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Pictures from Maine

Jul 2026 | Alternate Processes, Artists, Color Photography, History of Photography, Painters|Photographers, Photographic Postcards, Significant Photographers, Unknown Photographers

Steuben, 2024: “Clammer Heading Out, Pre-Dawn”. In early morning fog, a clammer pushes his skiff off at low tide on the shoreline of Pigeon Hill Bay as a gull sweeps in low. Photo by David Spencer for PhotoSeed Archive. Right: “After the Storm, Vinalhaven, 1938-1939”, oil on Academy board, Marsden Hartley, American, 1877-1943. Excerpt from wall text: “Like many of Marsden Hartley’s late marine landscapes, After the Storm, Vinalhaven expresses the artists sympathetic response to the elemental strength of his native land. The subject is the rocky seacoast in the vicinity of Vinalhaven Island in Maine’s Penobscot Bay. In the foreground, wind-whipped waves lash unyielding score, storm clouds pass overhead, and, in the distance, a pine-covered broods in solid silence.” Collection: Bowdoin College Museum of Art

Why do certain places exert a unique hold on someone’s artistic sensibilities? Given chance or opportunity, children can even find themselves in the grasp of forces they may not realize are shaping a future career. When I was a kid, my brother and I set off to Camp Idlewild, located on an island in New Hampshire’s Lake Winnipesaukee. We spent a month away that summer: a big step up from our local YMCA day camp experience. My mother later told me she cried after dropping us off after she and my father returned to the ferry landing in Wolfeboro. I remember her telling me she thought she had made a mistake. But that month would turn out to be one of the best in my life. I was happy to be on my own for the first time, albeit surrounded by several hundred other campers. The many diversions, including the much anticipated boat ride aboard the camp’s sleek wooden powerboat, the Riot, were icing on the cake. I vaguely remember toting around a Kodak 110 Instamatic that first summer, but there were certainly no prize-winners when the pictures came back from the drug store.

My second overnight camp experience was altogether different. By this time, around 15, I was in love with the quirky art stylings of cartoonist Don Martin, whose Mad Magazine caricatures I emulated in Testors model paint on the top of my camp trunk. I remember my counselor making positive small talk about the paintings after my parents dropped me off at Camp Netop, located in Casco, Maine. Perhaps the destiny of my becoming a great artist awaited? Not exactly, but Netop did change my life.

Little Good Harbor, Maine, 1905–1912, Fred Holland Day, American, 1864–1933, cyanotype. Collection: Worcester Art Museum. Right: Little Good Harbor, Low Tide, 2018. Photo by David Spencer for PhotoSeed Archive. Located near the mouth of the Sheepscot River at Five Islands, Georgetown, Maine, Little Good Harbor was the location of photographer Fred Holland Day’s summer home, built in 1912. Author Patricia Fanning, writing in 2001, gives a summary of the property: “Beginning in 1898, Day spent summers at a retreat he called Little Good Harbor near Five Islands, Maine. Because of Day, the bucolic setting became a kind of artist’s colony for his friends and their families. Among the photographers who visited were Gertrude Kasebier, Alvin Langdon Coburn, George Seeley, and Clarence White, who himself opened a summer photography school a few miles from Day’s property. The area was also popular among Day’s inner-city proteges. ( In 1912, Day built a large, Swiss-style chalet to house his numerous guests.) Day’s “camp” was informally fashioned after the programs for disadvantaged youth then popular in New York and Boston, and perhaps was inspired by similar camps run by the Episcopalian Sisters of St. Margaret and Cowley Fathers, with whom Day was closely associated. All visitors enjoyed boating, swimming, reading, board games and, of course, photography. Sailor suits were worn by all to eliminate any trace of social inequality or privilege.” Fanning, Patricia J. (2001). Cultural Commentary: The Pied Piper of Parmenter Street – The Philanthropic Work of F. Holland Day. Bridgewater Review, 20(1), 12-13.

That change was instigated by an actual darkroom located strategically next to the stage area of the main lodge, a former cavernous dance hall built in the 1920s. As it turned out, the camp co-founder, David Webster, a former elementary and junior high school science teacher who everybody called Sparky (his camp bonfires a specialty), had published the book Photo Fun: an Idea book for Shutterbugs, in 1973, about 5 years before I showed up that summer. Besides all the other typical camp activities like swimming, archery, riflery and even minibikes (the most popular by a mile), taking pictures around camp, developing the film and printing the photos was an actual camp activity. I was smitten. The editorial staff at Mad would have to wait. I was on my way to becoming a photographer.

Sparky’s advice in the book’s introduction gave encouragement to kids like myself: “The only way to become a good photographer is to take lots of pictures and note what seems to bring the best results. So load your camera and start snapping away. Have fun!” The book included several photos of Netop campers at play, and I fondly remembered Sparky’s son Doug later recreating one of the photos with his camera from the “Trick Photography” chapter. As I and another camper lined up in the outfield of the baseball field, a fellow camper in the foreground pretended to “hold us up” using his outstretched hands—pre-digital technology magic for this teenager to contemplate.

Through the years, I have continually renewed that early connection with the state of Maine. Besides being known as Vacationland, a tourism slogan appearing on Pine Tree state license plates since 1936, artists and photographers have journeyed here in order to seek creativity since at least the mid 19th century. Its rugged tidal coastlines and islands, natural wonders and changing light never cease to inspire those seeking artistic growth, a change in life or reason to seek a new chapter.

Enjoy these pictures from (mostly coastal) Maine, spanning the outer reaches of the Midcoast region up to my personal favorite, Downeast. With a few of my own snaps to give a flavor of modern times, the fruits of long-ago masters of the brush are showcased with photographs by anonymous amateurs on summer holiday. Maine also holds an important place in the history of photography. On Georgetown Island, the summer beachhead of what became the very first school of artistic photography, the Seguinland School of Photography, was established in 1910 by Clarence White. I paid a visit to what remains, as well as the grounds of The Chalet at Little Good Harbor up the coast, built by White’s fellow summer school teacher/critic Fred Holland Day in 1912.

The Clarence White family also put down long time summer roots in Georgetown when White purchased a coastal building lot and old farmhouse in 1910 close to his school. I’ve included correspondence from my 2018 email exchange with the Georgetown Historical Society, who confirmed my photo showing the former “Popple Beach” location of the home. Demolished and replaced by a new home in the early 1990s, the ghosts of White’s legacy and those photographic documents of his students depicting this rugged coastal retreat remain, with summer visitors in the present continuing to enjoy the coastal views from the porch of the former Sequinland Hotel— the former location of White’s school today known as the Grey Havens Inn. —David Spencer, July 2026

Inset: Maynard White in Sailor Suit Standing Beside a Column on Pergola, 1914, Fred Holland Day, American, 1864–1933, cyanotype. Collection: Library of Congress. See other cyanotypes held by LOC of the pergola construction. Maynard Pressley White, 1896-1961. White went on to receive his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Brown in 1920 and a masters in Paleontology from Columbia University in 1922, as well as Ph.D. He was a geologist and paleontologist for various oil companies. Right: F. Holland Day House Entrance Sign, Georgetown, ME, 2018. Privately owned, the former summer home of Fred Holland Day has been used as a wellness retreat. Photo by David Spencer for PhotoSeed Archive

The Chalet Looking Northeast, Little Good Harbor, Maine, (left and middle pane of triptych) 1912 or 1913, Fred Holland Day, American, 1864–1933, b&w film copy negative from album held by Library of Congress: Little Good Harbor records, vol. 2, p. 48. Photographs by F. Holland Day and others. Designed by the Boston architectural firm Newhall & Blevins along with Day, this view from across Little Good Harbor shows the photographer’s summer home in Georgetown, ME known as the Chalet under construction and at right, the pergola. Also see: F. Holland Day’s Country House, Little Good Harbor, October 1912.  Bottom Left & Right: From 2018, an exterior view of the Chalet, as well as the pergola, located on the original footprint. David Spencer for PhotoSeed Archive.

Isleboro, 2023: Photographing Sunrise from Cabin. Middle: Early Morning Figure, Cushing, 2022. Right: Weathered Clapboards & Sky, Pleasant Point, Cushing, ME, 2022. One need not go far for photographic inspiration in Maine. Oftentimes, the interior of your rental accommodation or grounds will produce memorable views. Photos by David Spencer for PhotoSeed Archive

Top Left: Beating Out to Sea, 1913, oil on board, George Wesley Bellows, American, 1882-1925. Excerpt from wall text: “A student of Robert Henri’s, Bellows was inspired by his teacher’s enthusiasm for Monhegan, visiting the island for the first time in 1911….The rugged environment of Mohegan appealed to Bellows. He wrote to his wife Emma, “The island is endless in its wonderful variety. It’s possessed of enough beauty to supply a continent.” During the summer of 1913, when this work was painted, Bellows completed 125 works on Monhegan, 42 of them in one month.” Collection: Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland, ME. Top Right: Monhegan Light, 1936, Warner Taylor, American, 1880-1958, gelatin silver print, 35.4 x 27.8 cm, unmounted. On Maine’s Monhegan Island, the Monhegan Lighthouse, with light beaming outwards from its fresnel lens at full candlepower, and with a field of wildflowers making up the composition foreground, cuts through the darkness in this nighttime photograph taken before World War II, when the light was dimmed for wartime. From: PhotoSeed Archive. Bottom: Schooner’s Bowsprit, 1926, Edward Hopper, American, 1882-1967, watercolor on paper. Excerpt from wall text: “In the summer of 1926, Hopper and his wife Jo spent seven weeks in Rockland, a period that proved to be one of the most productive of his career. Writing his dealer Frank Rehn in New York, he described Rockland as “a very fine old place with lots of good looking houses but not much shipping.” Hopper favored subjects that recalled the past in the present; here the hull of an abandoned schooner, a relic of days when Rockland was a thriving commercial port.” Collection: Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland, ME.

Top Left: Monhegan Island Visitors, 2022. Near the ferry landing on Monhegan Island, a visitor at center lines up a photo of neighboring Manana Island across from Monhegan Harbor. Located approximately 12 nautical miles off the coast of Maine and part of Lincoln County, the island at 4.5 square miles is renowned as one of America’s oldest and most influential artist colonies. Summer month visitors vastly outnumber the locals, counted as 64 people during the 2020 US Census. Lower Left & Middle: Chair on Steps, 2022. This ladderback chair serves guard duty in front of a private Monhegan Island residence; Flowers & Homes, 2022,  flowers can be seen just about everywhere on Monhegan. Monhegan and Manana islands form “a unique maritime community that balances historical preservation, environmental conservation, and sustainable tourism.” Right: Sketching on Monhegan Island, ca. 1900-1910, unknown American photographer, cyanotype, 11.8 x 9.3 | 12.6 x 9.9 cm. The Monhegan Museum, which holds a black & white variant of this image, identifies the three people shown, all American artists. Seated while sketching is Eric Hudson, (1864-1932); leaning over him is Alice Swett, (1846-1916) while Maud Briggs Knowlton (1870-1956) stands at far right. Knowlton and Swett were the first two women artists in the Monhegan Island artists’ colony, while maritime painter Eric Hudson’s work and papers can be found at the Smithsonian. From: PhotoSeed Archive

Former White Family Property, “Popple Beach”, Georgetown, ME, 2018. Shrouded by trees at far right center is where American photographer Clarence Hudson White rebuilt a derelict farm house and had it winched closer to the coast overlooking the mouth of the Sheepscot River in 1910. The White family retained the property until 1990, when Ruth Royer White passed. Jeanne McGowan, former president of the Georgetown Historical Society and a close friend and former neighbor of the White family, corresponded with PhotoSeed in 2018, giving the following details of the White property: “The White house originally sat at the corner of what is now Seguinland Road and White Road. About 1910 Clarence and Jane purchased the farmhouse from Walter Reid and moved it closer to the water, using local talent to do so. Mr. Reid had purchased it from a local family as a part of his plan to develop that area of the island. In fact, the Grey Havens Inn was the first part of that plan although Mr. Reid called it the Seguinland Hotel. …After the move, a “tower” was added to the house by the Whites which served as an office for both Clarence Sr. and Clarence Jr. The house stayed in the White family through Clarence Jr’s life and then that of his wife, Ruth Royer White who died in 1990. They moved to Georgetown in the 1970s and lived there full-time. Clarence’s nephew Maynard inherited the house and after some years sold it to the current owner. It was she who demolished the White house and built a new home closer to the water. Ruth White confirmed to my husband and me that the Whites were the ones who named their shorefront Popple Beach because of the large rocks that comprised the shore. Time and tide have changed that somewhat. In fact, Ruth White told us that there was once a “crib wharf” made of rocks. Whatever it’s size and shape, such a wharf would have been there a relatively short time given the wave/water action at that location at the mouth of the Sheepscot River.” Today, this now private property can only be seen from the coastal northern boundary of Reid State Park. Photo by David Spencer for PhotoSeed Archive. Right: The Bath Tub, Maine Coast, ca. 1921, Clarence Hudson White, American, 1871–1925, Gum bichromate on palladium print with wash. Collection: Princeton Museum of Art, Princeton, N.J. (further inscribed on matt verso: Rocks at Georgetown, Maine – about 1921)

Advertising Material: Seguinland School of Photography: The very first school devoted to artistic photography was founded in 1910 by Clarence White as The Seguinland School of Photography, located in coastal Georgetown, Maine at the head of the Sheepscot River. The Library of Congress notes the school: “was housed in a hotel, which was to be part of the new “Seguinland” resort on the mid-coast of Maine near Georgetown and Seguin Island. Pictorialist photographer F. Holland Day, who summered nearby, had earlier invited White and his family to the area for a respite from the city and the opportunity to explore creative photography outdoors. The fellowship between the two photographers and their families was an important factor in White’s decision to start the summer school. Students wore sailor suits, a practice begun by Day and his summer guests, and boarded at the Seguinland Hotel. Day regularly conducted critiques for White’s students, as on occasion did New York photographer Gertrude Käsebier.” Left: Fifth Season advertisement, published full page (25.5 x 20.3 cm) in Platinum Print: A Journal of Personal Expression, New York, December, 1913. (PhotoSeed Archive) Middle: First Summer School, Five Islands, Maine, 1910, Clarence Hudson White, American, 1871–1925, platinum print: Collection, Museum of Modern Art, New York, N.Y. Dressed in a sailor suit, Clarence White sits at the far end of a communal table along with students attending the first year of his Seguinland School of Photography. Top Right: Advertisement drawing attention to Clarence H. White, notifying subscribers to Camera Work, XXX, April 1910 that he “will conduct classes in photography at Seguinland, Maine, (Post Office, Five Islands, Me.) from July 5th to 26th, 1910.” Lower Right: In 1915, during the sixth and final year of White’s summer school in Maine before moving to East Canaan, Connecticut, the school was marketing itself as The Clarence H. White School of Modern Photography. Advertisement in Platinum Print: A Journal of Personal Expression, New York, Vol. 2, No. 1, 1915. (PhotoSeed Archive)

Upper Left: Visitors on Grounds of Grey Havens Inn, Georgetown, ME, 2018. This shingle style hotel was built in 1904 by Georgetown native Walter E. Reid (1869 -1955) as part of his Seguinland Cottage Company, a Georgetown real estate development firm with plans to develop 1500 acres around the hotel as a new summer resort. The hotel was used by summer students of the Clarence White-founded Seguinland School of Photography. In 1910, an ad in Camera Work gave students a special rate for one week of hotel room and board for $12.00. Reid made a name and fortune for himself first with the American Tobacco Company and later as director of the Mack Truck Company from 1927-1951. A life of local philanthropy followed, his significant holdings in Mack Truck giving him the means to initially donate 350 acres of land to the state of Maine in 1946. Named in memory to his parents, Reid State Park—close to the hotel— opened in Georgetown in 1950, the state’s first public recreational park on the ocean. Video history of Walter E. Reid. Middle Left: Historic photographs from about 1920 showing a steamboat at the Five Islands wharf: how visitors arrived and departed for the the hotel; a frontal view of the hotel described in a scrapbook held by the property as “Awnings Gone – Upper Deck Intact“. Lower Left: Listed on the National Historic Register in 1985, hotel visitors can enjoy seating looking at to the mouth of Harmon’s Harbor, an inlet off the Sheepscot River. (David Spencer for PhotoSeed Archive) Right: In this c. 1913 platinum print by Sequinland School of Photography student Gertrude L. Brown, the porch of the nearby Pilot House on the hotel grounds becomes an extended classroom space. School founder Clarence White, in sailor suit seated at background middle, converses with Gertrude Käsebier at right, surrounded by students. Collection: Library of Congress.

Upper Left: The Pilot House, Georgetown, ME, 2018. The likely domicile of former steam launch or boat pilots who maneuvered the rocky shoreline of nearby Harmon’s Harbor while ferrying guests to the Sequinland Hotel, this home was rented by Clarence White after 1912 for use as a darkroom, studio and classroom space for the Seguinland School of Photography through 1915. (David Spencer for PhotoSeed Archive) Lower Left: Untitled {Architectural study at night}, 1915, Margaret DeMotte Brown, American, 1880-1959, platinum print from Class of 1915 Album. The Pilot house is seen in this nighttime view, the structure today noticeably altered by the placement of a new chimney stack and permanent porch overhang. Collection: Princeton University Art Museum. Right: Clarence White critiquing students at the Sequinland Summer School, 1915, Edith R. Wilson, American, 1864-1924, platinum print from Class of 1915 Album. Historian Anne McCauley, in her fine 2017 volume Clarence H. White and His World: The Art and Craft of Photography, 1895-1925, describes some of the conditions students of the school faced at Sequinland: “For photographers, the implementation of classes in a rural location like coastal Maine was considerably more difficult, since neither running water (vital for processing) nor electricity was available. Well water was pumped, shooting was done in daylight, and sun printing was normal for platinum and gum printing (bromide enlargements were possible with lantern light). (p. 250) Collection: Princeton University Art Museum.

The Red, White & Blue of a Maine Summer: Cushing, 2022: Lobsters Steamed, Pound Direct. Middle: Steamers & Corn, Bar Harbor, ME, 2019. Right: Wild Blueberry Land Sign, Columbia Falls, ME, 2024. Photos by David Spencer for PhotoSeed Archive

Summer Camp Scenes, Sunday Bible Drama : Camp Sidney Lanier, 1916, Margaret Watkins , Canadian, 1884-1969, gelatin silver print, 15.5 x 20.8 cm. Known as “primitive dramas” , these campers act out a Bible drama written by Sidney Lanier Jr. (1870-1918) in the camps woods. Likely dating to 1916, this and two other known photographs by Watkins were taken at Camp Sidney Lanier, located in Eliot, Maine from 1908-1940. In 1914, Watkins had attended a six-week session of the Clarence H. White Summer School of Photography (Sequinland School of Photography) at Georgetown, ME, eventually teaching at the school in CT and New York City beginning in 1917. Right: Mermaid Study : Submerged, (detail) 1914, Charlotte Vetter Gulick, American, 1865-1928, gelatin silver print, 8.4 x 10.8 | 16.7 x 22.7 cm gray art paper. The subject of this photograph, a person shown underwater, was something rarely if ever photographed, at least successfully, from this time period. Most likely taken with a hand-camera, the swimmer is Katharine “Kitty” Gulick, (1895-1968) youngest daughter of photographer and Wohelo camp founder Charlotte Vetter Gulick. She and husband Luther Halsey Gulick (1865-1918) founded the camp in 1907, located on the shores of Sebago Lake in Raymond, Maine. Wohelo Camps continue to operate in the present day. (2026) Both: PhotoSeed Archive

Top Left: Isleboro, 2023: Sailboat Reflection. David Spencer for PhotoSeed Archive. Top Right: In Port (Rockland Maine), 1931, Hermann C. Lythgoe, American, 1874-1962, unmounted bromoil print, 27.7 x 35.2 cm. Reflections from the hulls of two large sailboats and their mooring lines are seen in the harbor at Rockland. PhotoSeed Archive. Bottom: Bottom: The Fitzgerald Dory, Monhegan Island, 2022. Known as The Command, this dory, once owned by Monhegan artist James Fitzgerald, (1899-1971) sits on the grounds of the Monhegan Island Light station. A plate attached to the boat: (excerpt) Fitzgerald “developed a deep appreciation for the beauty and seaworthiness of a dory when he joined the crew of the schooner Elizabeth Howard in 1923. In 1963, he purchased this dory from the captain of a seine boat that had tied up at Monhegan Wharf. Naming it The Command, Fitzgerald often used the dory as a model for his artwork.” David Spencer for PhotoSeed Archive

Scenes from Prouts Neck: Left: Young people Dressed for Summer at Prouts Neck, Maine, ca. 1890, unknown American photographer, cyanotype on leaf contained within album, 8.8 x 11.5 | 15.5 x 18.0 cm. The following lines are inscribed with this photograph, the early references being large Summer hotels that once operated in Prouts Neck, often catering to those from society. “Oh! giddy youth of Checkley | Oh! West Point’s thoughtless band | Oh! Cammock’s, Willow’s, Kayler’s | Oh! Cottages inland | At haycart drive or clambake | At tennis or base ball : When sporting on the surf-beach | Or sailing in Homer’s (?) yawl | When fun grows fast and furious | At concert, dance or rout | Think neath your feet is lying | The dust of good old Prout.” Circular photographs consistent with Original or No. 1 model Kodak also included in this album, giving indication of assigned date. From: PhotoSeed Archive. Top Right: Prouts Neck Surf, 1905, unknown American photographer “M.C. A.”, cyanotype, undivided back rppc, 8.6 x 13.8 cm. Mailed from Union, N.H. to Miss Ina M. Allen of Westbrook, ME, “M.C. A.” writes on recto: “I know your hobby for these prints, so here goes. This is a scene fro Prout’s Neck, I believe, rather pretty I think. Will write Soon.” Bottom Right: A Bit of Prouts Neck, ca. 1905, Signed on recto by the unknown American photographer B.H.W., cyanotype rppc, not mailed, undivided back, 8.6 x 13.8 cm. In hand of photographer on recto: A bit of Prouts Neck | The bottom is the Clam beach | “The Willows” way along.” The Willows Hotel, also known as Sea View House, was established in Prouts Neck in 1871 by Benaiah Libby. (1814-1878) Both: PhotoSeed Archive

Steuben, 2024: “Lichen & White Rock”. Spied on Petit Manan Point shoreline on Pigeon Hill Bay, part of the Maine Coastal Island National Wildlife Refuge in Steuben, ME. Top Middle: Ribes glandulosum ? (skunk currant) & Fir Seedlings, Quoddy Head State Park, Lubec, ME, 2025. Top Right: Bleached Lobster Claw, Eastern Knubble Preserve, Cutler, ME., 2025. Bottom: Pulpit Rock at low Tide, Perry, ME, 2025. “Pulpit Rock is a sea stack, located between Mill Cove and Lewis Cove in the down east town of Perry on the Saint Croix River. A sea stack is an isolated, pillar-like rocky island, detached from the mainland by wave erosion (Bates and Jackson, 1984). Pulpit Rock was first noted in print by geologist C. T. Jackson in 1837 in his First Report on the Geology of the State of Maine. It has since been visited and described by a number of geologists. The area is noted for its high tides so it is imperative to plan a visit during a falling or low tide.” From: Maine Geologic Facts and Localities, Jan. 2016. All: Photos by David Spencer for PhotoSeed Archive.

Summer Maine Rentals: View labeled Cranberry Isles, Maine, 1899, detail: album-mounted gelatin silver print, Phillip Patterson Wells, American, 1868-1929, 8.3 x 8.1 | 16.5 x 21.5 cm. This view is believed to show Great Cranberry Island, one of the five islands comprising the Town of Cranberry Isles. Wells and his family spent the summer on the island. Top Right: Capt. Hadlocks house rented to us, 1899, detail: album-mounted cyanotype print, 8.5 x 8.5 | 16.5 x 21.5 cm. (Phillip Patterson Wells) Captain Gilbert T. Hadlock, (1837-1917) who served as a Captain of a Treasury Department Lifesaving Station (Predecessor of the US Coast Guard) and ran steamboats, rented this home to Dr. Wells and his family. One of his children can be seen on the front entrance step. The home burned down in 1915. Lower Right: Old wreck at Isleford, 1899, detail: album-mounted gelatin silver print, 8.5 x 8.5 | 16.5 x 21.5 cm. (Phillip Patterson Wells) The wreck of a large two-masted sailboat is beached in front of the Hadlock house, seen in background, far right. Another view of the home, from the Great Cranberry Island Historical Society. Dr. Wells was librarian and instructor at Yale Law School for several years, and chief law officer under Gifford Pinchot for the U. S. Forestry Service, 1907-1910, counsel National Conservation Association, 1910-1911, chief law officer U. S. Reclamation Service (Department of the Interior), 1911-1913. All: PhotoSeed Archive

Summer Sailing Excursion: Fleet at Bar Harbor, 1899, album-mounted gelatin silver print, left and cyanotype at right, Phillip Patterson Wells, American, 1868-1929, each: 8.3 x 8.1 | 16.5 x 21.5 cm. From an album of summer views labeled Isleford, 1899 assembled by Wells. These two photographs appear on opposite album pages and were taken moments apart on the deck of a Bar Harbor excursion ship. Notice the sailor standing at ease in photo at left while several fashionably dressed women in hats stand nearby. At right, a closer view of the unknown US Navy battleship seen off the main bow area. Both: PhotoSeed Archive

Rock Flower, Pemaquid, detail, ca. 1955-65, Clifford Williams, American, 1885-1971, watercolor on Fome-Cor type matrix, 54.0 x 53.6 cm. Likely depicting Seaside Goldenrod, (Solidago sempervirens) this abstract study of a rocky shoreline was done late in the artists career, and bears a deaccessioned label from the Providence Art Club of Rhode Island. Edith Clifford Williams was an early pioneer in the American abstract art movement. She was part of the circle that gathered around the photographer and modern art promoter Alfred Stieglitz. She was also a long-time confidante of Hu Shih (1891–1962), who was arguably the most prominent Chinese intellectual in the first half of the 20th century. Born in Ithaca, New York, Williams—who preferred to be known as Clifford—spent most of her girlhood in New Haven, Connecticut, where her father, Henry Shaler Williams, taught geology and paleontology at Yale University. After studying with the painter John Henry Twachtman and at Yale’s School of the Fine Arts, she traveled to Europe, and was enrolled briefly at the Académie Julian in Paris. Lower Left: Pemaquid, 1888, tissue photogravure, believed to be by Ernest Edwards, naturalized American, born England, 1836-1903, 10.8 x 18.6 | 25.3 x 30.5 cm. Pemaquid is a village within the town of Bristol, Maine, situated on the Pemaquid Peninsula, which extends into the Gulf of Maine. Lower Right: Nature Walk, Gilkey Harbor, Broad Point Preserve, Islesboro, ME, 2023. A large upended piece of driftwood becomes a readymade sculpture along the coastal trail at Broad Point Preserve, part of the Islesboro Islands Trust. David Spencer for PhotoSeed Archive

Artistic Ghosts of Maine: Child in woods, Maine (Clarence H. White, Jr.?) ca. 1910–1915, Clarence Hudson White, American, 1871–1925, platinum print. Collection: Princeton Museum of Art, Princeton, N.J. Middle: Olson House Grounds & Wyeth Plot, Cushing, Maine, 2022. The late 1700’s Olson House, a National Historic Landmark that served as artistic meadow backdrop for Andrew Wyeth’s 1948 painting Christina’s World, is seen at center background along with the gravesite (front right) of American artist Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009) &  Betsey Wyeth. (1921-2020) The Museum of Modern Art, which owns the painting, states: “The title Christina’s World, courtesy of Wyeth’s wife, indicates that the painting is more a psychological landscape than a portrait, a portrayal of a state of mind rather than a place.” Anna Christina Olson, 1893-1968, the subject of the painting, is also buried here with other Olson family members. Right: Witches’ Wood, 1915-20, Bertrand H. Wentworth, American, 1869-1953, gelatin silver print, 34.9 x 27.1 cm. Most likely a self-portrait, Wentworth, from Gardiner, ME, spent time at the artists colony on Monhegan Island. He was described as a “master craftsman” affiliated with the Society of Arts and Crafts of Boston and marketed his work as The Wentworth Photographs. Learn more. From: PhotoSeed Archive

Nixon, 1973, Cushing, ME, 2022. Surprises are in store for intrepid visitors venturing off the well-worn tourist outposts in Maine. Sprouting from the reeds along the art trail of the Langlais Sculpture Preserve is former US President Richard Nixon carved in wood from a famous photograph. The work is by Maine artist Bernard Langlais, 1921-1977: “I don’t know if I’m called a constructivist, sculptor, or painter…But I wouldn’t mind being called a backwoodsman.” – Bernard Langlais, 1961. Photo by David Spencer for PhotoSeed Archive

Memento Moments: Evidence of Charles Andrew Hellmuth

Jun 2025 | Advertising, New Additions, Painters|Photographers, Publishing

“They were up in the attic of the house in an old art box.”…

Skulls: Diptych: 1910, graphite on paper, Charles A. Hellmuth, American, 1887-1945. L: “Human Skull, Profile View”: 25.8 x 29.3 cm, R: “Human Skull, Frontal View”: 28.5 x 25.0 cm. Both laid down on oversized paper sheet: 37.9 x 61.5 cm. These two finely rendered views of a human skull were completed by the artist in his final year as an art student at the prestigious Art Academy of Cincinnati, then under the management of the Cincinnati Museum Association. From: PhotoSeed Archive

The above quote is a common refrain I hear when inquiring about artistic provenance. Or basement. But hardly ever: “They were (for our purpose: old photographs) hanging on the living room wall”. Of course, this particular artist ⎯ Charles A. Hellmuth (1887-1945)⎯ the subject of today’s post, was one of the lucky ones. His son, Joseph Foote Hellmuth, made the wise decision to hold on to a few choice remnants of his father’s artistic legacy before age forced his hand.

L: Self-Portrait? This charcoal |graphite on paper profile portrait of a young man by American artist Charles A. Hellmuth is dated 1911 (16 1/2″w x 22 1/2″h) and was described by its seller as a self-portrait of the artist. From: Private Collection. R: At twenty five years of age, class artist Charles A. Hellmuth is shown the year he graduated in 1912 from East Night High School, Cincinnati, OH. Along with this halftone photograph from The Rostrum, the school yearbook, were these insights: “Our able artist formerly attended Chillicothe High School, and entered our ranks in 1911. We were indeed very fortunate to have him with us, for his skill in art and valuable suggestions have aided us materially in making this book a success. He has always been recognized as a diligent and thoughtful student, and we are proud to claim him. We find him a very considerate and ever willing fellow, who has never failed us when called upon.” Source: web

No bother. Rescue is an archive speciality. Concerning examples of Hellmuth’s artwork and photographs I was able to procure in 2012, the online dealer from a northwest Rochester, N.Y. suburb I purchased them from added this little nugget after explaining his business was estate clean outs:

“Study of Miss A.”, Charles A. Hellmuth, American, 1887-1945, 1921, gelatin silver print: 24.4 x 19.3 cm on mounts: 26.7 x 20.4 | 42.9 x 35.5 cm. This figure study of a young woman clutching a flower bloom from a vase was entered in the inaugural October, 1921 exhibition of the Art Center, Inc., based in New York City. The purpose of this collective organization or  movement was to “advance the Decorative Crafts and the Industrial and Graphic Arts of America” according to a pasted exhibition label on mount verso. From: PhotoSeed Archive

“Many of the photos in the house were taken by the real estate agent before we got there !! I was told she sold them to the local museum for ALOT of $$$ !! I was pretty upset.”

L: Cover Design: “Art Academy of Cincinnati Catalogue, 1909”, two-color woodcut on laid paper. At this time, the faculty chairman of the academy was Frank Duveneck, (1848-1919) an important American artist known to Whistler and John Singer Sargent. Source: Web. R: “Artists Garret”, Charles A. Hellmuth, American, 1887-1945, 1910, pen & ink drawing on illustration board, 22.8 x 21.0 | 35.4 x 31.2 cm. With drawings and paintings decorating the background wall; along with the essentials of bare-bones living- a large steamer trunk, kerosene heater and rocking chair- it might seem reasonable the artist used his own living space as the subject of this drawing, executed in the final year he attended the prestigious Art Academy of Cincinnati. From: PhotoSeed Archive

Certainly a great story, but I’m more inclined to believe the dealer was just trying to tell me what he thought I wanted to hear. After all, Charles Hellmuth is a complete unknown. Know any museums purchasing anonymous works off the street for big money? Do tell. (me) I should know, I’ve been fortunate to sell a few choice works from PhotoSeed to several important American museums and institutions, as well as internationally, and always extend our invitation to those overseeing collections and other informed collectors seeking original material.

“Man with cane Walking away from Building”, Charles A. Hellmuth, American, 1887-1945, 1905, unmounted charcoal drawing on laid paper watermarked MICHALLET, 27.5 x 40.3 cm. This is an early drawing study executed by the artist in his first full year attending the prestigious Art Academy of Cincinnati. From: PhotoSeed Archive

Speaking of acquisitions, the process is exacting. Museum registrars are fastidious, and endowed money for rare photographs simply does not grow on trees- especially since the current unfortunate trends include deaccessioning works in order to provide collections the ability to keep the electricity on and front doors open. Committed benefactors, promised gifts and bequests make up the bulk of new work entering museums.

L: “Profile of Older Gentleman with Beard”,Charles A. Hellmuth, American, 1887-1945, (unsigned) dated “Sept. 1910”, unmounted charcoal drawing on laid paper, 42.8 x 34.0 cm. R: “Portrait of Older Woman”, Charles A. Hellmuth, American, 1887-1945, ca. 1910, charcoal drawing on laid paper tipped to backing board, 42.8 x 34.0 cm. These two fine drawings may very well depict the artist’s own parents, who each would have been around 60 years of age. Joseph Hellmuth Jr. (1850-1939) was a commercial painting contractor and spouse Anna Mary Rudman Hellmuth (1855-1940) was a homemaker. From: PhotoSeed Archive

“Silhouette”, Charles A. Hellmuth, American, 1887-1945, 1923, multiple gum-bichromate print on laid paper, 24.5 x 19.4 cm on mount: 35.5 x 27.9 cm & window matting: 50.8 x 40.6 cm. This exhibition print shows a young girl with hair bow silhouetted against an interior window. Perhaps dating to as early as 1920, it was exhibited in the 1923 Pittsburgh Salon as well as the International Salon hosted by the Pictorial Photographers of America in New York City, May, 1923. From: PhotoSeed Archive

But in the meantime, stories and lives can be retold- often for the first time, via the rescuing process- the heck with that ol’ dustbin of history notion! The pollination of photographers embracing the easel and the somewhat less common trend of artists embracing the camera concerns the subject of this post. Our artist, Charles Hellmuth, I would discover, was someone who might be called a journeyman artist. His interest in amateur photography, as it turned out, was only a short obsession: probably less than five years, from 1920-25.

“When the Days Grow Long”, Charles A. Hellmuth, American, 1887-1945, 1912, unmounted ink drawing on oversized paper, 38.2 x 51.5 cm. This work was published in 1912 as a full page illustration in the artist’s class yearbook, The Rostrum, for East Night High School, Cincinnati, OH. Hellmuth was the class artist and earned an academic diploma when graduating from the school when he was 25 years old. From: PhotoSeed Archive

Born in northern Ohio in 1887 to first-generation parents, (his grandparents had immigrated from Germany to the US) Charles was undoubtedly influenced by his own father’s profession from a young age- that of commercial painting contractor. So think houses instead of canvases. With however the certain paternal decree that a skilled trade was necessary in order to support his future self and family, (Charles had five other siblings) the completion of his primary education for the younger Hellmuth at first did not lead to advanced schooling, at least not right away.

“Lower Broadway N.Y. City”, Charles A. Hellmuth, American, 1887-1945, ca. 1920, mounted bromoil print, 32.1 x 20.3  | 38.8 x 27.9 cm. In this winter scene showing Lower Broadway in New York City, the former Singer Building at center towers above all. For one year, 1908-1909, the Singer was the tallest building in the world at 612′. The former world headquarters of the Singer Sewing machine company, it was designed by architect Ernest Flagg. (1857-1947) Hellmuth was a resident of the city when he took this view, living at 338 W. 22nd St. From: PhotoSeed Archive

Instead, the 17 year old somehow discovered he possessed actual artistic talent. The jackpot? In late 1904, he matriculated at the prestigious Art Academy of Cincinnati under their new faculty chairman Frank Duveneck, (1848-1919) an important American artist in his own right known to Whistler and John Singer Sargent.

“Homestead in a Snowy Landscape”, Charles A. Hellmuth, American, 1887-1945, 1922, oil on unstretched canvas, 34.4 x 44.5 cm (overall). A rare surviving example of a painting by the artist. It’s unknown how prolific he was in creating works such as this, although he most likely used the medium of oil paint for some of the poster work he did for the commercial lithography firms he worked for. In 1918, he became a member of The Society of Independent Artists and like hundreds of others, paid a $6.00 entry fee to have several works displayed in their 2nd annual exhibition. From: PhotoSeed Archive

For the six years he attended the Cincinnati academy, we are fortunate to be able to share some of the young artists original student drawings. The diptych of human skulls leading off this post- a common art school drawing assignment, are finely rendered, as are two individual portraits of an older gentleman and woman who may well be Hellmuth’s own parents. With the knowledge he would eventually immerse himself by the early 1920’s with amateur photography, these works are a wonderful reference for his obvious skill set in embracing the very different mechanical aspects of the camera and chemical knowledge requirements of the darkroom.

But our artist was not done with schooling. Even though his occupation was listed as artist for the 1910 Cincinnati City Directory, he chose to attend Chillicothe High School in the town he was born the same year and then enrolled in 1911 as a night student at East Night High School in Cincinnati. This would give him the necessary diploma required to open the employment doors more easily for one primarily schooled in the art trade. When he finally graduated high school, at the ripe age of 25, the editors of the class yearbook said of him:

“Man with Mustache”, Charles A. Hellmuth, American, 1887-1945, ca. 1920-25, mounted gelatin silver print, 24.0 x 19.5 | 26.5 x 20.3 | 43.2 x 35.6 cm. A fine example of the artist’s portrait work, the subject bears a passing resemblance to the artist himself. Although lacking the NY attribution he sometimes included with his signature, its still most likely from the period he lived their while being an active member of the Pictorial Photographers of America. From: PhotoSeed Archive

“We were indeed very fortunate to have him with us, for his skill in art and valuable suggestions have aided us materially in making this book a success. He has always been recognized as a diligent and thoughtful student, and we are proud to claim him.”

Charles A. Hellmuth worked as a commercial artist and lithographer for ACME Litho, from as early as 1917 to the mid 1920’s, and went on to work for Morgan Litho in Cleveland after this period. No extant posters or other advertising material produced by Acme or Morgan credited to the artist are known. L: “Felix the Cat Laughs it Off”, a 1926 animated short by Acme. M: closeup of ACME logo on ca. 1921 silent film poster “Franklyn Farnum” by Canyon Pictures Corp. R: “Husbands for Rent” Acme poster for 1927 romcom featuring Owen Moore and Helene Costello. From the web: “Acme Litho Company was initially used by Fox’s Box Office Attractions and Pathé (studios) in the teens. Acme also worked for Educational Film Distributors.” Source credits for all: Web

Ambitious, but apparently not of great health, (he claimed a medical deferment for a heart condition on his WWI draft registration) he eventually made a home in New York City, working as an artist and lithographer for the Acme Litho Company. It was in New York in the early 20’s that the artist fully embraced amateur photography, winning prizes and having his work-mainly bromoils- exhibited in the salons of the Pictorial Photographers of America, of which he was a member.

“At the Market”, Charles A. Hellmuth, American, 1887-1945, ca. 1920-25, mounted bromoil print, 19.8 x 28.2 | 32.2 x 40.3 cm with overmatt: 51.0 x 40.7 cm. A documentary image most likely taken in New York City shows a woman with oversized sun bonnet clutching her basket while eyeing grapes hanging in an outdoor produce market. The mount verso carries the white label for Member Pictorial Photographers of America and the artist’s NY address: 329 W. 22nd St. From: PhotoSeed Archive

It would have been interesting had Hellmuth stuck with photography longer, but with his marriage in 1926 and birth of his son Joseph in 1928, his free time was taken over more by family priorities. By 1930, they were back in his home state of Ohio where he would continue working as a lithographer and poster artist for Morgan Litho in Cleveland, a company that had bought out his former employer Acme.

Fellow Students and Collaborators: “A Good Joke”, Glen Tracy, American, 1883-1956, 1943, unmounted lithograph on paper, 4th state, 37.2 x 31.0 cm. Glen Tracy and Charles Hellmuth were fellow students at the Art Academy of Cincinnati in the first decade of the 20th Century, becoming lifelong friends. Tracy also became an instructor in Preparatory Drawing, and Painting in Oil and Water Colors in 1909 at the Academy. This Tracy lithograph was turned into a lithograph by Hellmuth while he worked at Morgan Litho in Cleveland in the early 1940’s. Hellmuth has added his printing notes in graphite to the bottom margin and titled the work in his own hand: A Good Joke | -work added and work taken out – just printed 4th edition of this one yesterday- many changes having been made.  From: PhotoSeed Archive

Apparently, with future evidence to be determined, Hellmuth never received artistic credit for the many posters, broadsides and other advertising material published by Acme and Morgan– a standard industry practice for the hundreds of anonymous artists plying their trade who would never see a byline working for these companies. In contrast, his photographs- beautifully composed with the hallmarks of a subtle palette of highlights and shadows enhanced by the bromoil process- would earn the public’s recognition in his lifetime.

“Cornwall on the Hudson”, Charles A. Hellmuth, American, 1887-1945, 1923, mounted bromoil print, 17.4 x 23.7 | 29.5 x 36.5 cm. Sailboats on the Hudson River can be seen in the distance in this Summertime view most likely taken in 1922. It  received an honorable mention in a monthly camera contest sponsored and published by Shadowland magazine for their February, 1923 issue. Judges comments included with the reproduction: “This is well composed with a pictorial quality“. From: PhotoSeed Archive

This balance of a career trade and amateur craft surely satisfied his artistic drive, and reason enough his proud son chose to preserve the evidence of his father’s career- squirreling it within an old art box in the attic of his Rochester, N.Y. home. Memento memories rescued and showcased here for your consideration and delight.

Historical Biography: Charles Andrew Hellmuth  1887-1945

1887: Born on January 17th in Chillicothe, OH to father Joseph Hellmuth Jr. ,(1850-1939) a commercial painting contractor, and mother Anna Mary Rudman Hellmuth, (1855-1940) a homemaker.

1904-1910: Seeking a trade, he enrolls in late 1904 at the age of 17 at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, then under the management of the Cincinnati Museum Association. 

1907: Student living in Cincinnati and attending Art Academy of Cincinnati. (1907 Directory)

1910: In his last year at the Academy, he lists himself as an Artist living at 2153 Fulton Ave., Cincinnati. (1910 Directory)

-Enrolls in Chillicothe High School in the Ohio town he was born.

1911: Perhaps desiring to be closer to the city of Cincinnati where he earned his art diploma and to be closer with friends and professional acquaintances, he matriculates at East Night High School in Cincinnati, OH, living at 1927 Auburn Ave. in Mt. Auburn, OH. As its name implied, East Night was a night school, where students worked during the day and attended class at night. Although born in Chillicothe, his first-generation parents- also born in Chillicothe, whose parents both immigrated from Germany- had a large family of six children to support. Because of these family obligations, dedicated students such as Hellmuth graduated older. At East Night, many graduates took courses in Bookkeeping and Stenography- trades with good career outcomes. Additional information from Fulshear Books, Whiting Texas: “Some history on East Night High School from the Withrow High School Alumni Association site: “East Night High School was in existence from 1911-1937 and classes were held in the East High School building and eventually the Withrow High School building. It was intended for students that could not attend day classes due to necessary working conditions, family care concerns or for any reason that daytime classes were not an option for individuals who wanted a high school education.”

1912: Graduates from East Night High School on May 24, listed as the Class Artist. He had participated in the school’s Oratorical Contest and gave the speech: “The Value of Art Culture.” From The Rostrum: school yearbook: “Our able artist formerly attended Chillicothe High School, and entered our ranks in 1911. We were indeed very fortunate to have him with us, for his skill in art and valuable suggestions have aided us materially in making this book a success. He has always been recognized as a diligent and thoughtful student, and we are proud to claim him. We find him a very considerate and ever willing fellow, who has never failed us when called upon.”

-Its unknown where and in what capacity Hellmuth worked during this period. One idea, subject to research, was that he was employed at one of the many potteries in Cincinnati. Known as “the cradle of American art pottery”, a good friend of the artist, Albert F. Pons, (1888-1971) had worked in the city as an artist for Rookwood Pottery from 1904 through 1911, and was best man at Hellmuth’s 1926 wedding.

 1917: Registers for WWI draft. His occupation is listed as a commercial lithographer, working for the Acme Litho Company at 601 W. 47th St., N.Y.C. He claims an exemption for service because of heart trouble on his June 5th registration card, describing himself with grey eyes, brown hair, 6′ tall and of medium build.

1918: He becomes a member of The Society of Independent Artists: exhibiting several works in the 2nd annual exhibition. His home address listed as 331 W. 55th St., NYC. Two works displayed: #919: Still Life & #920: Morning Shadows.

1920-25: Becomes a member of the Pictorial Photographers of America, exhibiting in their annual salons.

– Home address is 338 W. 22nd St., NYC.

1921: Exhibits photograph #62 “Study”at Art Center in NYC.

1922: In February, he wins first and second prizes in Class C for a contest sponsored by Kodakery: A Journal for Amateur Photographers for their contest which closed Dec. 1, 1921.

– His photograph, “A Summer Idyll” awarded honorable mention and exhibited at the Worcester, (MA) Art Museum from May 14 – June 11 as part of an exhibition of prize-winning prints organized by the journal American Photography for their second annual contest and brought to Worcester by the Worcester Camera Club.

1926: Marriage on May 8th to Alice K. Foote (1896-1989) after having moved to 79 Beverly St. in Rochester, in upstate, N.Y. Occupation on license listed as artist. His best man was Albert F. Pons of Cleveland. Pons, 1888-1971, who had been an artist for Rookwood Pottery in Cincinatti from 1904 through 1911.

1928: Now living in Cleveland, Ohio as listed in The Art Digest for Mid-May. He may have accepted a job at Morgan Lithograph Corp., a company that bought Acme Litho. (see 1940)

– A son, Joseph Foote Hellmuth, born March 1.

1930: U.S. Census lists him as a lithographic artist living at 1350 W. 102nd St., Cleveland, OH.

1940: Registers for WWII draft. He continues to be a commercial lithographer, working for Morgan Lithograph Corp. located at E. 17th and Payne Ave. in Cleveland. His home address is 1350 W. 102nd St., Cleveland, OH.

– Listed occupation on U.S. Census is poster artist for a Lithographic Company.

1945: Passes away on February 8th in Cleveland at 58 years of age.

Painting & Photography: Sorolla meets The Misses Selby

Mar 2025 | Painters|Photographers

From time to time, one of the benefits of having an archive of your photographs online is someone out of the blue will contact you with a revelation.

Left: “Jean Walker Simpson with Rob Roy, her West Highland White Terrier”, 1909, oil on canvas portrait by Joaquín Sorolla, Spanish:1863-1923. Courtesy of a private collection. Right: “Jean Walker Simpson with Rob Roy, her West Highland White Terrier”, The Misses Selby, American, born England, (Emily Selby: 1868-1915? & Lillian Selby 1866-1964) platinum print, 1910-15, image: 16.7 x 12.0 cm | support: 18.2 x 12.5 cm (unmounted). From: PhotoSeed Archive

To wit, historian Robert Bagnall contacted me last week with news a portrait by the fashionable Fifth Ave. photographers The Misses Selby in my collection: “Woman with her West Highland White Terrier” actually had a painted twin. 

What you see here, next to the Selby photograph, is that revelation: the oil portrait “Jean Walker Simpson with Rob Roy, her West Highland White Terrier“. (my title) From a private collection, and with our thanks to reproduce it here, it was painted by the Spaniard Joaquín Sorolla (1863-1923) in 1909. The painting is signed and dated in the lower left corner by Sorolla and seen here cropped to the inner part of its gilded frame.

Robert Bagnall’s research into the subject of the work- Jean Walker Simpson-lead him to discover she lived at:

“926 Fifth Avenue. Her parents, John Woodruff Simpson and Kate Seney Simpson, were noted art collectors – among other things, the first major American collectors of Rodin’s work and early patrons of Steichen, whose studio was across the street from the Selbys.”

He further informed me the dog’s name was Rob Roy, and the Simpson family purchased him in Scotland in 1908. (no knowledge if the dog’s namesake and personality lived up to the legend of his Scottish outlaw folk hero)

Another interesting tidbit: the famous American photographer Gertrude Käsebier photographed Joaquín Sorolla c. 1908, possibly around the same time as the Misses Selby portrait here. That work can be seen at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Although perhaps only a young teen in this portrait, Jean Walker Simpson’s (1897-1980) legacy endures to this day, after establishing the John Woodruff Simpson Memorial Library in East Craftsbury VT when her father passed in 1920. Her library legacy continues to grow, with it becoming a vibrant community resource and driving force in the cultural life of East Craftsbury.

 

Eyes Wide Shut

Feb 2025 | Alternate Processes, New Additions, Painters|Photographers, Significant Portfolios

It seems relevant to look to a chapter of America’s past-that of the so-called “Gilded Age” whose unchecked power and monopolies ran most things in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, while seeking out clues to the unsustainable wealth, as well as racial and environmental disparities of the present-day.

“Group Photo: One of the 1001 Nights Costume Party: December 17, 1896”, James Lawrence Breese, American, 1854-1934, Cyan Carbon Print, The Carbon Studio, 1897 from 1896 negative, 22.3 x 27.6 | 35.8 x 50.6 cm & mat with window opening: 25.1 x 29.8 cm. Celebrants attending a costume party close their eyes while being instructed by host, the photographer James L. Breese, seen standing at right. Breese, who might be described as a dandy polymath of the America’s Gilded Age, (photography, race cars, early airplanes as well as other passions) was a stockbroker by profession who ran his Carbon Studio more as a hobby, although it was a paying concern. But social gatherings were also an amusement. His riotous, and sometimes scandalous midnight “1001 night” Salons like this one were gatherings for the New York City elite. The scandal on this occasion? “News” of a distinctly social register kind appeared in the pages of the New York Journal ten days after this photograph was taken: champagne had to be used to extinguish the flaming dress of Mrs. George B. de Forest- “a member of one of the city’s oldest and most aristocratic families”, who “narrowly escaped being burned to death as a result of the exuberant liveliness of the entertainment” in the form of one party goer amusing himself by throwing lit matches into the air. From: PhotoSeed Archive

In defending artistic expression, the history and beauty of past accomplishments: in the form of art, photographs, literature, musical scores, etc. is top of mind in the evolving form of this website. Of course, the transformational technologies that created and maintain the modern internet have made this possible in the first place, but maintaining our Democratic ideals, all within a Constitutional framework- keeps things honest, in check, and crucially- from falling apart.

And yet the mantra of late seems to reward those going really fast, while things have started to break.  Asking questions does not seem to figure into certain algorithms- or at least those programmed by a computer. Meanwhile, the ones running the show seem to be closing their eyes while flipping all the switches. What could possibly go wrong? Uncharted for now, but devastating in a most human and personal way for those swept up in the present.

These so-called mandates, earned by our esteemed prophets of commerce in the seeking of the new, belies an absolute absence of what was once known as “wisdom”, at least in what I formerly understood to be the meaning of that word pertaining to government action and sound public policy. I for one am sober to the reality of what I’m looking at. I may not like it, but I’m planning on keeping my eyes open, all the same. I hope you feel similarly, while maintaining vigilance and honesty in calling out the truth staring back at us.

 

See related: Portfolio: Souvenir of “One of the 1001 Nights”

May you find Beauty in the Light & Shadows of the New Year

Jan 2025 | Color Photography, New Additions, Painters|Photographers, PhotoSeed, Significant Photographs

Cue the Sun

Nov 2024 | Color Photography, Composition, Fashion Photography, History of Photography, New Additions, Painters|Photographers, Significant Photographers

“Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants” —Louis Brandeis, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, 1913

Top: The Sun takes center stage: Detail: “La Perle Doucement S’ Éteint et la Danse S’ Arrête | The Pearl Slowly Fades Away and the Dance Stops” Pierre Dubreuil, Belgian (1872-1944) Photogravure: Chine-collé: published in Die Kunst in der Photographie: 1903: Lieferung 1 | First Issue-16.5 x 23.0 | 26.6 x 34.8 cm. A critic on this photograph from 1901:”Now the light gradually dies and with it the dance fades away, for dance is a child of the light. They have whirled around for the last time, their movements become more subdued and tired, and now they stand still. They hold hands and lean back, as if in delicious relaxation. They look long and deeply into each other’s eyes once more while the sun sets.” Bottom: The Sun clouded over: Believed to be the original source material compositionally for Dubreuil’s photograph above: Detail: “Strassenklatsch | Street Gossip” Alfred Stieglitz, American (1864-1946) Photogravure published in Die Kunst in der Photographie: 1899: Lieferung 5 | Fifth Issue-12.2 x 21.0 | 24.9 x 33.7 cm. In her book:  Stieglitz-A Beginning Light, author Katherine Hoffman comments about this photograph: “Another well-known Katwyk image depicts the prow of a boat at anchor, its boom, lower sail, and rigging forming varied triangles.  The prow of the boat points toward two women talking nearby at the water’s edge. Entitled, Gossip, Katwyk, the photograph focuses on narrative and formal elements.  The women stand firm, their hands on their hips, forming small triangles that balance the ship’s forms and one of the women looks toward the ship.  The strong horizontal elements of the beach, water, and sky, serve as a well-integrated backdrop for the women and ship.  The small lantern on the boat seems to light the image symbolically.” Both from PhotoSeed Archive

This Brandeis quote is widely cited today as referring to the benefits of openness and transparency-especially as it pertains to keeping democracy vital and thriving.

So what does this have to do with a blog dedicated to preserving, promoting and riffing on the history of artistic photography?

Well, unfortunately, not much at all. That is, if only we were to think of photography as a truthful medium- something that accurately records for posterity what is placed before it or “seen” by the camera. That evidence would be from an impartial machine, and honesty might prevail. But as we traverse the second decade of the 21st Century, technology is taking a brutal hammer to what our once (believing) eyes took for fact. The sunlight of truthfulness has gotten a bit dim of late, yielding, inevitably, to “progress”. Of course, arguments could be made that photography has lied ever since the invention of the medium. Longtime readers of this blog might remember how I wrote about unscrupulous “photographers” operating in the mid 19th century who would trick people into believing the camera itself could mesmerize them. Today, as of October 2024, when I first spotted it, the updated version of mesmerization is now done courtesy of AI. (artificial intelligence) Here’s an Orwellian example of that in what I will call the Ebay photographic caption from Hell that should help put things in perspective:

Left: The Rays of the Sun cover the Earth: Before Photography, the public consciousness was getting more familiar with scientific thought in the press. Detail: Gilt decoration of the Sun and Earth: volume cover: “Light: Its Properties And Effects” London: The Religious Tract Society, 1838. 18mo: 5.5” x 4.25”. Illustrated with 40 steel engravings, an 1839 reviewer wrote of this little book: It is written in a simple style, but introduces the reader to all the arcana of the science which it touches. The anecdotes of singular illusions and the explanations of them enliven it, and serve to impress the general principles and laws of light more distinctly upon the mind. And, as may be believed from the fact of its issuing from the Tract Society, it fails not to point the learner “To look thro’ nature up to nature’s God.” Right: “Camera Obscura”, unknown artist: full-page steel engraving from “Light”- Chapter XI: Lenses-The telescope-The microscope-Various Optical Instruments: 13.5 x 9.8 cm. A family peers into a very large Camera Obscura placed on a table. Cameras such as this would eventually be retrofitted to accommodate chemically altered sheets of writing paper placed within-part of the process of making Photogenic Drawings and early Calotypes. From: PhotoSeed Archive

“This vintage photograph captures a momentous occasion in Yellowstone National Park in 1892. The image depicts a family who was taken by a tripod rigged. The photograph is in sepia tone and has a size of H18 3/10 cm x W21 5/10 cm. The image is produced using a photographic technique and features the Richardsons family. This collectible item is perfect for photography enthusiasts and collectors alike.“

So far, kinda good, other than the “tripod rigged” mention and the fact no one really speaks of common snapshots of Victorians chilling in nature as a “momentous occasion”. It would soon become apparent that our new friend AI was hard at work to really sell this photo. The caption continues:

Top left: First mass market publication of a “Sun Picture”: pasted paper label: PATENT TALBOTYPE or SUN PICTURES. 5.8 x 7.1 cm. Affixed to verso of leaf: 22.6 x 28.6 cm. 1846. Contained in “Art-Union Journal”. Top right: The editors of the publication were keen to go into detail on how Fox Talbot’s “Sun Pictures” (calotypes) were made, refuting the notion they were done by some sleight of hand, and even gave a detailed account of how these photographs were made. Bottom: “Mount Edgcumbe House, Devon” William Henry Fox Talbot, English, (1800-1877) salted paper print inserted in June 1, 1846 issue of the Art-Union Journal, London. 15.7 x 20.0 cm pasted to leaf 22.6 x 28.6 cm. Extremely rare but heavily faded, with the main facade of the home clearly identifiable, this is one of a believed 6000 original Talbotypes published in the Art Union. Various other views were also supplied by Talbot for the publication, a commission unfortunately compromised by the fact all of the calotypes were believed to be insufficiently fixed and washed by Nicolaas Henneman’s overworked Reading printing establishment. From: PhotoSeed Archive

“The Richardson Family was off on an expedition and there were no cell phones and there was no one out there and there were no Rangers and there were no Rescuers and nobody could save them if they where to call out and that’s what it was like in those days and they put their lives in front of nature and they didn’t think ahead of time to prepare if any natural occurrences would come along with bears and mountain lions.”

So yeah. What could possibly go wrong in our brave new world? I say bring on the sunlight. And lots of it. Call out the fakes. Push back. We here at PhotoSeed are big fans of transparency. Who wants to collect a “vintage” photograph with that kind of back story or an obvious fake of great, great grandma or grandad run through an AI filter? Well someone of course, and that’s cool too- whatever floats your boat and all that. But I digress.

“The Glorious Sun: Stays In His Course And Plays The Alchemist” : “Here is a Wonder, if You Talk of a Wonder” were phrases incorporated into the elaborately engraved title page to the very first issue of “Sun & Shade-A Photographic Record of Events”: July, 1888. Unknown American artist, possibly George Wharton Edwards, (1859-1950) credited with cover design for issues beginning around 1890. 30.5 x 24.1 | 35.2 x 27.6 cm. Published by the The Photo-Gravure Company of New York by Ernest Edwards, the publication, according to the volume “Imagining Paradise”, “grew from less than fifty subscribers to a monthly edition of four thousand copies” in its first year. “With emphasis on quality rather than quantity, the magazine transformed itself from its original concept of a “Photographic Record of Events” to an “Artistic Periodical”, and would feature many fine photogravure plates, mainly from photographs but also artwork. From: PhotoSeed Archive

Sunlight- as a kind of invisible chemical medium- was everything to the existence of early photography. Similar to AI today in that enabling it is just a few clicks on a computer keyboard, and may remain a mystery to unsuspecting viewers, people did not understand what a photograph  was or how they were made in the earliest version of the medium. Sunlight provided that answer, or at least a reasoning. The ever-present Sun overhead provided the means for these early efforts. In the 1830s, the Englishman William Henry Fox Talbot, a botanist among other passions, experimented by recording the shapes of things like leaves and lace, contact printing these on sheets of chemically altered writing paper. The results were known as “photogenic drawings”, or drawings produced by light. It’s no wonder promotion of early photography involved the iconography of our friend the Sun.

Top: The Eyes of the Sun: Sun iconography was incorporated like this example in the cover design to the important Austrian portfolio Amateur-Kunst, (Amateur Art) published in late 1891 by the Vienna publishing house Gesellschaft für Vervielfältigende Kunst. Detail: gray cloth over boards, three-point folder portfolio-January, 1891: Vol. III, No. 29: 49.8 x 36.6 cm. Middle: From around 1890, the Sun God Phoebus, (Apollo) one of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology, was prominently featured on covers for the publication “Sun & Shade, an Artistic Periodical” published by the N.Y. Photogravure Company from 1888-1896. Wood engraving: 35.2 x 27.6 cm. George Wharton Edwards, American (1859-1950) is responsible for the Art-Nouveau cover design, which also includes a plate camera at the upper right corner. Bottom: Detail: “Sun Artists Series Wrapper”. Multi-color wood engraving: October, 1889. 40.3 x 30.4 | 40.3 x 60.8 cm (outline of series title Sun Artists printed in gold ink) Featuring a design by English illustrator Laurence Houseman, (1865-1959) this rare example of a brown-paper wrapper for the first Number of Sun Artists originally contained four hand-pulled photogravures made from the original negatives taken by English photographer Joseph Gale, (1835-1906) as well as individual letterpress featuring an essay on this photographer’s work by George Davison. All: PhotoSeed Archive

Talbot’s Calotype process, patented in 1841 with earlier iterations being the basis for his groundbreaking positive-negative process of 1839, would be referred by him and other practitioners as “Sun Pictures”, or Talbotypes. The editors of London’s Art Union Journal exclaimed in June 1846, while presenting an original example of one of his Sun Pictures (see example above) that:

“It will be remembered that we have from time to time called attention to these truly wonderful representations, in our notices of Mr. Talbot’s work, “The Pencil of Nature.” By the public these “sun-pictures” are still misapprehended-still “misnomered;” we shall accordingly, in this notice, show what they are not, and endeavour to explain what they are, as it is yet far from generally accepted that they result from the action of light alone, and are not produced by some leger-de-main [slight of hand] of Art.”

Top left: The Painted Sun: Detail: “Study of a Nude”, 1899, Charles Fondu, Belgium: (1872-1912) collotype from Sentiment D’Art en Photographie: Vol. 1, No. 4, Planche 3: 14.8 x 19.6 | 26.0 x 36.9 cm. From the volume “The Last Decade” published in 1984 by George Eastman House, this photograph is commented on: “Fondu’s woman, combination of femme fatale and omnipotent angelic female, is profiled against the sun. Like the sunflower, the sun was a popular symbol with art photography clubs. It represented photography’s necessary light as well as the inspiration, power and renewal associated with otherworldly presence.” (p. 4) Lower left:  “Family in an Explosion of Light” Emery Gondor, American (b. Hungary- 1896-1977) Linoleum cut: 1925 plate from 1923 block: 20.5 x 18.8 cm impression | 28.9 x 25.0 cm. Although better known as an artist, Emery Gondor was an accomplished photographer whose work appeared in some of the largest European newspapers (principally German) from the mid 1920’s into the 1930’s. He escaped the Nazi regime, emigrating to America in 1935. This plate from his unpublished folio: “Sehnsucht nach Licht” (Yearning for Light) : “8 original Linoleum cuts by Emerich Göndör”. Right: The Sun in etched form: Detail: “Folder: Die Kunst in der Photographie” Hermann Hirzel, born Switzerland, (1864-1939) 36.0 x 26.5 cm  Originally etched in 1896, Hirzel’s cover design showing a Faun playing his flute among a landscape of trees and the rising Sun was used in all issues from 1897-1903. Published between 1897-1908 by Franz Goerke in Germany, Die Kunst in der Photographie is one of the most important journals of photography ever published showcasing artistic photography from around the world. All: PhotoSeed Archive

The article continues and even gives the chemical formula for making sensitized Calotype paper that could be exposed in a camera obscura. (1.) Terminology developed rapidly from here. To differentiate in the public discourse from a painting or drawing made by hand, these new “photographs” would hence be referred to as being “From Nature.” The one constant of this wondrous invention was the Sun overhead. It alone was responsible for even making photography and photographs exist in the first place.

In the exhibition catalogue “The Last Decade” published in 1984 by George Eastman House, the symbolism of Sun imagery is discussed as part of an 1899 nude study by Belgian photographer Charles Fondu:“Fondu’s woman, combination of femme fatale and omnipotent angelic female, is profiled against the sun. Like the sunflower, the sun was a popular symbol with art photography clubs. It represented photography’s necessary light as well as the inspiration, power and renewal associated with otherworldly presence.” (p.4)

As a graphic device, the image of a Sun would be a great promoter for photographic achievement, and was common in print even through the first decade of the 20th Century. 

Top: The Setting Sun: “Adieux au Soleil | Farewell to the Sun” Pierre Dubreuil, Belgian (1872-1944) Photogravure: Chine-collé: published in Die Kunst in der Photographie: 1903: Lieferung 1 | First Issue-12.2 x 24.5 | 26.3 x 35.2 cm. In 1901, Fritz Loescher, in his essay On the Pictures of P. Dubreuil, comments on this photo: The farewell to the sun is wonderful in the combination of the most artistic calculation and the favor of the moment. The dark female figure, standing on the far edge of the seashore, stretching out her arms towards the departing sun, is like the embodiment of the longing for the light. And driven by the wind, the veil from the head also blows in the same direction, and the mood of this human soul is expressed in everything to the fullest.” From: PhotoSeed Archive. Bottom: My contemporary update from 2001: “Butterfly Wings”.On Lake Worth Lagoon in Palm Beach County Florida, the wings of the most beautiful butterfly is what came to mind while the wind lifted up the silk cape being held by Ballet Florida dancer Wendy Laraghy. This photo was from a series of portraits of Ballet Florida dancers in unconventional but truly believable South Florida settings and situations. The story promoted the fact the local company, based in West Palm Beach, was turning 15 years old. Photo by David Spencer/The Palm Beach Post

I hope you enjoy these examples of artistic photographs from nature, and have included a few of my own as modern comparisons. The contrast deliberate, my very own version of “Sun & Shade”: “Butterfly Wings” was taken in the “Sunshine State” while “Condemned” hails from the depths of an upstate New York Winter.

Left: The Sun: but quite hidden on a snowy day: “Condemned” :1984, from a gelatin silver print. By David Spencer for the Daily Orange. Some of the last students of Winchell Hall, on the campus of Syracuse University in New York state, hang out on exterior balconies for the last time. The first dormitory to be constructed on campus in 1900, Winchell Hall Dormitory for Women was replaced by the Schine Student Center. Right: Setting sail into the Sunset? “Off Tilbury” Ralph Rowland Rawkins, English: (1874-1951) Mounted platinum print, from the Hand Camera Postal Club Portfolio: 1904: 14.3 x 7.1 cm print | mounts: 14.6 x 7.3 | 14.9 x 7.7 | 30.4 x 25.2 cm. Rawkins, the honorary secretary for the Postal Club based in London’s Tufnell Park, took this photograph of a sailboat silhouetted against a hazy, sunny sky in September, 1904. From: PhotoSeed Archive

Even in our current digital age, the Sun, giver of all life, continues to make photography possible by giving complex machines the illumination necessary to record our everyday existences and its many hues, shapes and wonders. But it’s a layered argument, the Sun being symbolic as well. Take my last photograph in this post. It’s the winter of 1983 (2.) and my assignment for The Daily Orange student newspaper was to photograph the final residents of the old Winchell Hall dormitory on campus, soon to face the wrecking ball. A snowstorm, as was common on a Syracuse winter day back then, was in full force. Stage directing the scene from across the street while somehow convincing the students to  all climb out onto their respective room balconies was actually the easy part. What I didn’t anticipate were all the smiles that erupted, the finger pointing and general merriment the act of taking the photograph brought about. Sure, the old building was coming down to be replaced by a bright new shiny object, but these students had been forever immortalized in a photograph. And a truthful one at that: an unmanipulated moment where their futures were truly bright, and one where future dreams would surely include many bright tomorrows.

  1. Excerpt: The Talbotype. ⎯  Sun Pictures. The Art Union Journal, June 1, 1846 pp. 143-44.

  2. I may have actually photographed this scene in mid January, 1984. From the SU archives: “While in the process of being demolished to make room for the building of Schine Student Center, a fire, possibly arson, swept through Winchell in early February 1984 and hastened the venerable structure’s end. in early 1984.” Read more about the history of Winchell Hall.

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