Main street in Jackson, CA c 1925. Photo courtesy of Philip Brigandi (1/2 stereo pair).
Toronto. As I mentioned many times before, museums, archives, and libraries often hold photographs which are a rich source of history. The museum in Riverdale, California, while far away is a case in point.
Typical of their holdings is the photograph at left which it is one half a stereo pair. It shows a typical downtown scene c1925. See the (today) old automobiles with nary a horse in sight. The local Drug store touts its stock of cigars – and Kodaks (not cameras). Down the street is another sign stating “Telephone” where the majority of folk could use the instrument, or even buy a personal line. Lots of awnings to fend off the heat of the sun.
Cameras had been around for years before 1925, but wide use of cameras waited for the invention and popularization of “fast” (instant) film that could be purchased off the shelf. Even in rural Quebec in the 1960s farmers spoke of their “Kodak” regardless of the make of camera they used.
Telephones too were around for decades by 1925 but popularization was slow. A major company in Eastern Canada was established back in 1890. In the 1950s there were many rural pockets of independent telephone companies. Dial phones were slowly replacing the local connections traditionally handled by an operator.
On the right of the photo is a hardware store advertising that the store sells “stoves”. The photograph was discovered by George Dunbar who generously shared it. George writes, “An interesting street scene in Jackson, California 1925. Note the Drugs sign, “Cigars & Kodaks.”
The photograph is just one of the holdings at the California Museum of Photography (CMP) at the UC Riverside, about 50 miles from Los Angeles. Note that the CMP also has an extensive collection of cameras. The camera details are listed, but most photos of them are not online. Have a look at their photo holdings AND browse the holdings at your local institution in order to see the world through your ancestor’s eyes.
