The Veteran Four and Hamblin's Studio

The Veteran Four, Suffolk, Virginia, March 24, 1951.

Anyone remember who they are? Can anyone tell us their story?

    The story goes that one day Fred Hamblin of Hamblin Studio in Suffolk happened to be in the Bank and saw my grandfather George Whitley, and said, "George, come on down to the studio and let me take a picture of you, if you died we'd need one for the paper," or something to that effect. Well, they and two other fellows were all best friends and used to hang out downtown in front of the Nansemond Drugstore next door to the American Bank, and so Mr. Hamblin took photos of each and then gave each a tri-folding frame of each of the others. It remained on my grandfather's dresser 'til after his death.

     Hamblin Studio as I remember was a very small brick structure, colonial-ish, right next door to Russell's Drug Store on North Main Street in downtown Suffolk. There was a central door and on either side was a window that displayed the lastest portraits taken of various folks in Suffolk over the last few weeks--- brides, babies, anniversary pictures, portraits etc. I used to love to stop by Russell's on the way home from Jefferson Junior High or Suffolk High School, get a coke and check out the windows of Hamblin's to see who was new.

    The portrait above of "The Veteran Four" from March 24, 1951 is very much like most of Mr. Hamblin's very professional and "classy" work, utilizing the same sort of backdrops he usually used.
My sister's (Dolly Bell Watson, later Carr) Suffolk High School graduation portrait hung inside the shop for years, at least a copy of it, which Mr. Hamblin enlarged to life size and colored with oils. It is still in the family after all these years. Most of all I remember the smell of the photography shop-- like the heavy pungent smell chemical-egg yolk-sulphur smell of tarnished silver, perhaps from the chemicals he used for developing?

    Most of Mr. Hamblin's photos and negatives are gone. Some have been saved and are housed at the Suffolk Public Library in Suffolk, and may be seen online via the Hamblin Studio Photograph Collection at the Virginia State Library.Check it out. You can spend hours checking out the pictures, even one of the 1953 cafeteria of Booker T. Washington High School I think. Lots of High School Class photos also!