Philip H. Loeffler was born on July 15, 1862 in Adrian, MI. He married Nellie Ann Be Dell (1864-1950) on December 25, 1885. The couple resided in Kalamazoo and had two children. Bessie Marie (1886-1981) and Floyd (1889-1965). Philip first opened Loeffler and Whalin Druggists located at 319 North Burdick in 1893 with his partner Noble R. Whalin (1874-1905). However, by 1895 Philip owned the drugstore alone. P.H. Loeffler Druggist operated until 1919. By 1921, the drugstore had been sold to Wilmot E. Dees (b. 1883) and renamed Dee’s Drugstore. Philip’s son Floyd worked there until 1922 as a pharmacist. Dee’s Drugstore continued to operate on N. Burdick Street until 1924 when it moved to a location on Harrison Street. The business was gone by 1929. Philip Loeffler divorced Nellie on November 12, 1885 citing cruelty and desertion as the reason for separation. He later married Margaret Loeffler (1873-10/3/1948). Philip died on January 3, 1949 in Kalamazoo. Both he and Margaret are buried in Mt. Ever-Rest Cemetery in Kalamazoo, MI.

Seneca Cameras that advertised on the film envelope contained in this collection were first manufactured in 1895 in New York. The “Style C” camera for which the portrait attachment is advertised on the envelope, were first introduced in 1906 for a cost of $5.00. Constructed of wood and covered with imitation leather, the camera could take six or twelve daylight exposures per roll of film. The Vest Pocket Seneca F was also first manufactured in 1906. Although more portable, it too could only take six to twelve pictures per roll of film.