Who Was Charles Slyvester Piersaull?
Little is
known about Charles Sylvester Piersaull. He was born in 1853 and was
married to Josephine Susan Aldrich. The local registry lists his occupation
as "Fishmonger" and the sign on his house says "FISH
MARKET," but he did more than just sell fish. Piersaull served as the
local pharmacist, bicycle repairman, and photographer. As a photographer,
Charles Piersaull made his mark by leaving a rich visual record of Hyde
Park's past. He took hundreds of photographs of the people, buildings, and
culture of Hyde Park at the turn of the 20th century. At the time of his
death in 1921, Piersaull's pictures were not taken seriously, but when they
resurfaced over 20 years later, President Roosevelt immediately saw their
value in understanding Hyde Park's history. The photographs were acquired
by the FDR Library in 1943.
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