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| Hugh and Elinor Baker (PAc 90-87 G016-005) Evelyn Cameron, photographer |
Layton Alton Huffman began his solo photography career as the post photographer at Fort Keogh after working for F.J. Haynes, official photographer for Yellowstone National Park, in Fargo, North Dakota. He opened his own studio in Miles City in 1879 and became well known for photographing cowboys, Indians, soldiers, and the last of the buffalo hunting in Eastern Montana.
L.A. Huffman Photographs
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| Red Sleeve (#981-579) |
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| Montana Man Hunters of the 70's (#981-167) |
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| Killing of a Buffalo (#981-011) |
Evelyn Cameron came to Montana in 1893 with her husband Ewen intending to breed horses for shipment back east and to Europe. This venture failed and Evelyn pursued her career in photography as well as running the Eve Ranch. Her photographs capture the lives of people and friends around Terry and Fallon, Montana in a candid and direct manner. They also document the changing times from the early ranching scenes to the arrival of the railroad.
Evelyn Cameron Photographs
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| Baker's Shearing Pens (PAc 90-87 G004-004) |
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| Janet Williams on Yalu (PAc 90-87 G003-005) |
The majority of the images
from each collection were scanned at high resolution from original negatives
which are mostly 5”x7” to 8”x 10” glass plates and nitrate negatives. Some are
smaller format negatives and a few images were made from vintage prints if the
negatives are not in our collections. It is great to get these original
materials scanned as digitization is one of the most useful preservation tools
available to us - once the original materials are properly stored, stabilized,
and cared for. Here is an example of a scanned negative of Camerons’and the image
made for use from it.
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| Bill Foght and Cap Baker (PAc 90-87 L004) Negative Image |
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| Bill Foght and Cap Baker (PAc 90-87 L004) Positive Image |
As important and informative
as the photographs themselves are, the
records and information that accompany them provide
key information for researchers and other interested viewers. The grant funding
provided by the Montana History Foundation enabled us to hire contract workers
who made the addition of this data possible. The images are also being uploaded
to the OCLC Digital Archive (Online Computer Library Center) for long term
preservation. In addition, having these images available online makes them much
more accessible to those who can not travel to the Montana Historical
Society.
We hope to post more
information about these photographers and others in our collection in the near
future but for now here are a couple of links which will take you directly to
the Cameron (Cameron Photographs MMP) and Huffman (Huffman Photographs MMP) images on the Montana Memory Project, where you can also explore
other facets of Montana History from
many institutions across the state. Happy Trails!
