Grafton, Berlin, and Petersburgh

Warren F. Broderick

• Editorial: Arcadia Publishing
• Año: 2006
• ISBN:
  9781439617922
• Categoría: History
• Categoría: North American History

Grafton, Berlin, and Petersburgh captures a vivid picture of a long lost way of life in upstate New York. Filled with unforgettable photographs by James E. West, the book artistically portrays the proud people, quiet streets, and breathtaking panoramas of eastern Rensselaer County from
1880 to 1915. For the first time, these historical photographs
from the West collection are presented in a single volume. A
native of Grafton, James Emmett West set up a photographic business in 1878, began working in earnest in the Grafton-Berlin-Petersburgh region, and traveled in his
horse-drawn wagon, f ully equipped with a studio and darkroom.

Five

AT WORK AND LEISURE

James E. West delighted in capturing people at their work, at school or religious service, or merely enjoying themselves. While these photographs were mainly created for his own enjoyment, some of the subjects doubtless purchased copies for themselves. Because of the time involved in composing and shooting photographs using a large camera mounted on a tripod and using flash powder for indoor shots to obtain optimum sharpness and the proper exposure, these photographs all required some posing. West nonetheless was able to capture the wide variety of activities that comprised daily life in the rural Northeast with remarkable spontaneity.

Ironically, West was portraying the social life of fairly small rural communities that would largely vanish after World War I. The mobility that came with the advent of the automobile, the decline of a sustainable agricultural economy, and the exodus of a younger generation to nearby cities, would leave small towns such as these each fighting for the survival of their unique identity. By capturing these varied activities with his camera for posterity, James E. West helped these communities today retain, to quote Grafton author and critic, Granville Hicks, the vital “sense of community past.”

Harry L. Hull herds his sheep down a dusty back road, most likely in Brown’s Hollow in Berlin.

The Agan family (above) proudly admires the livestock in the barnyard of their farm on Shaver Pond Road in Grafton. Nathan Hakes (1835-1913) works at his blacksmith’s trade (below) in hi...