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HAZLE TWP. — Photography has taken on many forms since its inception in 1893 — daguerreotype, ambrotype, cartes de visite, digital, just to name a few, and guests at the Sophia Coxe Foundation and Education Center on Sunday got a mini education on them all.
Photos from the 1860s to the 1930s were on display during the “Faces from the Past” program hosted by the Sophia Coxe Foundation in the Drifton section of the township.
Local historian and Drums resident Tom Curney Jr. was the lecturer for the event, which featured images from the time of Sophia Coxe — the wife of local coal baron Eckley Coxe. Bryan Dunnigan, president of the board of directors for the house, which Eckley had built for Sophia in 1869, brought Curney in so individuals “can identify photography when they see it.”
Curney has been collecting photographs for about 20 years, going to flea markets and antique sales to find his treasures.
He said he find “how long people had to sit and the dangerous chemicals used” interesting.
In the main library of the house sat 18 people interested in the history of photography. Karen Esak, the executive director and administrator for the house, dressed in period clothing, served cranberry apple tea and scones while Curney talked about the types of photography he had laid out.
During the presentation, he walked around the room showing different items — including cabinet cards.
“(In place of cabinet cards) they give out holy cards now,” Curney said, showing the back of a cabinet card, which depicted the photo of a deceased boy and the flower arrangements given at the funeral.
A big hit during the afternoon was a stereo-viewer, which gave a 3-D effect to old photos.
“Wow! Is that cool!” Lorraine Smith, of Hanover Township, said as she looked at the photograph of a German bakery through the stereo-viewer.
Molly Timko, of Hazleton, compared looking through the stereo-viewer to looking through a camera’s viewfinder or the ViewMaster toy that first came out 75 years ago.
Curney explained that some photographs may look similar but, if examined closely enough, differences can be found because people had to sit in the same positions for long periods of time.
“I think it’s fascinating they got the babies to sit for long periods of time without crying,” Timko said.
Photograph prices in the 1860s ranged from $2 to $3 a dozen but the average price was less than a quarter. Curney said a post-mortem stereograph photo of the outlaw Jesse James sold for $12,000 recently.
To keep his expansive collection pristine, Curney keeps them away from light and in acid-free boxes.
