Part of my research involves visiting Colorado’s small history museums. Many of these museums are only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. I aim to make one research trip a month during the summer. In June, I traveled to Creede, Colorado, more than 300 miles from home.
Before my trip, I compiled biographical entries for all known 19th-century studio photographers in Creede, noting missing details like full names and dates active in the area. I also searched for their work through online sources and visited institutions in Denver, such as the Denver Public Library’s Western History collections and History Colorado.
Seeing the photos in person, rather than online or in books, is invaluable for gaining clues about dating the images and the type of camera equipment used. Information printed on the mounts, both front and back, provides interesting details. I added two new photographers to my database, which now has over 2200 entries. (There is a separate entry for each location of a photographic studio, so some photographers are listed more than once.)
My blog post on Creede will appear later this month. Meanwhile, I am preparing for the next road trip.
