Dear List,

I have a question for you re: photography studios of the
early 20th century.  I'm sure that during your research, many
of you have had the experience of coming across a titled
photo that is signed by a studio but has no date.  In many
instances, these are hand written (printed) studio names;
sometimes the town or city of the studio is also included.
For example, I'm looking at a photo of the interior of a CCC
Barracks from Shenandoan National Park and it's
signed "Spencer and Vycko, Detroit."  Why photographers from
a Detroit studio came to the Virginia Blue Ridge is a mystery
at this point (were they under contract with the Federal
Government?  Involved in a WPA program?), but it's not
uncommon to find such strange geographic pairings in rural
western Virginia.

An internet search did not yield any information on this
particular studio, an experience I've had in the past with
panoramic photos that were so popular in the 1920s.  Do any
of you have suggestions as to where I should look for info.
on these studios?  Is there a 'magic' archive of names and
dates of operation?  These are such wonderful images, but
it's difficult to use them for more than general description
without dates.

Thanks for your help; I'll combine responses and post.
Carole Nash
Dept. Soc/Anth
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA 22807