H. Marshall Gardiner (1884-1942) was born on September 18, 1884 into a photographic family members led by his father, W.H. Gardiner. Apparently some sources checklist his initially name as “Harry“, other resources checklist him as “Henry“. Born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada his spouse and children immigrated to the United States circa 1890. Once the household was settled W.H. Gardiner opened two photographic studios, one in Detroit, Michigan during the winter season months and a second at Mackinac Island, Michigan through the more vacationer-oriented summer time months. Recognizing the prospective of Florida’s rapidly escalating vacationer trade, all-around 1894-95 H. Marshall Gardiner moved with his loved ones from Detroit to Daytona, Florida which proved a great deal far more accommodating to the family’s photographic small business throughout the colder winter season months.
H. Marshall Gardiner acquired lots of of his photographic procedures from his father prior to likely out on his very own at a fairly early age. While his father usually made use of wet collodian negatives, technological innovation experienced innovative to wherever H. Marshall Gardiner was equipped to use gelatin dry plates in his earlier yrs. And in the later several years he was capable to benefit from the less high-priced and substantially extra hassle-free roll movie.
A different incredibly significant lesson Gardiner realized from his father was that one particular of the keys to functioning a successful photographic company was to established up store in a vacationer vacation resort. Early in his occupation Gardiner traveled to Bermuda. There he shot a series of attractive Bermuda scenes that he hand-colored and offered to the Bermuda tourist trade. Marketed there in excess of a substantial period of time, these Bermuda scenes offered a great revenue stream as the years went on. They proved so well-liked that we have even noticed some with pre-printed (vs. hand-signed) signatures suggesting a substantial-ample product sales volume to justify the considerable price of pre-printing mats.
Around 1910 he very first traveled to the island of Nantucket, just off the coastline of Massachusetts’s Cape Cod. He was all-around 26 at the time and the calendar year-spherical populace of Nantucket was just about 2500, not almost enough to maintain a photographic organization for the total calendar year. On Nantucket Gardiner opened a joint Photography and Artwork Provides Retail outlet. Working as Nantucket’s distinctive agent for Eastman Kodak, his company expanded to incorporate the island’s only picture-finishing services. Having said that, with this kind of a modest 12 months-round population, even the addition of a Present Store to compliment the hand-painted photos, general portrait & photographic services, and artwork supplies could not maintain him on Nantucket yr round.
So through the winter months he aided with the family’s photographic organizations in Daytona and Mackinac Island. And on his father’s death in 1935, Gardiner took about the spouse and children business in Daytona on a complete-time basis.
H. Marshall Gardiner was married twice. His very first marriage was to a Nantucket “Macy” who was a descendant of just one of the founding families of Nantucket. She died just after 8 decades of relationship and he then married Bertha Coffin Chase, a descendant of one more Nantucket founding loved ones.
H. Marshall Gardiner’s hand-painted images are very similar to these by Wallace Nutting and the other primary New England photographers. That is, most are matted, typically on white mat board having a platemark indentation all around the impression, signed “H. Marshall Gardiner” lessen suitable beneath the picture, and titled reduced left beneath the graphic. And most are framed in thinner frames, also in the model of Wallace Nutting.
From the point of view of a hand-coloured images collector H. Marshall Gardiner developed performs in 3 principal destinations…Nantucket…Florida…and Bermuda. And the desirability of Gardiner’s do the job with collectors generally ranks in that order.
H. Marshall Gardiner’s Nantucket hand-painted photos are undoubtedly his most fascinating works. Revenue frequently life on Nantucket and both of those total-time and portion-time people, as properly as people and travellers, adore to obtain Gardiner’s hand-painted Nantucket images. Scenes with buildings and people are usually the most desirable. Seascapes and spot-specific Exterior scenes are also hugely collectible. His a lot more generic Exterior scenes are probably the least collectible of his a variety of Nantucket sights. Although for a shorter interval of time all around 2000-2002 price ranges had been topping $1,000 for the rarest Nantucket scenes in the best problem, the significant-conclusion current market has softened fairly and nowadays the better Gardiner Nantucket scenes will more generally deliver in the $250-$500 selection. Seemingly the Gardiner Nantucket current market on eBay was pushed by only a modest handful of collectors and, when they possibly acquired a desired title or dropped out of the industry, prime rates started out to drop back again into line. Much more prevalent Nantucket titles and these in damaged situation can carry considerably a lot less.
Gardiner’s Florida hand-painted photos are turning out to be growing collectible to equally hand-painted images collectors as effectively as standard-line Florida collectors. Most of Gardiner’s Florida scenes are additional generic (palms, coastlines, hanging moss, streams, sand, etc.). Spot-distinct pics will commonly provide stronger selling prices than will the far more generic Florida scenes and you can ordinarily hope Gardiner’s Florida hand-coloured pics to convey in the $100-$250 range.
And his Bermuda scenes, whilst the minimum collectible of the 3 main Gardiner types, are nevertheless highly prized by collectors. On the other hand, since we have found much less “Bermuda” collectors than “Florida” or “Nantucket” collectors, charges for Bermuda scenes will normally operate $75-$150 at our Auctions.
Gardiner’s postcards are also greatly gathered. In contrast to his hand-painted photos which can command a top quality price today, his Nantucket postcards are significantly less complicated to track down and are considerably far more economical. And if you like the pictures of H. Marshall Gardiner, you will be capable to obtain substantially extra views in postcards than in hand-colored photos. Most of Gardiner’s postcards have been made by the Detroit Publishing Firm making use of their “Phostint” patented printing approach. Whilst some B&W postcards could be identified, his most well-known and quite a few postcards are colour. Generally H. Marshall Gardiner postcards will provide $2.50-$10.00 each and every despite the fact that certain kinds may perhaps deliver to some degree greater charges.
H. Marshall Gardiner died on December 4, 1942 and is buried on his beloved Nantucket
Advised Looking through: For additional info on H. Marshall Gardiner we would refer you to a e book by his daughter, Geraldine Gardiner Salisbury titled H. Marshall Gardiner’s Nantucket Postcards: 1910-1940.
