When photography was new in the Victorian Era, studios in Great Barrington, especially on Railroad Street, became very popular. Anson Clark and his son Edwin started making daguerreotypes in West Stockbridge in 1840, and opened a studio in Great Barrington.

Other studios flourished in town including Dr. Lacy in 1846, Edwin Clark, William van Patten, O.B. Huell, Alfred Costello, Julius Hall, Alexander Joyce, Rufus Lane, Frederick Sauer, and Arthur Barnes.

This winter we received several collections of old photos. Unfortunately, none had names attached in order to identify. But the value of the collection still is in its reflection of what our town’s people looked like over 150 years ago. This collection is a lesson for us all to go through our family pictures and label those aunts and uncles for future generations to appreciate.

When you come to the GBHS Museum and view these photos, perhaps you can identify an ancestor of your own!