Albany Marble Works

An advertisement for Thomas K. Kenny's Albany Marble Works from an 1844-5 city directory.  The ad feature a decorative mantelpiece and a scene reminiscent of popular late 18th and early 19th century mourning art;  a woman sadly contemplating a headstone beneath a stylized tree (see The Mourners for examples of similar imagery on gravestones and for links to two such scenes attributed to painter Ezra Ames). 

The ad lists the various types of marble articles of "every description" produced by the Marble Works, including  monuments and grave stones.  Several monuments by Thomas Kenny can be found at the Albany Rural Cemetery, including the Delavan monument and the signed Mary Kane headstone.

Gardener of The Albany Rural Cemetery

Advertisement from the back of Churchill's Guide Through The Albany Rural Cemetery ca. 1858.  (Click to enlarge)

William Manson's Business Card

This detailed advertisement comes from the 1869 edition of the Albany city directory (where such ads are referred to as business cards).  It shows a variety of marble items offered by William Manson's establishment, including elegant fireplace mantles and a selection of funerary work.

There are quite a few examples of Manson's work in the Rural Cemetery, including the Col. Mills monument, the massive granite marking the Appleton lot, the Fireman's Monument on the North Ridge, the Thomas W. Olcott monument, and the beautiful marble sarcophagus marking the grave of Ellen Hardin (wife of President Chester Arthur). 

It's amusing to note that the business card for James Gazeley's Monumental Marble Works just a page or two away in the same 1869 directory features some of the same images as Manson's.  They apparently came from a set of ready-made printing dies used by the publisher and were essentially the clip art or stock images of the era.

Another Antique Advertisement

This delightfully detailed advertisement from an 1870 directory of Albany businesses features a cherub carving a gravestone - complete with the popular motif of a willow tree. Behind the busy little cherub are more samples of this marble dealer's stock, including an urn and an obelisk (two very common monument styles found at the Rural Cemetery), as well as a marble mantle.

Previously posted advertisements

Vintage Advertisements

While exploring the Cemetery yesterday, I came across a recumbent gravestone which (in addition to the usual names and dates) had a small line of carved text near the bottom edge. The small inscription was upside down and on the portion of the stone which would have been covered by earth when the stone was in its original upright position. It may identify the manufacturer of the gravestone. While researching local stone cutters and monument supplier contemporary to this gravestone, I came across two fascinating old advertisements in an 1853 city directory published by Joel Munsell.


Neither of these businesses - or the buildings in which they operated - exist now. But it is very probable that much of their goods were destined for use at the Rural Cemetery which, by then, had almost completely replaced the State Street Burying Grounds as the primary resting place for Albany's departed.

As for that little line of upside down text, I didn't find a match for it and the research continues.