Best known for his photographs of Native Americans, Horace Swartley Poley was born on August 1, 1863, in Norristown, Pennsylvania, to Dr. Francis Boyer Poley and Barbara K. Swartley Poley. He arrived in Boulder, Colorado, around 1886, where he met photographer B. F. Sooy. Together, they operated a photography studio in Colorado Springs, Colorado, from 1888 to 1891. In 1892, Poley ran his own business in Colorado Springs, while Sooy returned to Boulder. The following year, Poley exhibited his work at the Colorado Camera Club’s first exhibition, consisting of work by amateurs and professionals.
By 1902, Poley accepted a job as a clerk at the post office, a position he held for two decades. He continued to photograph and present illustrated lectures, often focusing on Native Americans, during his own time. The Denver Public Library acquired a collection of Poley’s negatives and prints in the mid-1930s. Poley passed away in June 1949 at the age of 85. He is interred at Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs.
Thank you to Kellen Cutsforth, Digital Image Collection Administrator at the Denver Public Library, for supplying the scan of Poley.
