Interest in early 20th c. hand-colored photographs by "Harris" has been increasing as time has progressed, especially in Harris's So . cal . scenes. Yet I'll wager that most collectors don't even know Harris's first name, and anything about his background.
We had no specifics of Harris ourselves until in the old days when we mentioned Harris proper previous article and asked readers that gives us with any previously information. As a result we received a content on Harris postcards, and an article that had been published on Harris located on the St. Augustine Historical Society a new 1991, both of which shed considerable light on the hand-colored photography career of various William James Harris.
William James Harris (1868-1940) was born on October 12, 1868 down below Herefordshire, England. His other people emigrated to America can be 1870, settling in any Wilkes Barre, PA trade. Known in his boys and girls as both "Will" as well as also "Willie", by age 20 he apprenticed at less than local photographer. Within one year he may possibly start his first photography business while acheiving his parents and employing his first studio into their house.
In 1890, the 22 year old Harris moved with her family to W. Pittston, PA where, although he continued managing a studio in his parents home, he also began his career for the reason that traveling photographer. During prematurely 1890's, he spent considerable time photographing coal miners after which it mining operations in eastern side Pennsylvania's coal regions. Soon thereafter he began utilizing the railroads to do everything him, and his cameras, to the mountains, lakes, cities, and wherever else he decided to take his camera. Cabinet photographs sold by Harris around this time listed his address since West Pittston, PA; Tunkhannock, PA; Pittston, PA; Penn Yan, BIG APPLE; Binghamton, NY; and Keuka, NY
In 1893 Harris frequented the World's Columbia Exposition in order to Chicago. While there his began beginning of many subsequent promotion feats. One of the things of the 1893 South korea Exposition was the first-ever web presentation of George Ferris's variety "Ferris Wheel". And it was Harris who was the first to photograph it. He envisioned by way of climbing upon a roof approximately so as well height as the Ferris Wheel's tight shaft, he would have the possibility to produce a view whereby the curves within the wheel were not out of shape vertically by perspective. This photograph was so impressive that Harris donated 2000 advisors to the Ferris Steering wheel Company, each of contains his name and family home, which helped to make a young name for the soft photographer.
In 1895 g married Maude Dunn, a marriage that was short-lived additionally , the she died suddenly and unexpectedly in 1897.
Shortly and after that Maude's death, Harris and a few friends opened a holidaymaker business in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountain range, selling pictures of Sale Hill Falls, the L'ordre de Water Gap, and others local attractions to tourists and local residents. While operating form the "Harris Gallery" his services included as well cabinet cards and tin-type needles,. This portable studio as a reminder served as an excellent promotional feat the ferry ride is enabled him to equally advertise his business, and find process his photographic make sure to, wherever he went.
Around 1901, Harris married an alternative time, making Marion SNOWFALL. Briant the second Mrs. Harris. Together they'd two children, a daughter (Ruth) also a son (Carver). This weddings lasted until about 1920. Following a divorce, Marion Harris bouncing to her Dover, NJ home with Ruth, leaving Carver and the father.
Soon thereafter, Harris hitched Ella Anderson, his last and final marriage.
Lake Hopatcong: It was in 1898 that Harris gone to a location that would play a crucial role in his life... Seashore Hopatcong, NJ. Located in northern L . a, it's 9 miles having coastline and coves cause it to New Jersey's largest lake also the turn of the century, Lake Hopatcong had be realized summer mecca for the rich and famous. Conveniently located to nearby New york city, Lake Hopatcong offered a fast summer getaway from this tropical isle heat and many container "cottages", which in most all cases were more like castles, began springing up unfortunately lake. Harris quickly recognized the importance of his photographic services here the summertime months.
Beautiful sunsets became the Harris trademark while building Lake Hopatcong and that he was farsighted enough in order to develop himself up on the main lake that was often referred to as having the best sunsets. And as being the great promoter that that she was, Harris began advertising his studio as offering the finest sunset photographs within the lake. Soon tourists began joining up to his studio for his or her personal and family image on Lake Hopatcong.
In another move of public relations genius, Harris created his home "Floating Studio" in the summer of 1899. Replacing any land-based portable studio, this floating studio was really a houseboat specially outfitted also photographic studio. Called the visible difference "Harris Photo Float", this 16'x50' floating studio was in order to traveling around the once i, and even had a specialized porch for his famous sunset photos. Although other photographers were also working by lake, Harris' floating studio with his gift for promotional effect gave him a edge over the other photographers in which he controlled a sizeable the main lake's photography business. Having said that, in 1903 Harris' hovering studio sprang a knothole drip and sank, taking into it much of Harris' photo taking equipment.
But he quickly recovered with this disaster and went to positively continue a nearly 40-year office with Lake Hopatcong. Harris continued his summer visits in your lake until as slowed as 1939, when he is his 60's and the company's photographic career began winding down.
St. Augustine, Florida: In 1898 Harris moved to St. Augustine, Florida where exactly he opened the "Acme Hook Company". Harris's Florida photographic services included the sale of cameras and units, free photographic instructions for all amateur photographers, the the application of his darkroom, as well as professional photographic new product lines to local residents or visiting tourists. He also lost a few moments in photographing the beautiful sights in St. Augustine and also surrounding Florida countryside.
Harris quickly adored St. Augustine and on larger extent, nearly eventually Florida. Between 1898 and 1940 Harris started out a photographic career that us would aspire to get maximum today... summers along any shorelines of beautiful Canal Hopatcong, NJ... and winter months in warm and sun-drenched St. Augustine, FL.
St. Augustine offered numerous photographic subjects that drawn Florida's growing tourist trade comprising the Fountain of Youth, the Oldest House in the usa, Ft. Marion, City Gates, and find The Old Slave Market, among others.
In 1912 Harris began a lengthy, and sometimes controversial, relationship in the St. Augustine Historical Network. Serving as its currency broker and head curator, Harris was instrumental throughout the recruiting new members documented in Historical Society and maintain promoting both the as well as heritage of St. Augustine. While on his watch, certain members began to dispute a portion of their Historical Society's unsubstantiated hype... was the "Oldest Own house in America" actually and in many cases old as claimed?. Was the "Old Slave Market" is actually a "Slave Market" or was it just a "Public Produce Market".. Has a "... well, they could have been... " responses by certain area businessmen met resistance from outside the digital walls historical purists, and some adjustments to St. Augustine's historical symptoms resulted.
Regardless of the visible difference controversy, Harris's association in the St. Augustine Historical Society held up until his death in 1940 and all the while, Harris continued to create his St. Augustine postcard and find photography business.
Harris Postcards: It has become in 1893 while coming to the Columbia Exposition that Harris did find a glimpse of the next coming trend... postcards. By 1898 Congress detached a law authorizing the manufacture and exercise of "Private Mailing Cards" what started as a trickle soon exploded throughout to huge business. And Harris was in an ideal position to earn his share for their business. The telephone was not yet commonplace and postcards soon might be a primary means of streets communication. In 1901 Harris was selling a group of 30 Lake Hopatcong views that were capable of being inserted into a note, so converting them into postcards was a relatively simple task. Quickly converting loads of his existing stock that you postcards and adding new views every year, Harris soon had literally hundreds of Lake Hopatcong postcard article and became known roughly Lake Hopatcong as "Harris, has a Postcard Man". Anyone trying to send a personal message of those special trip or vacation plans on Lake Hopatcong usually made it happen using a Harris postcard. In 1909 alone Harris claims to have sold over 210, 000 Lake Hopatcong postcards and projected all the more for 1910.
As the girl's postcard business grew, he expanded with the souvenir and novelty vista, selling paperweights, cups, drive holders, and other a ton of wooden and birch debris novelties, all with the name "Lake Hopatcong" on these tips. Although such a souvenir business was common in St. Augustine and various parts, Harris was one of the first to start such a facilities at Lake Hopatcong.
As the postcard craze began to relax around 1915, Harris had been capturing from a distance the success of Wallace Nutting in Massachusetts and very quickly decided to enter the joy of hand-colored photography himself. And the background, it was an inherent.
Hand-Colored Photographs: Harris's earliest attempt have ever hand-colored photographs came as he first hand-tinted his Woods Hopatcong postcards. After working in black & white for a long period, starting around 1905 Harris assumed make fish an added color could lead to increased sales. But he also soon found that the added expense linked with hand-coloring his postcards led to the next unit price, and eventually to go sales. Ultimately Harris went the route of so many other postcard photographers of asking for his postcards produced inside a color on large-run color printing presses.
As part of his L . a summer-Florida winter cycles, Harris began taken new photographs as a way of hand-coloring them with regards to the re-sale. His best selling pictures soon came to be from the New York Adirondack Region (especially Ausable Chasm) and very Florida (especially The Tone of voice Tower), although his northeastern pictures came from throughout a four-state region amazing Florida pictures came from in the entire Miami-St. Augustine within.
Before long, "Harris Pictures" began substitute "Harris the Postcard Man" as his primary revenue. According to his young man Carver... "what money he had, he made from tinted pictures". And apparently he made enough money to build houses in Florida and Nj, an imposing automobile, an avid house-car, and several launches after which it speedboats (which enabled him to stop Lake Hopatcong faster subsequently ever).
Like Wallace Nutting movies, Harris pictures were realistically hand-colored photographs, tipped for a linen-type matboard, and signed in the "Harris" name lower specific, and title lower eliminated, usually signed in dog pen. Most Harris pictures were matted, although a fair host were "close-framed" and signed through the picture without that matting. And quite often there are still an original "Harris" label either gonna matboard back or that comes with the backing paper.
Yet Harris pictures prepare several subtle differences between Nutting and a portion of their major Nutting-Like photographers:
• Primarily Harris pictures were square views, with the length usually being much older than twice the width (or vice versa).
• Harris even just sold Exterior (outdoor) visual appeal. He never sold Colonial Interior scenes.
• You will only see the name "Harris" signed on the picture, never "W. W. ' or any other variation of his in the past or middle names. Also included is never any mention associated with Harris's first or middle name on all of his picture labels.
• Although the "Harris" name is usually written parallel within the picture, occasionally you will see the "Harris" name written for about a 45 degree angle.
• While they more unusual, it is not truly uncommon for the Harris name receiving lower left and the title because lower right.
• Most Harris signatures incorporate your signed in pencil
And perhaps most in addition to Nutting, many Harris pictures are hand-colored "photogravures" while they hand-colored photographs. Although any earliest scenes were realized on photographic paper, some of his later and bestselling views were reproduced in larger black & white quantities having photogravure printing method, plus individually hand-colored. Whereas Nutting started nearly 100 colorists within his peak, Harris never had raised above 5 people coloring his pictures the.
One interesting story about Harris pictures comes down to several of his pictures which include a egret standing very well as Florida water. Apparently for the sake of simplicity, Harris carried a "stuffed" egret in the photographic equipment, presumably because it was best to shoot a still bird for effect rather than a live, uncontrollable bird. He is additionally known to carry a more stuffed alligator for effect at the very least.
Not surprisingly, Harris was usually his own best salesman and a photographic expeditions also became sales trips its own matters. Whenever he went inside the countryside to shoot opposite pictures, he usually stopped in view various art and gift shops along the route to obtain new extended and retail orders period his picture business. It was estimated that over 70 shops on just coasts of Florida your current carried Harris's hand-colored snaps. Many hotels used Harris pictures inside their walls to promote and the wonderful beauties of early twentieth c. Florida, and it is estimated that Harris would typically require more than 25, 000 pictures per season in an effort to satisfy the demand within his Florida sales saves.
And as the So . cal . season would end Harris probably will pack car, head supplying north, and start the cycle just as before at New Jersey's Woods Hopatcong.
The Final Years: William James Harris died coming from your August 2, 1940 after suffering through a long expiry and was buried with his adopted city of Saint. Augustine. Although not its own matters known as Wallace Nutting or a lttle bit of Nutting's other contemporaries, Harris did gain a considerable level of magnificence. He enjoyed a reasonable financial success in his chosen snapshot field, he enjoyed the voyage and work between the northeast the summertime months and Florida during the cold months, he had a diverse family life, he created a strong bond with his adopted associated with St. Augustine, FL, and the photographic works certainly served to to popularize Florida raised above any other photographer of various his time.
And now more than ever, collectors of hand-colored photography are actively seeking the beautiful hand-colored video clips of William James Harris.
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