At first glance, the photograph (Image 1) gave few clues as to precisely where or what this was, other than it appeared to be a massive construction site in Asheville. The automobiles and old construction equipment hinted at the 1920s, but where and when was this photograph taken? We searched the Asheville City Directories. There,
I was recently talking with our North Carolina Room volunteer, Lynne Poirier-Wilson about different props and painted backdrops used by nineteenth century photographers. I had not paid much attention to them in the past, nor read about them. It is the kind of thing that has to be pointed out to you, and then a whole new
Several years ago while researching Appalachian rustic for a lecture and exhibition at the Asheville Art Museum I came across two intriguing photos in the NC Collection. They are from the Caldwell collection of glass plate negatives given to the library in 1944. John D. Caldwell came to Asheville in 1903 to take the position
The article will have to stand for itself, as we know nothing more about the work-house. You would have thought mopping up the jail house would have been justice enough. The thought was to post this article along with a photograph of the City Hall. But what City Hall? The city of Asheville was incorporated in
Asheville residents Lynne and Jim Wilson donated a gold mine of a notebook containing seventeen 8 x 10 prints of houses that had been recently constructed in Asheville, circa 1926 to 1930. All of the photographs were taken by the well-known Asheville photographer, Herbert W. Pelton. The original binder was an old black ringed notebook