Name/Title
Candelario Sanchez in a Monterrey General Merchandise Store, Mexico, 1904Description
Nine men pose behind and around the long, curved counter of a well-stocked general merchandise store, believed to be in Monterrey, Mexico, in 1904. The elaborate shelving is crowded with glassware, cups, pitchers, bottles, and various packaged goods, while additional merchandise and advertising materials hang overhead. Among the visible products are packages labeled “Atlas White Oats,” “Cartas Leon G.,” and “Royal.” A large advertisement above the shelves appears to promote Cervecería Moctezuma, a brewery located in Orizaba, Veracruz, Mexico.
The young man near the center of the photograph is identified in handwritten script as “Daddy Candelario.” Several inscriptions on the reverse identify him as Candelario Sanchez, including one reading “My mother's father Candelario Sanchez.” Another records his birth in 1884 and death in 1949, at age 65. Sanchez would have been approximately 20 years old when this photograph was taken.
Two faded oval commercial stamps on the reverse appear to identify “Eufracio Garza y [illegible], Comerciantes, Monterrey, N.L., Mexico.” They bear the dates February 9 and July 28, 1904. A handwritten note reads “Picture taken in Feb or July 1904,” possibly referring to these two dates. Although the stamps suggest a connection to Monterrey, the precise identity and location of the store have not been established.
Acquired with this photograph was a smaller studio portrait of two young men, one standing and the other seated. The seated man, identified as “Dad” on the front and “Dad Candelario Sanchez” on the reverse, bears a strong resemblance to the young man identified in the store photograph. The two photographs are believed to depict the same individual.Made/Created
Date made
1904Time Period
1900sCreate Date
October 18, 2026
