Photographs showing Sylvester E. Hough are elusive, but as a professional photographer, his name appeared on many cabinet cards (such as the one featured here) of people that he photographed. The photograph shows the back of a cabinet card, decorated with Hough’s name, address, and many embellishments.
Hough was born in Potsdam, New York, in 1849. He was nearly 15 years old when he enlisted in the 14th Artillery and attained the rank of private during the Civil War. He was married to Helen in 1877.
Hough worked in Winston as a photographer in the 1890s, and his business was located on Main Street. A fire from an oil stove destroyed his business in 1895, but he was still located in Winston in 1900.
In 1908 he was admitted to a home for disabled soldiers in Virginia, and he died in 1911.
Photo courtesy of Forsyth County Public Library Photograph Collection.
