Waterfall at Franconia Notch, Lincoln, New Hampshire, 1889
George Glessner (October 2, 1871 – January 10, 1929) was a highly
talented amateur photographer, beginning his serious hobby when he was just a
teenager. During his lifetime he took
thousands of images ranging from the documentary to the artistic. Surviving photographs and negatives from the
1880s and 1890s indicate that he owned at least three separate cameras,
utilizing “dry plate” glass negatives in 4”x5”, 5”x7”, and 8”x10” sizes.
Self-portrait taken at The Rocks, age 16, 1888
Development of the negatives as well as
printing and mounting of the photographs was frequently done in his “chemical
laboratory,” a basement level space located directly off of the
schoolroom. He also sent his negatives out
for professional processing as indicated by a quote from a letter to his mother
in March 1889:
“I got the last lot
of photographs last night and all I am afraid of now is the bill, but I guess
papa will help me out on that, he always has before."
Dresser in George Glessner's bedroom, c. 1888
The Glessners’ Prairie Avenue home was extensively documented by George
and his camera within a year of their moving in. These photos in particular have been
invaluable in revealing the appearance of the house at the time, assisting in
the placement of original furniture and decorative objects, and in identifying
original wallpapers, textiles, and carpets.
Unidentifed fire scene, c. 1890
Additional subjects that were captured through his lens in the last
decades of the 19th century include fire scenes and equipment, the
World’s Columbian Exposition, trains, Chicago buildings and street scenes, and
hundreds of views of the family’s summer estate, The Rocks, in New
Hampshire. By the early 1900s, he began
using a film negative camera, and many of these candid shots feature his
children and other family members, especially during their annual summer stay
at The Rocks.
George Glessner's wife Alice with their daughter
Elizabeth (at left); George's sister Frances with
her son John (at right), 1900
Elizabeth (at left); George's sister Frances with
her son John (at right), 1900
Glessner was meticulous in the way in which he organized and cataloged
his photographs. Virtually all
photographs are labeled with subject and date, and all carry the corresponding
negative number.
Typical photo label
Labels, pre-printed
with his name and address, were affixed to the back side of the mounted photos,
and the front side of the mounts was stamped with his name, often with the word
“Amateur” added. Glass negatives were
similarly numbered and stored sequentially in boxes (still housed on the
shelves in the schoolroom).
Marine Cafe, World's Columbian Exposition, 1893
George Glessner’s photographs are a valuable part of the Glessner House
Museum collection, not only as beautiful examples of the art of photography in
the late 19th century, but as visual documentation of the places and
events which shaped the lives of the members of the Glessner family.
Hotel Florence, Town of Pullman
Illinois Central train approaching 18th Street
Homes for George Glessner and Frances Glessner Lee,
1700-1706 S. Prairie Avenue, under construction, 1901
1700-1706 S. Prairie Avenue, under construction, 1901
Female servants' entrance at Glessner House,
note silhouette of cook in window
note silhouette of cook in window
"The Ledge Hawk" at The Rocks
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