This post is about the photographer, not the subject.  In 1906, my great-grandmother Marietta separated from my great-grandfather Charles N. Lord in a bitter divorce.  She then married her attorney, Alois B. Renehan while Charles N. Lord left Santa Fe and moved to southern California.  It was charged in the divorce that my great-grandfather, a dentist, "had carnal knowledge of one Rosalea, who was purported to be his assistant."

When I was a boy, I was constantly asked if I was related to Charles Lord, who owned Lord's Photography Studio on the Plaza.  I once asked my great-grandmother if we were related and she angrily insisted that there was absolutely no connection.  I remember being surprised at her vehemence and I never mentioned it again.

In 1925, the population of Santa Fe was about 7,500, and the odds of having 2 Charles Lords a generation apart with no familial connection whatsoever would be astronomical.  I wonder if Charles E. Lord was the illegitimate son of my great-grandfather and Rosalea.  He would have been 21 or 22 when he made this photograph of one of Santa Fe's most prominent citizens.  Thus far I have been able to find little about Charles E. Lord and would be most appreciative if anyone has more information.

Thanks to Kristi Davis for the photo.

--Mike Lord