The Log Cabin Living: Artifacts from 19th Century Life exhibit at Job Carr Cabin Museum encourages visitors to take a closer look at more than 20 objects in the museum's collection.
The camera in the museum's collection peaks the interest of many visitors. It gives us a glimpse into the life of the Carr family and its connections to the Civil War. The camera also highlights how technology has advanced over the past 150 years, and the resulting photographs demonstrate how Tacoma's landscape changed during that timeframe as well.
Antique camera on display at Job Carr Cabin Museum.
The American Civil War was the first major conflict documented through photography. The general public was very interested in the resulting images that realistically showed soldiers, battles, hospitals, prisons, and camps. Across the country, viewers could see the devastation and destruction of war. Anthony Carr was one of many soldiers trained as a photographer during his service with the Union Army.
Wagons and camera of Sam A. Cooley who was an U.S. Army photographer of the Civil War. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
As you can imagine, photography on the battlefield was a difficult and time-consuming process. Today, all we need to take a photo is the phone in our pocket, but during this period, all sorts of supplies needed to be brought along, including a lot of heavy and fragile equipment, volatile chemicals, and darkrooms to process the images. Wagons hauled the equipment and served as studio and darkroom.
Stereoscope image of recreated Civil War battlefield from the Carr Family Archive.
In 1861, wet plate photography was the new and popular way to take photos, which captured the image on a chemically coated piece of glass. The photographer had to mix up these chemicals by hand, and develop the negative quickly before the emulsion dried. The negative could then be transported back to a studio where they could create prints, reversing the black and white image on photo paper.
Anthony Carr in Military uniform circa 1861.
In March 1863, Anthony Carr was honorably discharged after sustaining significant injuries. While recuperating, he briefly operated a photograph gallery in Iowa. In January 1864, his brother Howard recorded in his journal that he was "With Anthony doing a fair business in the Photo line." The next day, however, it was too cold for them to work in the gallery.
After the war, Anthony Carr moved west to join his father in Puget Sound. Soon after arriving, he met a man from Steilacoom who had a camera and corresponding equipment but did not know how to use them. In January 1867, Anthony purchased the materials, ordered additional supplies, and started taking pictures. His journal notes the process of setting up of his photography studio.
Jan 11 1867, Steilacoom: Our goods & chemicals have arrived at last. Used the day in mixing solutions to be ready for work. First snow here this winter fell today.
Jan 12, 1867, Steilacoom: Made my first picture of Howard - the first one in this territory. Some more snow melted as it fell.
Jan 13 1867, Steilacoom: We fixed up some things for work. Made a few negatives by way of experiment.
Jan 14 1867, Steilacoom: At work most of the day. Had some customers. Howard went out to fathers and returned. Two inches of snow fell.
Jan 15 1867, Steilacoom: Rained most of the day, took some pictures. Repaired some. Put in a sink in the operating room.
An advertisement for Anthony's photography studio listed multiple types of picture styles that he was equipped to provide, including Carte de Visite, Porcelain portraits, Gem tintypes, and photo-crayons. In addition to portraits, he also offered landscape images for sale.
Advertisement for Anthony Carr's photographic establishment in Tacoma.
Because of Anthony and his skill in photography, we know what Job Carr's original cabin and the surrounding area looked like before the urban development of Tacoma. The photographic images also show us how camera technology has changed significantly since the 1800s.
The camera in the museum's collection is labeled with "George H. Kahn, Optician & Photo Supplies, 201 Kearny Street, Cor. Sutter, San Francisco, Cal., Baldwin & Gleason Co., Ltd, N.Y." The engraving firm of Baldwin & Gleason were active in the 1880s and 1890s.
The camera found in Job Carr Cabin Museum looks and works much differently from modern digital cameras. Young visitors are often curious if the antique camera still works. The answer is that it can create a picture but significant additional materials would be needed for this process including glass plate negatives, light-sensitive chemicals, and a darkroom to develop any resulting photographs. The process of taking a picture in the 1800s was also much slower and resulted in only black and white images.
Take a closer look at the museum's camera in this short video:
Sources
Bowlby, Mary. “The Carr Family: Separate Lives and Tacoma Reunion.” Job Carr Cabin Museum, Job Carr Cabin Museum, summer 2015, www.jobcarrmuseum.org/blog/the-carr-family-separate-lives-and-tacoma-reunion.
“Photography and the Civil War.” American Battlefield Trust, American Battlefield Trust, 11 Oct. 2023, www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/photography-and-civil-war.
About the Author
Gabby Quinnett graduated from the University of Washington in 2022 with a degree in history. She currently works at Iron Mountain on the IMES team as a historical imaging technician. She began volunteering with Job Carr Cabin Museum in 2023. She is grateful to the museum for allowing her continue to explore, learn, and educate within the historical community.
About the Editor
Madeline Teddy completed an internship with Job Carr Cabin Museum in Fall 2023. She was a graduate of University of British Columbia majoring in history and classical Near Eastern religious studies. She hoped to take her studies further and become a museum curator.