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{{Short description|American photographer (1845–1930)}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name =William J. Oliphant
| name =William James Oliphant
| image =
| image = William J. Oliphant.jpg
| image_size =
| caption =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_name =
| birth_date =September 30, 1845
| birth_date =September 30, 1845
| birth_place =[[Lawrenceburg, Indiana]]
| birth_place =[[Lawrenceburg, Indiana]], U.S.
| death_date =November 11, 1930
| death_date ={{death date and age|1930|11|11|1845|9|30}}
| death_place =[[Austin, Texas]]
| death_place =[[Austin, Texas]], U.S.
| death_cause =
| death_cause =
| resting_place =
| resting_place =
| resting_place_coordinates =
| resting_place_coordinates =
| residence =
| nationality =
| nationality =
| other_names =
| other_names =
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| occupation =Army private, photographer, photography publisher
| occupation =Army private, photographer, photography publisher
| title =
| title =
| salary =
| networth =
| term =
| term =
| predecessor =
| predecessor =
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| party =
| party =
| boards =
| boards =
| religion =
| spouse =Lizzie J. (Walker)<br/>Alice Olive Townsend
| spouse =Lizzie J. (Walker)<br/>Alice Olive Townsend
| children =
| children =
⚫
| relatives =[[Walter Prescott Webb]] (son-in-law)
| parents =William Oliphant<br/>Jane (Van Zile) Oliphant
⚫
| relatives =[[Walter Prescott Webb]] <small>(son-in-law)</small>
| box_width =
}}
}}
'''William J. Oliphant''' (1845–1930) was an American Civil War veteran and photographer from [[Austin, Texas]].
[[File:Pvt. William J. Oliphant, Co. G, 6th Texas Infantry Regiment.jpg|thumb|Pvt. William J. Oliphant, Co. G, [[6th Texas Infantry Regiment]].]]
[[File:"Our Special Artist" in Camp, Taylor County. (11404984045).jpg|thumb|Oliphant's Texas Stereoscopic Views]]
'''William J. Oliphant''' (1845–1930) was an American [[Confederate States Army]] veteran and photographer from [[Austin, Texas]]. He published the first photographs of [[American bison|buffalo]] hunts in North America.


==Biography==
==Early life==
⚫
William James Oliphant was born on September 30, 1845, in [[Lawrenceburg, Indiana]].<ref name="encyclopedia">William Russell Young III, "OLIPHANT, WILLIAM JAMES," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fol10), accessed July 24, 2014. Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.</ref><ref name="smu">[http://digitalcollections.smu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/jtx/id/3881 Lawrence T. Jones III Texas Photographs: William J. Oliphant], Southern Methodist University Digital Libraries</ref><ref name="sketch">[http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/60008/tsl-60008.html William James Oliphant Biographical Sketch], Texas State Library and Archives Commission</ref> His father, William S. Oliphant (1813–1890), was a jeweler.<ref name="sketch"/> His mother was Jane (Van Zile) Oliphant (1822–1867).<ref name="encyclopedia"/> He moved to Texas with his parents in 1853.<ref name="sketch"/> The family settled in Austin, where his father's jewelry store was located on Pecan Street, now known as Sixth Street.<ref name="encyclopedia"/><ref name="lawrencetjones">Lawrence T. Jones, ''Lens on the Texas Frontier'', College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press, 2014, p. 54 [https://books.google.com/books?id=IdjOAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA54]</ref>
===Early life===
⚫
William James Oliphant was born on September 30, 1845 in [[Lawrenceburg, Indiana]].<ref name="encyclopedia">William Russell Young III, "OLIPHANT, WILLIAM JAMES," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fol10), accessed July 24, 2014. Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.</ref><ref name="smu">[http://digitalcollections.smu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/jtx/id/3881 Lawrence T. Jones III Texas Photographs: William J. Oliphant], Southern Methodist University Digital Libraries</ref><ref name="findagrave">[http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=66385531 FindAGrave: William J. Oliphant]</ref><ref name="sketch">[http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/60008/tsl-60008.html William James Oliphant Biographical Sketch], Texas State Library and Archives Commission</ref> His father, William S. Oliphant (1813-1890), was a jeweller.<ref name="findagrave"/><ref name="sketch"/> His mother was Jane (Van Zile) Oliphant (1822-1867).<ref name="encyclopedia"/><ref name="findagrave"/> He had a sister, Jennie Oliphant Stuart (1847-1931), who married John Arthur Stuart (1837-1910).<ref>[http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=70097361 FindAGrave: Jennie Oliphant Stuart]</ref> He moved to Texas with his parents when he was seven years old, in 1853.<ref name="sketch"/> The family settled in Austin, where his father's jewellery store was located on Pelican Street, now known as Sixth Street.<ref name="encyclopedia"/><ref name="lawrencetjones">Lawrence T. Jones, ''Lens on the Texas Frontier'', College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press, 2014, p. 54 [http://books.google.com.au/books?id=IdjOAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA54&lpg=PA54&dq=william+j.+oliphant+photography&source=bl&ots=79Bk59GnOe&sig=EOe5iuwUxKDO687n-cKBu-jPUn8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=nALRU8OZE8Xc8AWJwYDICQ&ved=0CEQQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=william%20j.%20oliphant%20photography&f=false]</ref>


He studied photography under [[Alexander Gardner (photographer)|Alexander Gardner]] (1845–1930) and [[Timothy H. O'Sullivan]] (1840-1882) in [[Washington, D.C.]].<ref name="encyclopedia"/>
He studied photography under [[Alexander Gardner (photographer)|Alexander Gardner]] (1845–1930) and [[Timothy H. O'Sullivan]] (1840–1882) in [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name="encyclopedia"/>


===Career===
==Career==
During the [[American Civil War]] of 1861-1865, he served as a private in the Company G of the [[6th Texas Infantry Regiment|Sixth Texas Infantry Regiment]], also known as the "Travis Rifles," of the [[Confederate States Army]] (CSA).<ref name="sketch"/> He served in the [[Battle of Missionary Ridge]], the [[Battle of Atlanta]], the [[Battle of Pickett's Mill]] and the [[Battle of Atlanta]] (where he was wounded and caught by Union forces).<ref name="lawrencetjones"/> He was in prison at [[Camp Chase]] for nearly a year, from July 1864 to March 1865.
During the [[American Civil War]] of 1861–1865, Oliphant served as a private in the Company G of the [[6th Texas Infantry Regiment|Sixth Texas Infantry Regiment]], also known as the "Travis Rifles", of the [[Confederate States Army]] (CSA).<ref name="sketch"/> He served in the [[Battle of Missionary Ridge]], the [[Battle of Pickett's Mill]], and the [[Battle of Atlanta]], where he was wounded and caught by Union forces.<ref name="lawrencetjones"/> He was in prison at [[Camp Chase]] for nearly a year, from July 1864 to March 1865.


Shortly after the war, he became a photographer in Austin.<ref name="sketch"/> His studio was above his father's jewellery shop at 117 Pecan Street.<ref name="lawrencetjones"/><ref>[http://texasartisans.mfah.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15939coll7/id/305/rec/23 Oliphant, W. J. (City directory entry)], William J. Hill Texas Artisans & Artists Archive: Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens: [[Museum of Fine Arts, Houston]]</ref> Indeed, together with [[Hamilton B. Hillyer]] (1835–1903), he was one of the earliest photographers in Austin to have a studio in the city.<ref>[http://www.austinlibrary.com/ahc/begin/bus.htm Austin Beginnings], Austin History Center: [[Austin Public Library]]</ref> Additionally, he published photographs taken by other photographers.<ref name="lawrencetjones"/> He is perhaps best known for publishing the earliest photographs of [[buffalo]] hunts in the United States.<ref name="lawrencetjones"/> They are known as the ''Life on the Frontier'' series, taken by [[George Robertson (photographer)|George Robertson]] in 1874.<ref name="lawrencetjones"/><ref>[https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/indian/showdown/page1.html Buffalo Hunt, 1874], Texas State Library and Archives Commission</ref>
Shortly after the war, Oliphant became a photographer in Austin.<ref name="sketch"/> His studio was above his father's jewelry shop at 117 Pecan Street.<ref name="lawrencetjones"/><ref>[http://texasartisans.mfah.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15939coll7/id/305/rec/23 Oliphant, W. J. (City directory entry)], William J. Hill Texas Artisans & Artists Archive: Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens: [[Museum of Fine Arts, Houston]]</ref> Indeed, together with [[Hamilton B. Hillyer]] (1835–1903), he was one of the earliest photographers in Austin to have a studio in the city.<ref>[http://www.austinlibrary.com/ahc/begin/bus.htm Austin Beginnings], Austin History Center: [[Austin Public Library]]</ref> Additionally, he published photographs taken by other photographers.<ref name="lawrencetjones"/> He is perhaps best known for publishing the earliest photographs of [[American bison|buffalo]] hunts in the United States.<ref name="lawrencetjones"/> They are known as the ''Life on the Frontier'' series, taken by [[George Robertson (photographer)|George Robertson]] in 1874.<ref name="lawrencetjones"/><ref>[https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/indian/showdown/page1.html Buffalo Hunt, 1874], Texas State Library and Archives Commission</ref>


From the 1880s to the 1920s, he worked as a public sector worker.<ref name="sketch"/> He worked for the [[Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts]] from 1881 to 1886, the [[Internal Revenue Service]] from 1887 to 1890, and for the Travis County Tax Assessor's Office from 1905 to 1927.<ref name="sketch"/>
From the 1880s to the 1920s, Oliphant worked for the government.<ref name="sketch"/> He worked for the [[Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts]] from 1881 to 1886, the [[Internal Revenue Service]] from 1887 to 1890, and for the Travis County Tax Assessor's Office from 1905 to 1927.<ref name="sketch"/>
[[File:Oliphant-walker-house-austin.jpg|thumb|right|The Oliphant-Walker House in Austin, Texas, where William J. Oliphant resided.]]


===Personal life===
==Personal life==
He lived at [[Oliphant-Walker House]] in [[Hyde Park (Austin, Texas)|Hyde Park]], a suburb of [[Austin]].<ref name="encyclopedia"/> He married twice. His first wife was Lizzie J. (Walker) Oliphant (1848-1873).<ref name="encyclopedia"/> After she died in 1873, he got remarried to Alice Olive Townsend (1852-1908) in 1877.<ref name="encyclopedia"/> They had four children.<ref name="sketch"/> One of his daughters married [[Walter Prescott Webb]], a Texas historian.<ref name="sketch"/>
Oliphant resided at the [[Oliphant-Walker House]] in [[Hyde Park (Austin, Texas)|Hyde Park]], a suburb of [[Austin, Texas|Austin]].<ref name="encyclopedia"/> He married twice. His first wife was Lizzie J. Walker (1848–1873).<ref name="encyclopedia"/> After she died in 1873, he married Alice Olive Townsend (1852–1908) in 1877.<ref name="encyclopedia"/> They had four children.<ref name="sketch"/> One of his daughters married [[Walter Prescott Webb]], a Texas historian.<ref name="sketch"/>


James Oliphant, a journalist with Reuters News in Washington, is William J. Oliphant's direct descendant.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}
⚫
===Death===

⚫
He died on November 11, 1930 in Austin, Texas.<ref name="encyclopedia"/><ref name="smu"/><ref name="findagrave"/><ref name="sketch"/> He was buried at the [[Oakwood Cemetery (Austin, Texas)|Oakwood Cemetery]] in Austin, Texas.<ref name="findagrave"/><ref name="sketch"/>
⚫
==Death and legacy==
⚫
Oliphant died on November 11, 1930, in Austin, Texas.<ref name="encyclopedia"/><ref name="smu"/><ref name="sketch"/> He was buried at the [[Oakwood Cemetery (Austin, Texas)|Oakwood Cemetery]] in Austin, Texas.<ref name="sketch"/>


==Legacy==
The William J. Oliphant chapter of the [[United Daughters of the Confederacy]] in Austin, Texas is named in his honor.
The William J. Oliphant chapter of the [[United Daughters of the Confederacy]] in Austin, Texas is named in his honor.


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{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
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Category:1845 births
{{commons category|William James Oliphant}}
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Category:1930 deaths
*{{find a Grave|66385531}}
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Category:People from Austin, Texas

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Category:Confederate States Army
{{Authority control}}
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Category:American photographers

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oliphant, William J.}}
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[[Category:1845 births]]
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[[Category:1930 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Lawrenceburg, Indiana]]
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[[Category:People from Austin, Texas]]
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[[Category:Confederate States Army personnel]]
[[Category:Northern-born Confederates]]
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[[Category:American photographers]]
[[Category:Bison hunting]]
[[Category:Burials at Oakwood Cemetery (Austin, Texas)]]

Latest revision as of 22:42, 28 July 2024

William James Oliphant
BornSeptember 30, 1845
Lawrenceburg, Indiana, U.S.
DiedNovember 11, 1930(1930-11-11) (aged 85)
Austin, Texas, U.S.
Occupation(s)Army private, photographer, photography publisher
Spouse(s)Lizzie J. (Walker)
Alice Olive Townsend
RelativesWalter Prescott Webb (son-in-law)
Pvt. William J. Oliphant, Co. G, 6th Texas Infantry Regiment.
Oliphant's Texas Stereoscopic Views

William J. Oliphant (1845–1930) was an American Confederate States Army veteran and photographer from Austin, Texas. He published the first photographs of buffalo hunts in North America.

Early life

[edit]

William James Oliphant was born on September 30, 1845, in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.[1][2][3] His father, William S. Oliphant (1813–1890), was a jeweler.[3] His mother was Jane (Van Zile) Oliphant (1822–1867).[1] He moved to Texas with his parents in 1853.[3] The family settled in Austin, where his father's jewelry store was located on Pecan Street, now known as Sixth Street.[1][4]

He studied photography under Alexander Gardner (1845–1930) and Timothy H. O'Sullivan (1840–1882) in Washington, D.C.[1]

Career

[edit]

During the American Civil War of 1861–1865, Oliphant served as a private in the Company G of the Sixth Texas Infantry Regiment, also known as the "Travis Rifles", of the Confederate States Army (CSA).[3] He served in the Battle of Missionary Ridge, the Battle of Pickett's Mill, and the Battle of Atlanta, where he was wounded and caught by Union forces.[4] He was in prison at Camp Chase for nearly a year, from July 1864 to March 1865.

Shortly after the war, Oliphant became a photographer in Austin.[3] His studio was above his father's jewelry shop at 117 Pecan Street.[4][5] Indeed, together with Hamilton B. Hillyer (1835–1903), he was one of the earliest photographers in Austin to have a studio in the city.[6] Additionally, he published photographs taken by other photographers.[4] He is perhaps best known for publishing the earliest photographs of buffalo hunts in the United States.[4] They are known as the Life on the Frontier series, taken by George Robertson in 1874.[4][7]

From the 1880s to the 1920s, Oliphant worked for the government.[3] He worked for the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts from 1881 to 1886, the Internal Revenue Service from 1887 to 1890, and for the Travis County Tax Assessor's Office from 1905 to 1927.[3]

The Oliphant-Walker House in Austin, Texas, where William J. Oliphant resided.

Personal life

[edit]

Oliphant resided at the Oliphant-Walker House in Hyde Park, a suburb of Austin.[1] He married twice. His first wife was Lizzie J. Walker (1848–1873).[1] After she died in 1873, he married Alice Olive Townsend (1852–1908) in 1877.[1] They had four children.[3] One of his daughters married Walter Prescott Webb, a Texas historian.[3]

James Oliphant, a journalist with Reuters News in Washington, is William J. Oliphant's direct descendant.[citation needed]

Death and legacy

[edit]

Oliphant died on November 11, 1930, in Austin, Texas.[1][2][3] He was buried at the Oakwood Cemetery in Austin, Texas.[3]

The William J. Oliphant chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in Austin, Texas is named in his honor.

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Oliphant, William J. Only a Private: A Texan Remembers the Civil War. Edited by James M. McCaffrey. Houston, Texas: Halcyon Press, Ltd. 2004.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h William Russell Young III, "OLIPHANT, WILLIAM JAMES," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fol10), accessed July 24, 2014. Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
  2. ^ a b Lawrence T. Jones III Texas Photographs: William J. Oliphant, Southern Methodist University Digital Libraries
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k William James Oliphant Biographical Sketch, Texas State Library and Archives Commission
  4. ^ a b c d e f Lawrence T. Jones, Lens on the Texas Frontier, College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press, 2014, p. 54 [1]
  5. ^ Oliphant, W. J. (City directory entry), William J. Hill Texas Artisans & Artists Archive: Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
  6. ^ Austin Beginnings, Austin History Center: Austin Public Library
  7. ^ Buffalo Hunt, 1874, Texas State Library and Archives Commission
[edit]
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