The garden of Ivy Cottage, residence of Elisaeus von Seutter, in Jackson, Mississippi, via the E. von Seutter Photograph Collection of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) Commons on flickr.
Elisaeus, the youngest son of German aristocrats, emigrated to New Orleans in 1848, hoping to explore the American west. However, after a series of false starts, he ended up in Raymond, Mississippi, where he trained as a jeweler and later opened a successful jewelry shop. He then travelled to Austria to marry and bring back an old love, Julia Hoch.
The von Seutters lost most of their business and property in Raymond after the Civil War. They moved to Jackson for a fresh start, and Elisaeus built a two-story building for his new jewelry/watchmaking shop and photography studio.
He also built Ivy Cottage on North State Street, and the couple created an impressive garden there.
The above photo is dated c. 1869 by the MDAH, but that seems unlikely, as the house was only just completed at that time. It may have been taken in the late 1870s or early 1880s. From eight births, the von Seutters had only three children who lived past age eleven: Armine, b. 1854; Edward, b. 1860; and Carl, b. 1866. The photo may show Julia standing with the youngest son and one of the older boys in the background.
MDAH’s E. von Seutter collection has 35 stereocards and 48 photographs of post-Civil War Jackson assembled by the von Seutter family. Most were taken by Elisaeus and his son, Armine.
There are more Ivy Cottage photos here.
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“View of a scene in Jackson, Mississippi,” c. 1869, probably taken by Elisaeus von Seutter.
enclos*ure 