Lives in Photography: Denison, Texas, 1872-1999

Photographers were among the colorful characters who populated the American West and documented its history. The small North Texas town of Denison was a crossroads where several railroads met, a place where travelers and settlers found adventure, made fortunes—and had their portraits made. Founded in 1872, Denison was the "Gate City" to Texas, carved out of the prairie just south of Indian Territory. The town grew and prospered, changing from a railhead for cattle drives into a shipping mecca for agricultural riches. Newly affluent citizens erected large buildings and impressive homes. By the end of the twentieth century, Denison was a mature city. In every decade, camera artists came and went, recording the shifting social and physical scene. This book tells the stories of some 125 photographers who worked in Denison. Many of them also worked elsewhere in the West and the Great Plains. Complementing the classic reference works that inventory photographers in large regions or states, this volume explores the place of photographers in a single community over time. Based on extensive research in genealogical sources and local newspapers, city directories, and other documents, "Lives in Photography" identifies dynasties of studio owners, women active in the profession, and career trajectories of individual photographers. Many of these individuals have never been studied in detail before. The book will also help family historians date particular images, based on the years when a given photographer was active in a locality.