Photography Comes of Age

Archive

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Saugatuck Douglas Historical Society

Name/Title

Photography Comes of Age

Entry/Object ID

2021.87.56

Scope and Content

The Local Observer newspaper Remembering When - Our History article titled "Photography Comes of Age" January 25, 2006. By Jack Sheridan, Jim Schmiechen and Rob Carey. Digital files use to create this article and associated resources at 2021.72.02

Context

PHOTOGRAPHY COMES OF AGE--Family pictures are one of our most valuable possessions. People have been known to run into a burning home to save the family photo albums. Photos capture the memorable events in our lives—a wedding, graduation, or last summer’s vacation. The one thing that triggers those memories better than anything are the pictures taken during the event. Photographs capture these moments and freeze them in time. Before there were photographs, itinerant portrait artists roamed the countryside to paint portraits of the heads of houses. The price of a head portrait was reasonable—but if you added an arm or a leg, well it would “cost you an arm and a leg.” That’s how that common aphorism originated. The popular hobby of photography came of age around 1900. Before the advent of the Kodak camera, invented by George Eastman, taking a simple picture was a difficult task at best. Eastman developed a camera that was light and easy to use. Kodak’s slogan was: “You press the button, we do the rest.” Still it wasn’t quite that easy. The customer could buy a Kodak camera complete with leather case and loaded with a one-hundred exposures roll of film for $25 (a pretty good sum in those days). Developing the film was not a cinch—customers had to ship the camera with film inside to Rochester where the factory, for $10, would develop the film and return the pictures along with a freshly loaded camera back to the sender. And from that day forward, amateur and professional photography got easier, faster, and eventually colorful. Saugatuck’s professional photographer back then was Herman Simonson. This talented Saugatuck photographer would take your picture on the beach, on Mt. Baldhead, or in front of the new Big Pavilion. Or just step into his studio and have your picture taken on the moon, or in a hot-air balloon; and you could have it printed on a photo postcard to send to the folks back home. And then they would wish they were here. By Rob Carey

Collection

Remembering When

Cataloged By

Winthers, Sally

Acquisition

Accession

2021.87

Source or Donor

Sheridan, John "Jack" O. 1938-

Acquisition Method

Donation

Location

* Untyped Location

Digital data in CatalogIt

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Sheridan, John "Jack" O. 1938-, Schmiechen, James A., Wilson, William J. "Bill" 1915-1992, Simonson, Herman C. 1878-1951, Curtis, Harriet

Related Publications

Publication

Local Observer

Create Date

December 31, 2021

Update Date

November 18, 2023