was born in Jefferson City in 1868 and was a highly esteemed member of the Elks, Eagles, Modern Woodmen of America, the local Commercial Club and the Merchant’s League.

Ruth Rust

Business address: 210a East High Street

Ruth Rust, photographer has been proprietor of the studio at 210a East High Street since 1921. For the greater part of this time Miss Rust has been, as she is at present, official photographer for members of the legislature and state officers. She is the only woman in the United States who is official photographer for a state. Miss Rust, who is the daughter of D.W. and Alice Ellison Rust, was born in Johnson County and reared in Dallas County. Her father died in 1914. Her mother lives in Texas. A sister of Miss Rust conducts a photo studio in the town of Beeville in that state.

The studio owned by Miss Rust was formerly the Sims studio. It was owned for a number of years by Ed Ford and by T.J. Simcoe. For a majority of the last fifty years it has been recognized as the official studio of state officers and legislators.

-from Ford’s History of Jefferson City, 1921-1938

Thomas J. Simcoe

Business address: 210a East High Street

-from Fulton Telegraph, April 02,1931