Hebrew Bros. Collection

Cecil L. and Marshall E. Hebrew were a pair of brothers that lived in Dodge City during the 1920’s and established a well-known photography studio business there.

Cecil Hebrew, a resident of Norton, Kansas, moved to Dodge City about 1919. He began working for D. A. Cross, a local photographer, in the fall of that year. Mr. Cross had some health and aging issues and was looking to sell his business and retire. Cecil had experience in the field and with his brother Marshall purchased the Cross Studio in July of 1920. Marshall was also known as M. E. or also “Mac” and he had been living in Concordia, Kansas. The venture was opened under the name Hebrew Brothers Studio. Their studio was located over Ripple’s Shoe Market at 503 2nd Avenue. They built a thriving enterprise quickly; in December 1920 they ceased booking appointments for a time to catch up with the lab work created by many portrait sittings.

On January 11, 1923, the Dodge City Daily Globe reported that M. E. Hebrew had sold his share of the business to Cecil, making Cecil the sole owner. The sale had been made on October 1, 1922, but was not announced at the time. The article stated that M. E. planned to stay in Dodge City and that he was going to work for the L. L. Taylor and Company. Not long after M. E. Hebrew bought the studio as an individual, making him the sole proprietoras his Cecil had Hebrew enrolled at the business college in Hutchinson, Kansas. M. E. Hebrew stayed in Dodge City until late 1927.

M. E. Hebrew became well known in the local business community. Being in constant contact with the public made him familiar to most people in the area. He was also active in the local Rotary Club and was a volunteer for the Red Cross. He helped to organize a statewide convention for the Master Photo Finishers Association in 1926. In 1927 he ran for the office of mayor, although he lost in the primary.

Technology was changing rapidly, or at least it seemed rapid to people living at the time. M. E. kept up with the changes in photographic processes that made such services more widely available and affordable to the middle class. He secured contracts with area school districts to take annual photos of their students. In 1924 he purchased a French-made motion picture camera, the first in the area. The Hebrew Studio offered 24-hour photo finishing for in-town customers. Changing with the times, M. E. created an in-home photography service and hired someone who could travel extensively to work it. He capitalized on the growing trend of amateur photography by selling film to the public, and then lending them cameras to take pictures.

M.E. Hebrew’s skills became known throughout the region. He was chosen by the Rock Island railroad company (which had a spur line running into Dodge City) as the photographer for several railroad and agricultural surveys they conducted. These were extensive train trips around the southern plains region in which the railroad analyzed the agricultural industry's prospects and resulting opportunities for the railroad. The photos were used both within the company and in publicizing the region’s natural resources to various industries.

M. E. Hebrew continued his studio business at its original location into late 1927. He had employed a man named H. S. Stovall at the business for some time. How the sale originated is not known, but Mr. Stovall bought the business on February 28, 1927.