Biographical Note

Photographer William J. Roege (1883-1970) worked for commercial photography firms and independently in New York City from at least 1914 through the 1950s, turning his camera toward the businesses and residences of Manhattan and Brooklyn. From at least 1914 through 1923, Roege worked for the firm American Studio at 87 Nassau Street, while making his home in Newark and then Belleville, New Jersey. Photographs within this collection indicate that he was working as a photographer as early as 1910. By 1925, Roege was working at Boyette, the eponymous commercial photography firm owned by Fine Boyette located at 105 West 47th Street, and had moved his residence temporarily to Manhattan. By the 1950s, Roege had moved back to New Jersey, and in 1957 he began using his Belleville address as his sole business address. The business continued to be listed in his name in city directories through the 1970s, although Social Security records indicate that Roege died in December of 1970. Little is known of Roege's life beyond his professional work.