Stiles P. Armsbury was quite the character. He claimed to patent “Armsbury’s Improved Background,” which supposedly enabled him to take a picture without taking the background. I’m not entirely sure what this means, let alone if it was possible. Maybe that is why the background in my photo looks so plain. However, I do know that I was unable to find any evidence of Armsbury’s patent application or approved patent. He was involved in a legal suit at one point. Perhaps someone tried to infringe upon his non-existent patent!
Nevertheless, Stiles seemed like a man with big ideas. An 1880 City and Vicinity snippet in the Watertown Daily Times mentioned that he “contemplate[d] writing a book.” He was also the local agent for selling monuments.
Stiles P. Armsbury died on August 25, 1895 after failing health from a paralytic stroke seven months prior. His obituary is the most telling piece of evidence about his character. It states that Armsbury was “possessed of many bright qualities of mind, yet there seemed to be a lack of application or connection which unfitted him to take the position in the world which his talents really merited.”