John L. Gihon
| John Lawrence Gihon | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1839 Milford, New Jersey, US |
| Died | September 18, 1878 Atlantic Ocean |
| Occupation | Photographer, photojournalist |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Kate Gihon |
John Lawrence Gihon (April 21, 1839 – September 18, 1878) was a Philadelphia photographer, best known for establishing the Philadelphia Sketch Club, documenting the American Civil War, and producing one of the earliest baseball cards. He was a featured photographer at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, contributing to the Philadelphia Photographer magazine, and author of the Photographic Colorists' Guide, published in 1878.
John L. Gihon was born at Milford, New Jersey to parents Dr. John Hancock Gihon and Mary Jane Leary Gihon. His siblings were future Naval officer Albert L. Gihon and older sister Charlotte Gihon. The Gihon family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania soon after John's birth. He attended grammar school at the Walnut Street School. In 1853, at age 14, Gihon was admitted to the Central High School.
In June 1855, he graduated at the top of his class and was subsequently nominated for admission to the United States Naval Academy. His nomination was secured by Representative Thomas Birch Florence and selected over 150 other applicants. John's brother was admitted the year previous. John Gihon's naval career was short lived. The Academy's board of surgeons rejected his application based on a "varicose condition."
In September 1856, John L. Gihon and his father headed to Lecompton, Kansas on the staff of the territorial governor, John W. Geary. His father, John H. Gihon, M.D., was the private secretary to the governor. In 1858, Gihon was admittd into the life class of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Soon thereafter, Gihon befriended Edward R. Morgan, nephew of the well-known Philadelphia photographer Samuel Broadbent. The two youths soon became apprentices under Broadbent.
In 1859, Gihon and Morgan opened a photographic studio at 1024 Chestnut Street, "opposite the Academy of Fine Arts, and adjoining the St. Lawrence Hotel," according to an article in the Philadelphia Photographer magazine. In 1860, Gihon co-founded the Philadelphia Sketch Club on 125 South 11th Street in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Sketch Club is currently the oldest American artist organization still in existence.
Around the start of the Civil War, for reasons unknown, Edward Morgan left the business at 1024 Chestnut Street, leaving Gihon the sole proprietor. While other photographers ventured to battlefields, Gihon followed a different path. In 1863, he obtained permission to photograph at nearby Fort Delaware, a third-system fortification and wartime prison camp, which held more than 32,000 captured confederates.
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