Last year we received a donation from Ben Pierce who now owns two storefronts in the 200 block North Holden Street. Boxes and envelopes full of negatives from the Simmons Photography Studio, which was later sold to Burr --so many portraits. After some research on this building it turns out that more photographers had worked on the second floor of the building. Hinkle, Truby, Barnes, Blake, and Powell, since at least 1900.
This photo is one of a small collection which a wonderful person at UCM helped us to convert from the large negatives (4 x 5") These ten photos show the studio of Mr. Simmons and include some informal family shots which indicate that the Simmons family lived in the space. A wonderful peek into the work of a Johnson County photographer, ca. 1935-50. More to come...
