Percy S. Cox

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Percy Smith Cox (circa 1872 – February 24, 1911) was an American photographer who worked in pre-revolutionary Mexico at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Personal life[edit]

Los Yugos Bridge, DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University

Born circa 1872 in Pennsylvania, Cox was the youngest of three sons of John William (a farmer) and Mary F. Cox.[1][2] The family moved to the Escondido region (Twin Oaks) of California where Cox began working as a photographer by 1893.[3][4] From 1896 to 1898, Cox attended Pomona College.[5][6][7]

By 1899, Cox was working in Mexico City as a photographer; in October of that year, he was joined there in business by fellow San Diegan Ralph J. Carmichael, setting up a photography studio as Cox and Carmichael.[8] Cox sold his interest in the studio in early 1902 and returned to the United States suffering from altitude sickness.[9] In 1903, Cox married school teacher Mary Peter in Pasadena.[2][10] Cox and his wife moved to Mexico City in 1904,[11] and the next year Cox and partners A. C. Moore, J. Duncan Gleason, and John S. Turner (all from Los Angeles) established the American Printing and Engraving Company there.[12] Cox continued to work in Mexico through 1909, but returned to Escondido in late 1909, again suffering from the effects of Mexico City's high altitude.[10] He sold his photo-engraving business in Mexico City to the owners of the Mexican Herald,[13] and apparently abandoned his career as a photographer. In 1910, he opened a dealership in San Diego selling Lane steamer automobiles,[14] then worked in the photographic supply business in Los Angeles.[10] Cox died suddenly on February 24, 1911 in Pomona.[10]

Work[edit]

Carpintero Bridge. Kilometer 236 Colima, DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University

Cox was among a group of expatriate photographers (such as fellow San Diegans Carmichael and C. B. Waite) working in Mexico in the first decade of the 20th century, chronicling industrialization and social conditions. Cox's subjects included railroads, bridges, mines, and landscapes. His works illustrated magazine articles,[15][16] and books,[17][18] and were reproduced as postcards.[19]

Many of Cox's photographs are included in collections such as the Eugene P. Lyle, Jr. Photographs, University of Oregon;[20] the DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University;[21] and the California Border Region Digitization Project of the San Diego History Center.[22] Works by Cox & Carmichael are included in the Collection of Southern California and Mexico Photographs of the Huntington Library.[23] Many also appear in published works.[24][25]

While Cox was considered a fine photographer by contemporaries,[26] recent criticism has focused on Cox's work as representative of American cultural imperialism in Mexico.[27]

A number of Cox's photographs have been attributed incorrectly to Percy B[oxley] Cox (1875–1946).

References[edit]

  1. ^ "United States Census, 1880". FamilySearch.org. Percivel S Cox in household of William J Cox, East Marlborough, Chester, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district ED 50, sheet 218D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 1114; FHL microfilm 1,255,114.
  2. ^ a b "Marriage of Percy S. Cox and Mary Peter, 1903". California, County Marriages, 1850–1952. FamilySearch.org. June 25, 1903. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  3. ^ "Won the prize". San Diego Union. July 21, 1893.
  4. ^ "[Mrs. J. W. Cox and Son Percy of Twin Oaks...]". San Diego Union. November 10, 1893.
  5. ^ "Escondido". San Diego Union. 1896-09-19.
  6. ^ "[E. B. Buel, L. H. Bowman and Percy S. Cox...]". San Diego Union. April 11, 1897.
  7. ^ "[at Twin Oaks...]". San Diego Union. April 5, 1898.
  8. ^ "[Ralph Carmichael departed Monday for the City of Mexico...]". San Diego Union. October 23, 1899.
  9. ^ "[Cox sells interest in Cox & Carmichael...]". Evening Tribune. February 25, 1902.
  10. ^ a b c d "Dead man was noted artist: Landscape photographer of note, his Mexican studies winning praise of critics". Los Angeles Times. February 26, 1911.
  11. ^ Mary P. Cox [application no. 22639], U.S. Passport Applications, 1795–1925. Los Angeles, California. April 15, 1920.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  12. ^ Butler, Edward C. (July 16, 1905). "Scenes at Guanajuato". Los Angeles Times.
  13. ^ "Escondido Brief Mention". San Diego Union. December 12, 1909.
  14. ^ "[Takes Agency of Lane Steamer]". San Diego Union. February 23, 1910. p. 7.
  15. ^ Creelman, James (March 1908). "President Diaz – Hero of the Americas". Pearson's Magazine. XIX (3): 231–277.
  16. ^ Lyle, Jr., Eugene P. (1907). "Mexico at High-Tide". The World's Work: A History of Our Time. 14: 9179–96.
  17. ^ Martin, Percy Falcke (1906). Mexico's treasure house (Guanajuato): an illustrated and descriptive account of the mines and their operations in 1906. Cheltenham Press.
  18. ^ Iglehart, Fanny Chambers Gooch (1909). The Boy Captive of the Texas Mier Expedition. Press of J. R. Wood Printing Company.
  19. ^ Kalb, Jacobo (January 17, 2012). "Letra: C. 'Fotógrafos Y Productores de Postales'". Tarjetas Postales En México, 1897–1950. Archived from the original on 2017-08-29. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  20. ^ "Eugene P. Lyle, Jr. photographs, 1874-1950s". Historic Photograph Collections. University of Oregon Libraries. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  21. ^ "Search:Cox". Digital Collections, DeGolyer Library. Southern Methodist University. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  22. ^ "Search: Percy S. Cox". Calisphere, University of California. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  23. ^ Michelle Sanchez. "Collection of Southern California and Mexico Photographs: Finding Aid". The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Retrieved July 31, 2017 – via Online Archive of California.
  24. ^ Covey, Stephen A. (2008). Early Escondido: The Louis A. Havens Collection. Arcadia Publishing.
  25. ^ Berk, Lucy Jones; Covey, Stephen A. (2010). Escondido Grape Day Festivals. Arcadia Publishing.
  26. ^ "[editorial note]". National Magazine. 24: 338. 1906.
  27. ^ Ruiz, Jason (2014). Americans in the Treasure House: Travel to Porfirian Mexico and the Cultural Politics of Empire. University of Texas Press.

Further reading[edit]

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