For almost 40 years, Ismar Bismark Masure was a resident and businessman in Whitehall. He was first a photographer by profession and a florist by hobby, which then turned into a profession.
Born in Posen, Germany Nov. 11, 1881, he was the son of Solomon and Cecelia (ne Placzek) Masure. He came to the United States in 1882 with his parents and six siblings as an infant and the family settled in Chicago, Illinois. While living in Illinois, Masure learned the photography trade from his older brother Morris who was a well-established portrait photographer with a studio in Chicago.
On April 2, 1905, Masure married Natalie “Nettie” Appel (1884-1961) in Chicago. They had a daughter named Fern Elenore (1907-1967). By 1912 a divorce was pending, and he moved to Whitehall around 1914.
Around 1907, M-L Photo studio was created when photographers Masure and Leon Leonard formed a partnership and began producing photo postcards of street scenes in the nearby cities and small towns in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.
Souvenir picture postcards made their U.S. debut at the Chicago’s 1893 World’s Columbian Exhibition, but it was not legal to write anything other than an address on the back of the card until a change of postal codes took place in March 1907. After that, postcards became all the rage, providing a quick and informal message space and a collectible view of places near and far.
With the postcard craze, the company prospered. By 1913 the M-L Photo company had seven employees and Ismar claimed to be making $100 to $150 per week. M-L Photo Studio ceased business in 1914 when Ismar moved to Whitehall. Leon Leonard continued working as a photographer on his own until 1920 when he became an electrician, which financially supported his wife and child better. He passed away in 1938.
Upon arriving in Whitehall, Masure opened The Photo Shop on Colby Street next door to Charles H. Ruggles' insurance office. He operated at this location for 17 years. During that time, he also had a shop at Michillinda from 1914-17. He also had a studio in Shelby in 1918 which was only open on Mondays. Many of the postcards produced by the Photo Shop were mailed between July 1919 and July 1925.
In 1925 he bought some property on East Colby and built his greenhouse with an apartment overhead. He operated the greenhouse until the 1940s but still kept the apartment in the building in the early 1950s. This is now the location of White Lake Greenhouse.
In 1930 Masure purchased another building, this time on West Colby near Division. In 1934 Masure moved out of his original spot in the Ruggles building and moved into the east half of the building with his photo shop and rented out the other half to a bakery.
As his hobby of raising flowers gradually absorbed more and more of his attention, he finally abandoned photography entirely to devote all of his time to the florist business.
In September 1942 the Photo Shop closed out and shortly after the entire building became the Kroger store. Since then, there have been many other businesses in there over the years. Most recently was Hunt’s Hardware, which is now Gill-Roy’s Hardware.
Masure took many scenic pictures in and around the area as well as most of the class pictures for the local school yearbooks. Many of his scenic views were featured in early issues of tourist booklets throughout West Michigan.
Masure married for a second time Nov. 10, 1951 to Mary Lena (nee Jelinek) Rusteika (1903-1957). The marriage was a short one, however, as Masure died May 20, 1952, in a Grand Rapids hospital. He is buried in Oakhurst Cemetery. His wife Mary died March 17, 1957 and is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery.
