Photo Finish

Never judge a book by its cover

Very gently, she lifted the brittle photo album from the packing container. In her hands it felt right. She could feel the generations of owners who had worn the corners dog eared; the string binding long disintegrated; the pages loose inside. It hearkened of worlds past, misplaced memories, lost stories, all eroded in time. But the detritus smelled good. It was proof of lives well lived by unknown ancestors; their existence insuring our existence, a non-payable debt each generation carries. So many hands; so many hearts; so many years. Placing the album on the table, she slowly opened the cover. Expecting the usual front porch portraits, perhaps a summer trip to Atlantic City or two, she stopped. Here before her were images out of the ordinary: President-elect Woodrow Wilson sharing a carriage with President Taft; Montana Indians seated neatly in a row; beautifully dressed women and androgynous figures; railroad car interiors and river gorges; foreign landscapes and Bob, the amazing dog, dressed as a human in allegorical contexts akin to Aesop. This was no ordinary photo album. Who, what, where became her focus.

William Rau in his Philadelphia studio

As the entire house load was unpacked onto empty tables, she carefully selected the puzzle pieces: a postal note here, a clipping there, all familial ephemeral tidbits, the life blood of historical research, saved more by chance than purpose. Ever so slowly a distinct pattern emerged. First, the owner of the album was female, identified by name, her genealogical link to the present reconstructed satisfactorily, adding credence to the trail now unfolding. But were these her photos? They were not amateur images; rather, they were the work of a professional. A distinctive postcard caught her eye - a dog perched atop a pedestal. Picking it up, she turned it over. On the reverse was the answer she sought, a mystery now solved. An advertisement introduced the photographer to her - famed Philadelphian William H. Rau (1855-1920) and his beloved dog Bob. And the album's owner? His female assistant - Naomi Welsh. Where their work ended, ours has just begun.

Captains of the Polestars

Captain Roald Amundsen, Sir Ernest Shackleton, & Rear Admiral Robert Peary, January 16, 1913, Magellan Circle, Bellevue Stratford Hotel, Phliadelphia

In this image, three figures stare back at us, their eyes sharp, their persona filled with purpose. Before them stands a globe, a symbol of their success. Dated January 16, 1913, this photograph introduces three world renowned explorers to us: Captain Roald Amundsen, first man to the South Pole; Rear Admiral Robert E. Peary, first man to the North Pole; and between them, a man whose polar explorations made their success possible, Sir Ernest H. Shackleton. On this day they were guests of The National Geographic Society's Magellan Circle, an assemblage designed to honor, meet, and listen to those living on the edge of discovery, a program still active today. Admiral Peary reached the North Pole in September, 1909; Captain Amundsen followed two years later with his achievement in Antarctica; both taking advantage of the trail blazed by Sir Shackleton. For a singular evening, at the Bellevue Stratford Hotel on South Broad Street in Philadelphia, they shared the dais, three polars as one, frozen in time, but this time by a photo lens.

It was a dark and stormy night...

...and the next day the waters started rising. Fourteen miles above Johnstown, Pennsylvania stood the South Fork Dam. It was a man-made earthen work built to contain Lake Conemaugh, a three-mile long body of water. This idyllic spot hosted the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, playground to wealthy Pittsburgh industrialists. On May 31, 1889, with the landscape totally saturated, the dam broke, triggering a chain of events that ended with the death of 2,200 people downstream. Survivors described the sound of the approaching water as a roar of thunder. Narrow river banks and a city built on a flood plain insured complete devastation. 20 million gallons of water reaching heights of 60 feet rushed upon the hapless inhabitants. It swept all before it and in ten minutes it was over. Barbed wire, oil, sludge, all ingredients of an industrial steel city crushed and entrapped the populace. A fire later that night in the debris forced against the Stone Bridge claimed 80 more victims. A shocked nation poured relief supplies into the Appalachian community, but the deed was done. For reasons lost to logic, those responsible for the poorly-maintained dam were never legally challenged. Enter William Rau. He was commissioned to photograph the aftermath. Here, from this image, no further discourse is required.

Johnstown, Pennsylvania flood, 1889

A Smooth Operator

Telephone operator, ca. 1900

The telephone was a tremendous invention, world changing, as important as the internet today. It not only transformed communication, it changed lives. Through the magic of wires, receivers, and speakers, the world was connected in a totally new way. The first wave of this technology required numerous telephone banks, a place to connect the telephone calls. So in 1877, the first phone calling board became operational. Believing young men to be the best at this task, for their success as telegraphers was proven, phone companies soon discovered a universal truth - new technology demands new application. Trouble soon appeared as the male youths, protected by anonymity, used foul language, spoke rudely to callers, and generally misbehaved. Stunned by this behavior, the companies turned to women. Smooth, patient, and polite voices assured customers and grew profits. One requirement was the women hired had to be single thereby projecting a virtuous image to customers. The belief was marriage compromised virtue. To better understand this time period, one must be reminded of the fate of Jenny Lind, P.T. Barnum's Swedish Nightingale. Her stellar career stopped instantly the moment she married her long-time companion and piano accompanist. The public has set opinions, as unmovable as the Rock of Gibraltar. Emma McNutt was the first female operator, hired in 1878. This gender bias would exist until 1970's antidiscrimination laws were enacted.

A Photo Finish

The image categories to your left separate the various subjects covered in this photo album. You can follow William Rau's footsteps through the diligent work of Ms. Welsh: William Rau's 1890-95 time period when he was hired to photograph the Pennsylvania and Lehigh Valley railroads; his journeys into the American West; sojourns around the globe; his political coverage of President Wilson's inauguration complete with the Suffragettes inclusion in the inaugural parade; his active photo studio in Philadelphia; his fascination with women in clad even semi-clad repose; and finally his comedic whims with animals portrayed as humans. An adventure awaits you this week; more so an opportunity to resurrect long forgotten moments in time. A task we have grown particularly fond of each week here in our time machine.