How the West was shot – by photography pioneer Lora Webb Nichols
With a camera that granted her entry into a working man’s world of cowboys and miners, Nichols was as much a pioneer as those she pictured
A self-portrait by Webb Nichols with her dog, Duke, 1899
Credit: Lora Webb Nichols Archive
Because Bert Oldman was sweet on Lora Webb Nichols, he gave her a camera for her 16th birthday, in 1899. Oldman was one of several hundred miners drawn to Encampment, Wyoming – then just four ramshackle wooden buildings and a huddle of tents – after a rich copper strike in the nearby Sierra Madre in 1897; Nichols was his wife-to-be.
Preserved Archive of 24,000 Images by Early 20th Century Female Wyoming Photographer Subject of New Book wfmj.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wfmj.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
True West Magazine
Franciscan Brother Simeon Schwemberger began his passion for photography of the Four Corners region after his discovery of a surplus large-format 5×7 glass-plate camera at the St. Michaels Mission near Window Rock, Arizona, in 1901. His poignant 1908 photo of a public Jemez Pueblo ceremony in New Mexico reflects his sensitivity for the Native peoples he photographed.
– Courtesy Library of Congress –
For millions of would-be travelers to the American West, 2020 will be remembered as the year that might have been. For those who did venture out West this past year, spontaneity and flexibility were the watch-words for successful heritage travel experiences. While many museums, restaurants, saloons, historic sites, parks, lodges and hotels are still following ever-changing safety guidelines due to the COVID-19 pandemic, intrepid Western travelers quickly realize great photo opportunities, hikes, roadside rests and spontaneous, seize-the-moment experiences.