in honor of...

...photographers, collectors, historians and writers.  This week, the work is not mine, but that of many who came before today's photographers and photo documentarians contained in a newly released beautiful book titled Lens on the Texas Frontier by Lawrence T. Jones III.  Published by Texas A&M University Press, this volume features historical photographs extensively researched, and blends them in context with enough background and scholarly information to provide a wonderful read.  It reiterates how complicated and tenuous photography was in the 19th century for the intrepid photographers who came to Texas and set up shops, or did itinerant work, traveling from farms to small towns and cities making daguerreotypes, then ambrotypes and tintypes before film came to make the art much less precarious and more extensive.  As it was, the number of photographers drifting from town to town or establishing studios was impressive.  I cannot imagine hauling a wagon full of silver-coated copper, tin, lead, or glass plates, and trying to keep them clean and out of the light before exposure.  These early artists had to be tenacious.  This tenacity coupled with ample passion for historic photography was also given to the collection process by Larry Jones over a 30+ year period.

Lens on the Texas Frontier by Lawrence T. Jones III and Rug # 228 by Fred Black

The book is divided into sections - first documenting Texas history and early Texas photography from 1843-1900 - followed by photographs in the collection now housed at the DeGolyer Library at Southern Methodist University.  A chronology that begins with Cased Images including daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, and tintypes proceeds into Cartes de Visite, stereographs, cabinet cards, and large format photographs providing insight into frontier life as it was across the state.

Preceeding the list of formerly unlisted photographers (those not included in three previous sources  featuring Texas photographers), and the appendix of Carte de Visite photographic imprints (the photographers identifying marks or trademarks on the reverse of the cards, some of which were quite elaborate), there is a wonderful chapter titled "On Collectors and Collecting."

In Jones' words:

"As one becomes more experienced as a collector, one should keep in mind that there always will be something fresh and new coming in your direction.  How many times have I heard another collector make the statement 'There is no end to it?'  Yet, truer words were never spoken when it comes to collecting antiquities of any kind, including vintage photography.

It would be a terrible mistake for a fledgling collector to look at this book and think that all of the great vintage Texas photographs have been collected.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Real Texas photographic treasures remain to be found, and the best of them come directly from families whose members still possess the precious daguerreotypes and ambrotypes of their ancestors."

Thanks to Larry and Lens on the Frontier, I now know that my husband and I are in possession of a great number of Carte de Visite family photographs.  My hope is that with the publication of this book and research done through the collection at the DeGolyer Libary, some of the photographs (the subjects and photographers of which are not identified) will now be identified by a new generation of family members or collectors and historians.

Congratulations, Larry!

until next Monday,

DB

a passion for the image