Laramie photography in the 19th century
The Laramie Plains Museum (LPM) has photos by at least seventeen different photographers who worked between the late 1860s and 1900; most lived in Laramie for a time. The earliest known photographers to capture Laramie travelled the newly built Union Pacific Railroad. They recorded emerging towns as they popped up with the arrival of the railroad; many are ghost towns today. These early photos are an invaluable testament to the settlement of the west. Two well-known early photographers were Andrew J. Russell (1829-1902) and Arundel C. Hull (1849-1909).
The 19th century was a time of rapid discovery and invention. Photography heralded unprecedented change; one example is the accessibility of portraiture that previously was only for the elite. Another was its use to record history.
Portraiture
Before photography, portraits were most commonly created by painting. For a good portrait, it may have taken months, even years, to complete because the subject would have to be mostly present during the painting process. Ordinary people did not have time to dedicate to holding a pose while artists painted their likenesses.
Faster than painting, early photography was still time consuming. Although the exact amount of time is debatable, it likely took 12 hours to develop the first known photograph, taken by the Frenchman Nicéphore Niépce around 1826.
Early portrait photography resembled portrait painting. The artist staged a scene to capture the subject’s personality, and the subject had to hold the position for an extended time. Often subjects did not smile; support mechanisms called posing stands were used to help maintain posture.
By the late 1830s, new methods and materials greatly reduced exposure time and improved the quality of the photo. The daguerreotype was the first produced commercially. It used a silver-covered copper plate but only one image could be made.
Ultimately, technology dramatically improved exposure time, quality and reproducibility.
Photography records history
The popularity of the camera coincided with the settling of the American West. This new medium offered an unprecedented perspective.
Historians before this point relied primarily on written accounts. Drawings, paintings and sculpture created from artists’ memories could be made, but might be faulty. The photograph allowed an exact replica of a scene to be recorded, which proved to be more accurate and practical than lithographs and engravings.
The 1839 stereoscope, also known as a stereopticon viewer, was a device that created the illusion of three dimensions. It was very popular in homes through the late 19th to early 20th centuries. Images often depicted places far away and were sold in sets and series for entertainment and education.
Popularization and technology
Photography became popular during the 1850s with the invention of the carte-de-visite (typically measuring 4”x2 ½” and mounted on a card). By the 1870s, carte-de-visite were made by the millions worldwide and often collected in albums. The tintype (printed on metal with lacquer covering) was another cheap alternative to the daguerreotype and could be used in “street photography.” By the late 1860s the cabinet card (measuring 6 ½”x4 ¼” with photographer’s imprint) replaced the smaller carte-de-visite. Cabinet cards dominated studio photography into the 20th century.
By 1888, Kodak advertised: “You press the button, and we do the rest.” The disposable camera was born. For $50 (about $250 today according to the official US Consumer Price Index) a person could now purchase a camera, take around 100 photos, send the entire camera to Kodak and in return receive a reloaded camera and the developed prints. This allowed almost anyone to become a photographer; a new hobby emerged.
The professional
Early professional photographers tended to be transient, at least in the west. Materials were expensive and dry dusty conditions made early photography challenging. The need of a dark room (often a tent) compounded the process further. Some travelled by wagon but many took advantage of the railroad. Few settled long in small towns. Often they stopped just long enough to pay their way further west to more populated areas.
Joshua Crissman (1833-1922) arrived in Laramie by the late 1860s. The LPM has a sizable collection by this artist that includes photos of the Ivinsons and other well-known Laramie residents. He moved to Los Angeles by 1886 where he remained the rest of his life.
By 1870, J. B. Silvis (1830-1900) was employed by the Union Pacific Railroad as its “official photographer.” He travelled the rails in his “Photograph Car,” a converted caboose. He is famous for taking photos of western scenery, including many in Wyoming. The LPM has a few of his portrait photos of Laramie residents that date between 1872 and 1877. The Laramie Daily Sentinel advertised his arrival on September 23, 1872, as follows:
“Good News for Laramie, Photographs—Mr. J. B. Silvis, of the U.P.R.R. , photograph car will arrive at Laramie City September the 18th by special train, and remain on the side track for six days only. The facilities possed [sic] by Mr. Silvis are such that he is enabled to produce the finest pictures on the American continent as a visit to his car will fully attest. Mr. Silvis comes to us crowned with success from the Pacific coast, and we can assure our readers that he will produce life-like pictures of all who wish to give him a trial. He keeps constantly on hand an endless variety of attractive mountain scenery and has photographed all of nature on the two Pacific Railroads. Give him a call, a visit to his car will be a rare treat.”
Photographers proliferate
According to Laramie newspapers, the first photographer to set up a studio in Laramie was George W. McFadden of Ohio. He settled in Laramie by 1870 following his service in the Civil War. His office was located on South B (later Grand Ave.) between 1st and 2nd St.
There are many other well-known 19th century photographers in Laramie whose names bear mentioning, including Charles Bishop, UW Prof. B. C. Buffum, Silas Hartwell & Son, Merritt Houghton, Webster Brothers, and J. C. Swan.
The first known woman photographer in Laramie was Ellen Vera Hull (1883-1968); no known relation to A. C. Hull. She apprenticed with well-known Laramie photographer Edward N. Rogers (1864-1950) as early as 1911 and operated the Rogers Studio into the 1920s. She is known for her studio photography and is credited with taking portraits and class photos for UW.
Two 20th century photographers, Henning Svenson (1879-1932) and Walter “Doc” Ludwig (1908-1977) deserve mention as well. Trained in the art of photography in Kiel, Germany, Svenson emigrated and settled in Laramie and opened Svenson Photo Studio by 1906. He produced about 750,000 negatives, developing many into very popular postcards of local scenes. Eventually Lottie, one of Svenson’s daughters, purchased the studio inherited by her eldest sister, Helen. She married Ludwig and together they continued the family business. They renamed the studio Ludwig Photo Enterprise and it is still in business, operated by Svenson’s great granddaughter, Anne Brande.
By Konnie Cronk
Caption: Photographer J. B. Silvis and the locomotive engineer (at the front) with the “U.P.R.R. Photograph Car “near Point of Rocks, Wyoming. Photo courtesy of the Union Pacific Railroad Museum, Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Caption: Examples of 19th century Laramie photographer’s imprints on the back of carte-de-visite images. Photo courtesy of the Laramie Plains Museum.