Troutman Studio

     Troutman Studio was a photography studio and postcard manufacturer located in Cimarron, New Mexico from approximately 1909-1914. I have identified fourteen postcards published on Troutman Studio postcard stock, but there may be many others.

     I collect postcards from Cimarron, and am especially interested in cards and photos produced by Troutman Studio and other real photo postcards. I appreciate any leads.


R. M. MacDonald

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     Who operated Troutman Studio? Edward A. Troutman is identified as the photographer of a c1909-1913 bird's eye photograph of Cimarron reproduced in Arnold Vigil's Backtracks: Time Travels Through New Mexico, published in 1994 by New Mexico Magazine (p. 70; Museum of New Mexico Neg. No. 147384). The caption style on the front of that image matches elements of the lettering style found on identified Troutman Studio postcards, suggesting a direct connection between Edward A. Troutman and Troutman Studio.

     The 1900 US Census [Colfax County, New Mexico; 18 Precinct Maxwell City; roll 1000; Page 143B (Enumeration District 38, Sheet 8B)] shows:
80 Troutman E A Head W M Feb 1859 IN
81 Troutman Mary Wife W F Jun 1864 IL
82 Troutman Waldo Son W M Apr 1890 KS
83 Troutman Alma Dau W F Dec 1891 KS
84 Troutman Martha Dau W F Dec 1893 KS

     Located in the Cimarron Cemetery are Edward Alvin Troutman (1859-1933), Mary Margaret (Hoy) Troutman (1865-1939), and Alma Troutman (1891-1956), the only Troutmans in the cemetery in mid-2001.

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     Identified Troutman Studio postcards have one of four known backs, as shown below. The backs all read "Troutman Studio, Cimarron, N. M." in similiar but different fonts; three imprints are a mix of lower and upper case lettering, while one is all upper case. It is not known which was used first, but they may have been used at close to the same time, based on postmark dates. I arbitrarily identified them below as Type 1, Type 2, Type 3, and Type 4; the numerical order corresponds to known postmark dates. It may be that the backs were printed in very small batches, so not too much should be inferred from the differences in font style.


     Troutman Studio postcard back, Type 1


     Troutman Studio postcard back, Type 2


     Troutman Studio postcard back, Type 3


     Troutman Studio postcard back, Type 4

     Was there a relationship between Troutman Studio and the Cimarron Drug & Stationery Co.? A number of existing postcards postmarked in 1911 have characteristics of known Troutman Studio cards. For example, a postcard identical to the high school card shown below was published on Cimarron Drug & Stationery Co. postcard stock. Other cards published with this back include an original Maxwell House card similar to the reprint on this page, and a St. James Hotel card taken at a different time from the one on this page. The latter two cards bear the same caption style as the Maxwell House card shown below. It seems evident that Troutman Studio supplied postcards to Cimarron Drug & Stationery Co.


     Cimarron Drug & Stationery Co. postcard back

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[School, Cimarron, N. M.]
Postmarked Mar 14, 1909, Cimarron, New Mexico
Type 1

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School House. / Cimarron N. M.
Unused / Undated
Type 2 / Cimarron Drug & Stationery Co.

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Cimerron (sic) Canyon / Cimerron (sic) New Mex
Postmarked Sep 9, 1913, Cimarron, New Mexico
Type 2

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Cimarron River / Cimarron.N.M
Postmarked Sep 29, 1913, Rutland, Illinois
Type 2

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[Drug Store and Post Office, Cimarron, N. M.]
Unused / Undated
Type 2

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Old Baldy in the Distance / Cimerron (sic) New Mex
Unused / Undated
Type 2

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[Railroad Yard Near Ute Park, N. M.]
Postmarked Jul 4, 1914, Cimarron, New Mexico
Type 2

- click here for a comparison between this card and a similar halftone printed card -

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Wasgington Ave. From Maxwell / Boulevad (sic)
Unused / Undated
Type 3

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Looking .S. W. From / Maxwell Boulevad (sic)
Unused / Undated
Type 3

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Old. Man. / of. the. Woods /Cimerron. (sic) / N. Mex.
Unused / Undated
Type 3

     The rock formation known variously as "Old Man of the Woods" or "Old Man of the Canyon" is located west of Cimarron in Cimarron Canyon State Park, about 3/10ths of a mile west of mile marker 295 or 7/10ths of a mile east of mile marker 294 on the north side of US Highway 64 (location confirmed April 2004). Several 1920s era Albertype postcards show the same formation. Here is a link to another Troutman Studio version of this postcard.

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Cimarron Canyon, Cimarron, N. Mex.
Unused / Undated
Type 4

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Cimarron River / Up Cimarron Canyon
Unused / Undated
Type 4

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[St. James Hotel, Cimarron, N. M.]
Unused / Undated
Type 4

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The Old Maxwell House 1864 / Cimerron (sic) N. Mex.
Unused / Undated

Color-adjusted title

     Lucien B. Maxwell House postcard reprint. The faint front caption reads "The Old Maxwell House 1864 / Cimerron (sic) N Mex", in the style of known Troutman Studio postcards, and the color-adjusted image reveals the characteristic letter shapes, pattern, and spelling of these cards. This postcard is very light in color, and printed on a postcard paper with an AZO stamp box narrowing the likely publication date to 1924-1949. An original of this postcard on Cimarron Drug & Stationery Co. postcard stock has been identified, and an image identical to the original postcard is reproduced in The Chases of Cimarron by Ruth W. Armstrong (Albuquerque: New Mexico Stockman, 1981. p. 7), and identified as c1920. This book also includes other images captioned in the same handwriting as Troutman Studio postcards, including "Old Town Cimarron N Mex" (p. 6, early 1900s, postcard shape), "St James Hotel Old Town Cimarron N Mex" (p. 31, c1910, postcard shape), "The Last Chapter of Ben Hurr (sic) Started by Lew Wallace under this Apple Tree Chase's Ranch. Cimerron (sic) N. Mex." (p. 67, undated, vertical postard shape or photograph). I am looking for these last three postcards, if they were published in that form, and an original Troutman Studio issue of the Maxwell House card.

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     Is this a Troutman Studio postcard? The front caption reads "Dont Be Afraid Come Right on to Cimarron N Mex". This image was reproduced in the pamphlet The History of the Don Diego Hotel and its Famous Founder, Cimarron, New Mexico. The pamphlet was published by The Tribune Press in Springer, NM, dates from after 1940 (likely the 1950s), and indicates that this image was taken in 1904. The lettering in the caption is similar to the captions of at least three known Troutman Studio cards, including the use of periods between some words and the shapes and mix of lower case and capital letters. I am looking for this postcard, if it was published in that form, or the photograph.

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Mrs Lambert's Garden / of / Sweet Peas / Cimerron (sic) NewMex
Inscription on reverse of mount: "Mrs. M. E Lambert in hear (sic) garden"
- click here for a larger view of this photograph -

     This certainly must be a Troutman Studio photograph, based on the caption letter style and spelling, although it is not marked as such. The photograph was hand colored. Mary Elizabeth Lambert (1858-1926) was the wife of Henry Lambert (1838-1913, proprietor of the St. James Hotel), and mother of lawman, author, and artist Fred Lambert (1887-1971).

http://web.tampabay.rr.com/macdonr/troutmanstudio.html
Last updated 17 November 2008