This man is most likely Emil Krone (1858-1943), a watchmaker and jeweler, in front of his store at 1028 Central Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio in 1896.
The back of the photo has a note that reads: “First store - Central Ave 1896”.
A newspaper search for “Emil Krone” turned up several articles identifying him as a watchmaker and jeweler from Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1904, six watches were stolen from Emil Krone’s jewelry store at 1022 Central Ave. A few years later, in 1915, seven more watches were stolen, “by a man who tricked the clerk.”
This 1897 Cincinnati, the Ohio City Directory does show an Emil Krone, a watchmaker, at 1028 Central Ave and a home address of 2515 W. McMicken Ave.
1897 City Directory - Cincinnati, Ohio
1897 City Directory - Cincinnati, Ohio
At least by 1904, Emil had moved his store to 1022 Central Ave. He was listed as a “Watchmaker and Optician”. In both of these directory entries the other Emil is a son of the older Emil.
1904 City Directory - Cincinnati, Ohio
Interestingly, Emil’s foray into optometry got him into some legal trouble in 1922. He along with Jason H. Reinstattler were charged with practicing optometry without licenses. It seems as if the state was cracking down on jewelers and other unlicensed professionals who were fitting people for glasses.
The 1900 U.S. Federal Census reveals that Emil was born in Germany around 1858. He came to the United States in 1894 with his wife, Anna, and two sons, Emil and Adalbert.
Census records in 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 also show Emil and various family configurations living together.
In 1943 Emil Krone died at the age of 87. At the end of his life he was living at 3455 Dury Ave. in the Avondale neighborhood of Cincinnati.
These obituaries give additional information about Emil’s life. His wife, Anna, died two years earlier. He retired in 1933. He had two sons, Adalbert Krone and Emil Krone Jr. Adalbert had his own jewelry business. Emil had two granddaughters and two grandsons. The grandsons are listed in the obituary as “Aviation Cadet Paul Krone” and “Surgical Technician Robert Krone”. Though not listed in the obituary, I believe (through newspaper searches and census records) that the granddaughters referenced were Adelaide Krone (Adalbert’s daughter) and Juanita Krone (Emil Jr.’s daughter).
To give a sense of the area at the time, this image shows Central Union Station. which stood at the corner of Third St. and Central Ave. sometime between 1900 and 1905. Emil’s stores were about 10 blocks norther on Central Ave.
The detail in this image is pretty stunning. I especially like this fella hanging out on the window sill.
I hope you have enjoyed learning about Emil Krone’s story! Check out these other old-timey store photos.