Waag Bros. to give presentation at HSUMD on Tues. March 18, 2014

Welcome to the life of 

Pioneer Photographer A. A. Forbes! 

You are invited to attend!
 Tues. Night March 18 at 7pm...

Visit our website on the life of A. A. Forbes by clicking here.

We will be giving a presentation on the life and times of Pioneer Photographer A. A. Forbes at the Historical Society of the Upper Mojave Desert (HSUMD) in Ridgecrest, Calif. on Tues March 18, 2014, starting at 7pm. You can read about the presentation by going to the Panamint Springs Resort website (thanks, Abbey!) by clicking here.

Historical Society of the Upper Mojave Desert (HSUMD)

Post Office Box 2001

230 W Ridgecrest Blvd. Ridgecrest, CA 93555

(760) 375-8456

Who was A. A. Forbes? And why should you care? Alexander Forbes was born April 21, 1862, in Ottowa Township, Waukesha County, Wisconsin - son of James McLaren Forbes (from Scotland) and Lucinda Parmelia Sanders (from New York); he was the 5th of 8 children. Forbes grew up in the midwest, and moved frequently with his family.  In the 1870's through the early 1890's, he became a stockman on his family's range, building his horsemanship and cowpunching skills, and developing a ruggedness which became a key to his early success as an itinerant photographer.

Transformation into Itinerant Photographer

Late 1880s: Forbes started his professional career as an itinerant photographer, working with other skilled cameramen such as William Pretty-man, George B. Cornish and Thomas Croft; he may have learned his trade from them. You can read about all 3 photographers by clicking here. Forbes work took him to Dodge City / Kansas, Stillwater / Oklahoma, Texas, Taos / New Mexico, Santa Fe / New Mexico, northern Arizona, Rocky Mountains.

William Prettyman

You can read about him in the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture by clicking here. You can read about Pioneer Photographer William Prettyman by clicking here.

WILLIAM S. PRETTYMAN, PHOTOGRAPHER (1858-1932)

William S. Prettyman is one of Oklahoma's best-known frontier photographers. Born in Maryland on November 12, 1858, he moved to Emporia, Kansas, in 1879. After employment is various jobs, he became a photographer's apprentice in Arkansas City, Kansas. Following his apprenticeship, he opened his own photography gallery there.

After photographing a group of Osage Indians in his studio, he became interested in Indian Territory. Beginning with his first trip in 1883, he made at least one per year over the next decade to photograph the existing landscape and cultures. As a result of these numerous photographic expeditions, Prettyman produced many prints and glass plate negatives that have survived to the present.

He photographed a variety of people and events south of the Kansas state line in present Oklahoma. Some of his best work included the cowboys of the Cherokee Outlet, also known as the Cherokee Strip, and various American Indian groups living in Indian Territory. He was also present for the opening of the Outlet in September 1893. Oklahoma historian Muriel H. Wright noted that his work that day in capturing images of settlers participating in the Run of 1893 was especially valuable because it was a landmark in news photography.

In 1893 Prettyman opened a photography gallery in Blackwell, Oklahoma Territory. In 1905 he sold his business in there and completely abandoned his large collection of glass plate negatives and prints. He moved to California where he established a wholesale drug company. William S. Prettyman died in California in 1932.

SEE ALSO: CHEROKEE OUTLET OPENING, ALEXANDER FORBES, WESTERN HISTORY COLLECTIONS.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Robert E. Cunningham, A Frontier Photographic Record by W. S. Prettyman (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1957). William S. Prettyman Collection, Western History Collections, University of Oklahoma Libraries, Norman, Oklahoma. John R. Lovett © Oklahoma Historical Society


William S. Prettyman's ancestors came to America in 1638 to be among the first pioneers.  Prettyman's parents lived in Princess Anne county, Maryland, where on November 12, 1858, William was born.  William lived his life as the others in his family had lived, on the edge of civilization, a pioneer, a nomad.  He longed for adventure.

By the time that the Civil War had ended, William was old enough to enjoy stories of "Indians" and pioneers.  Maryland was now populous and was no longer the frontier, but the early residents entertained William with stories of settlement.  The land west of the Mississippi river was unsettled.  As he grew to manhood, William S. Prettyman urged to travel west and experience life.  It was at the age of 21 William stepped off of a train in Emporia, Kansas with only 5 cents in his pocket.  He used the money to purchase a postcard to send home and announce his safe arrival. 

William tried a number of odd jobs before he arrived at a profession that he enjoyed and that fascinated him.  William became the apprentice of a Civil War photographer, I.H. Bonsall, who operated a gallery in Arkansas City, Kansas.  This would become his life's work. 

Prettyman captured the West as it changed from the frontier to a civilized state.  He photographed the evolution of the Native American from a "hostile Indian" to a civilized white replica.  He not only traveled into Indian Territory to photograph the natural environment of the different tribes, but members of different tribes approached him in his studio.  He photographed all aspects of the West.  He photographed old Civil War Veterans in their fading gray or blue uniforms, pioneer women in their sunbonnets, cowboys and outlaws.  Prettyman photographed Bob Dalton both alive in his studio and dead in Coffeyville, Kansas.  Prettyman also photographed the Boomer leader, David L. Payne who was one of the major instigators to open the Oklahoma Territory and The Cherokee Outlet for Settlement.  He was also the official camp photographer at Camp Schofield in 1889. It was Prettyman's cameras that photographed the opening of the Cherokee Outlet on September 16, 1893. 

Prettyman was a premier photographer.  He photographed history in the making.  He captured an element of the "Old West" that would not have been captured without him.  He produced photographs that tell the history of the area of South-Central Kansas and North Central Oklahoma.  Without these photographs, the history of the area would be lost.  Many of Prettyman's original photographs and glass plate negatives are housed at The Cherokee Strip Land Rush Museum.

When the West that he knew began to die, Prettyman sold his business, his home and moved to the Far West in 1905.  He abandoned his priceless plates in his Arkansas City Gallery, he left behind all his collection.  He took only one camera.

It is largely due to his apprentice, George Cornish, that his collection survived.  Each time that Cornish moved to larger quarters, he took along the remnants of the work of Prettyman and Bonsall.  He converted all negatives into photos and stored the plates with care.  It is to his credit that the portion of the collection is today housed at the Cherokee Strip Land Rush Museum.  "Never did Cornish attempt to borrow the greatness of his teacher, nor claim the authorship of his work.  Some he protected by copyright in his own name, but these pictures continued to be identified as Prettyman's work.  Prettyman never sought a copyright on any of his pictures.  Long after Prettyman left Kansas, Cornish produced an album of photographs made from choice plates in his collection.  He did not have to include his former partner's name but he titled the album 'Oklahoma Views, by Prettyman and Cornish'."

I just bought this book (2/9/2014)with images from Mr. Prettyman at Abe's Books: Indian Territory: A Frontier Photographic Record Hardcover, by W. S. Prettyman (Author) , Robert E. Cunningham (Editor), University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma: 1957, for $13.50 (hardcover) including shipping! I'm glad to have found it.

George B. Cornish

You can read more about him in the Cherokee Strip Museum website by clicking here. 

GEORGE CORNISH, PHOTOGRAPHER (???-1946)

Cornish was a protégé and youthful partner of William Prettyman, who produced photographs that tell the history of South-Central Kansas and North Central Oklahoma. Cornish stood with William Prettyman on the platform that hot September day in 1893 when one of history's greatest photographs was made at the opening of the Cherokee Strip. He manned one of the cameras and tried to guess the fraction of a second when a fast-moving scene would reach its dramatic peak. He never revealed which of the three pictures was his. 

In 1905 William Prettyman moved to the Far West, abandoning his priceless plates in his Arkansas City Gallery.  George preserved the thousands of plates he left behind. Some he protected by copyright in his own name, but these pictures continued to be identified as Prettyman's work. Prettyman never sought a copyright on any of his pictures. 

Long after Prettyman left Kansas, Cornish produced an album of photographs made from choice plates in his collection. He did not have to include his former partner's name but he titled the album "Oklahoma Views, by Prettyman and Cornish." [Note: unable to find an references to the existence of this album; would need to contact the Cunningham Collection]. After the death of Cornish, the plates became a part of the Cunningham Collection, and now are back in the land of their origin. Cornish continued as a photographer in Arkansas City until his death in 1946.

Cherokee Strip Land Rush Museum. http://www.arkcity.org/index.asp?NID=176. January 23, 2007.


Largely to one man goes the credit for preserving what little is left of the thousands of plates made with such precision and perseverance by William Prettyman.  This man was George B. Cornish, a protégé and youthful partner of Prettyman's who had a greater respect than his teacher for this monumental record.  Cornish stood on the platform that hot September day in 1893 when one of history's greatest photographs was made.  He manned one of the cameras and tried to guess the fraction of a second when a fast-moving scene would reach its dramatic peak.  He never revealed which of the three pictures was his.

Cornish continued as a photographer in Arkansas City throughout his life.  Each time he moved to larger quarters he took along the remnants of the work of Prettyman and Bonsall.  To assure their continued existence he made glass positives of many of these plates, which he kept in careful storage.  Only when an original negative was broken did he open the store to make another negative.  When unbreakable acetate film became available he made negatives on this material.

Never did Cornish attempt to borrow the greatness of his teacher, nor claim the authorship of his work.  Some he protected by copyright in his own name, but these pictures continued to be identified as Prettyman's work.  Prettyman never sought a copyright on any of his pictures.  Long after Prettyman left Kansas, Cornish produced an album of photographs made from choice plates in his collection.  He did not have to include his former partner's name but he titled the album "Oklahoma Views, by Prettyman and Cornish."  After the death of Cornish, the plates became a part of the Cunningham Collection, and now are back in the land of their origin.

Prior to his death in 1946, Cornish's studio was on West Fifth Avenue.  A local attorney now occupies the building.

Thomas Croft

Thomas Croft moved to Arkansas City from Illinois in 1885. His family lived for a while on South H Street in the Sleeth Addition. Later they built a home on North Third Street His studio was near the corner of Summit Street and Central Avenue. 

Thomas Croft was an associate of William Prettyman, a famous photographer from Arkansas City, Kansas. Croft was present on September 16, 1893 at the opening of the Cherokee Outlet for settlement. Prettyman, Croft, and P.A. Miller set up a platform on the northwest corner of the Chilocco property. On the 20-foot scaffold they sat up three cameras positioned to photograph the opening of the land rush. Prettyman left the other two men to take the photographs while he ran for land in the race. The three men agreed not to tell who actually took which photograph, however Croft's son George has revealed that his father is the photographer who took the famous photo of the opening of the Cherokee Outlet. 

In addition to the now famous photo of the horses taking off in the race for land, Croft took two photos before noon. One shows the line up at close range with all modes of transportation awaiting the opening and the other shows an incoming stagecoach.

Croft preferred landscape and outdoor photography. He and George Cornish took many pictures of business buildings and scenes around Arkansas City and published booklet in 1900 called "Arkansas City Illustrated."

Thomas Croft is said to have been responsible for the first known photograph of a tornado in action. On May 12, 1896 at 4:00 P.M. he and Albert Potter, from near Maple City, Kansas, were in Oklahoma City doing some retouching while George Cornish watched a storm brew. George told his father that the tornado was coming right at them, so Thomas grabbed his camera and took the photo. The photo was used in many scientific publications among others. 

Thomas Croft went into the Oklahoma Territory on occasion to photograph the Native Americans. In fact, some are now famous photographs of the Native Americans. Many of his photos have been printed on china and used as souvenirs.  His glass negative collection is still in tact in his family's possession.

Go To A. A. Forbes Home

Doc02: Mary Austin and Andrew Forbes

A. A. Forbes Research - Document 02

Publication: California History - Volume 85 - Number 1 - 2007

Article Title: Mary Austin and Andrew Forbes: Poetry, Photography, and the Eastern Sierra

Author: Karen S. Langlois

Read This Article Online: Right now, this article is not available anywhere online for free.

Synopsis: A 20-page article including photographs from Vol. 85, No. 1 of California History.

Notes: I ordered a print of this article from AbeBooks.com on 2/7/2014. I did so primarily to get access to the photos in the article, not knowing whether they would be photos by A. A. Forbes or not. I also ordered 2 books by Mary Austin:  "The Land of Little Rain" and "Earth Horizon" (her autobiography). Though they were contemporaries in the Owens Valley from approximately 1902 to 1906 (until Mary Austin left Owens Valley in 1906), it is not clear whether they knew each other.

After Alexander's Death: Wife Mary and Son Laren

A Geological Chance Encounter: James McLaren Forbes

By Tony Nikischer
Excalibur Mineral Corp.
http://www.mindat.org/article.php/1164/A+Geological+Chance+Encounter%3A+James+McLaren+Forbes

I recently came across two envelopes (see figures 1 and 2) from two different mining companies in the Philippines that were from a “J.M. Forbes”, posted more than seventy (70) years ago about nine (9) months apart in 1939. As is my custom, finding out more about the writer, addressee and the companies involved usually provides some insight into times, personalities and places I can never experience firsthand. What made these two envelopes even more interesting was that both still retained their contents, an unexpected bonus which provided additional clues to the answers I sought. The writer, J.M. Forbes, signed his letters as “Laren”. They were addressed to his mother, Mary R. (Rozette) Forbes in Covina, California. 

Figure 1 Above: A Paracale-Gumaus Consolidated Mining Company envelope from J.M. Forbes to his mother in California, postmarked January 24, 1939, via Clipper (air mail). Author’s collection and image.

Illustrated Catalogue of Forbes Studio, Bishop, Inyo County California

Andrew Alexander "Forbes Catalog" 

by Andrew Alexander Forbes
in English and held by 1 library worldwide

A. A. Forbes created a catalog of his works. We know for sure that this catalog is contained in the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History. An additional 2 copies (if there ever was more than one) might exist at:

(1) University of California, Riverside 
Riverside, CA 92521 United States

(2) California State Library 
Sacramento, CA 95814 United States

William Marvin Mason: Mr. Mason was the curator of History at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History. He was also a contributing editor to The Journal of California Anthropology. He collected this representative assortment of photographs by A. A. Forbes of Owens Valley Paiutes that are found in this article.

LA Natural History Museum's Description of the Forbes Collection (P-4): P-4 Andrew Alexander Forbes (1862-1921) Collection, ca. 1890-1915 Photographs, negatives. 10 linear feet (Boxes: letter, ½ letter, 4 ov). Inyo County and eastern California including landscapes; portraits of the Owens Valley Paiute tribes. First resident photographer in the Owens Valley, Forbes photographed primarily Paiute Indians and the eastern California scenery. He maintained a commercial studio in Bishop from 1902 to 1916. Forbes also made panoramic murals and scenic calendars. Arranged numerically.

Doc01: Andrew A. Forbes - Photographs of the Owens Valley Paiute

A. A. Forbes Research - Document 01

Publication: The Journal of California Anthropology - Summer 1975 - page 38-59

Article Title: Andrew A. Forbes - Photographs of the Owens Valley Paiute
Author: Jon Bosak, Photography Editor

Read This Article Online: Right now, this entire article can be found online by clicking here.

Synopsis: This article presents 16 previously unpublished photographs of the Owens Valley Paiute taken some time between 1903 and 1916 (the years that A. A. Forbes "Forbes Studio" was in business in Bishop, Calif.). In the copy of this publication that we have, the images are of poor quality, but in the original print run, I'm sure they are much higher quality. The images are annotated with substantial comments indicating various features that give high historical value to the photos. 

Included in the article is a brief but thorough biography of Forbes. Anthropologists consider Forbes photos of Paiutes to be relatively unstaged for that era, and thus represent a primary source of study for these people. It is not clear what the sources are for both the photos and the facts presented in this article.

William Marvin Mason: Mr. Mason was the curator of History at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History. He was also a contributing editor to The Journal of California Anthropology. He collected this representative assortment of photographs by A. A. Forbes of Owens Valley Paiutes that are found in this article.

Let's look at a few random pages of the publication (click any of the images below to enlarge):

Above: Publication Cover

Chronology of Pioneer Photographer A. A. Forbes

A Brief History of the Life of Pioneer Photographer Andrew Alexander Forbes

Above: Unpublished early photo of Forbes Family. Date unknown. Photo courtesy of Bailly / Tureson.

• Andrew Alexander Forbes was born April 21, 1862, in Ottowa Township, Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States of America.
• Son of James McLaren Forbes (from Scotland) and Lucinda Parmelia Sanders (from New York); he was the 5th of 8 children.

Above: Rare unpublished early photo of A. A. Forbes as a baby, probably in 1863. Shown with his father, James, at left, and mother, Lucinda at right. Date unknown. Photo courtesy of Bailly / Tureson.

• 1867: Forbes Family travelled from Wisconsin to California via the Isthmus Canal.
• 1868: Forbes Family returned to the midwest in 1868 to settle near Sioux City, Iowa.
• 1878: Forbes Family moved to Bazine, Ness County, Kansas.
• 1878-1890: Forbes Family bought range land in Kansas and became stockmen. Forbes helped his family on the range land as a stockman on their cattle ranch. Concurrently, he took up photography in the late 1870s or early 1880s. Big blizzards in 1888 and 1890 smothered their cattle in gullies of drifting snow, and a grasshopper plague destroyed their livestock feed.
• Late 1880s: Forbes started his professional career as an itinerant photographer, working with other skilled cameramen such as William Pretty-man, George B. Cornish and Thomas Croft; he may have learned his trade from them. His work took him to Dodge City / Kansas, Stillwater / Oklahoma, Texas, Taos / New Mexico, Santa Fe / New Mexico, northern Arizona, Rocky Mountains.
• 4/22/1889 or September 1893 (sources conflict on the date): Forbes and one of his brothers took a series of excellent photographs of the "Opening Run"  at the "Cherokee Strip" in Oklahoma. In that run, about 20,000 (or 100,000 - our sources conflict on the number) homesteaders crossed the border into "Indian Territory" in a mad dash for Free Land. After photographing the event, the 2 brothers loaded their photographic equipment into their wagon and joined the run themselves! The photographs of this opening run are now at the University of Oklahoma.