Carole,

Those online catalogs don't usually have all the information in "Special
Collections" groups. A human searcher that works there might be able to
locate some scrap of information. You've probably already done this, but tax
records might have information about the business, too? Or the newspapers of
the time might have had advertising? Maybe the local historical society,
historical commission, and universities have something? I've done lots of
this type of research, too, and I wish you the best of luck in following the
thin threads that sometimes are left from those obscure bits of history.

Maybe someone from that area will send you a response...

--Laura

-----Original Message-----
From: Carole Nash [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, January 02, 2004 9:18 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: photography studios question


Laura,

Thanks for the suggestion; I had gone through the Detroit
Public Library's on-line catalog but had no luck.  I've spent
hours on this same kind of problem for other projects, and
I'm assuming that many of these studios were small and local
(and out of business for a long time).  That's why I was
wondering if anyone has done any systematic research on
this.  C.

---- Original message ----
>Date: Fri, 02 Jan 2004 08:58:40 -0600
>From: Laura West <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: photography studios question
>To: [log in to unmask]
>
>You could try checking with the staff of the Detroit Public
Library (or
>whatever it is called).
>
>Laura
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Carole Nash [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>Sent: Friday, January 02, 2004 8:53 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: photography studios question
>
>
>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