Harriet V. S. Thorne
Harriet Van Schoonhoven Thorne was an amateur photographer, active from 1885-1920. She and her husband, Jonathan, lived in New York City. Although the Thornes lived in New York, Harriet’s photography studio was at their Bridgeport, Connecticut, summer home, nicknamed “Schoonhoven.” Her studio was stuffed with all manner of props and costumes, and she regularly corralled her family into posing for portraits. She also documented the family’s travels to Florida and frequent trips to their hunting club in South Carolina, as well as getaways to her brother-in-law’s summer home, “Thornecrest,” in Millbrook, N.Y.
Harriet was a member of the New York Camera Club, one of the earliest arts organizations in the city. The earliest record of her involvement is in January 1889, one month after the new group emerged, when she was one of four female members. She was listed as a member again in 1896, and is known to have been active until 1898.