Stanley Dry Plate Photos

by Bruce | Sep 16, 2014 | Photography

Three men, three dogs, one visible shotgun. Going hunting?

I recently discovered a box of old-time glass plate photos in my garage. The box labeled, Stanly Dry Plate Company, has ten exposed 4×5″ plates. I scanned some of the plates on my flat-bed scanner and then inverted and massaged them in Photoshop Elements. The photos were grossly underexposed and I was unable to pull any more detail than what is shown in these images. I have no idea of the identity of the people in the photos.

Woman sitting at her prized possession, a piano.

There was a faded piece of paper glued to the back of the box with a description of the photos. While the writing is in English, it is written in cursive script making most of it difficult to read. There appears to be a few references to places called Campbell’s Dam and Campbell’s Pond.

A quick search on the Internet and I found a likely place in Millburn, New Jersey named Campbell’s Pond Dam.

Description of exposed plates from Stanley Plates

According  to the Stanley Museum in Kingsfield Maine, twin brothers F.E and F.O. as they were known, had an interesting life. They started out as teachers, manufactured violins, and then purchased a photo studio in 1875 at age 26. They invented and perfected the dry plate process after ten years of research. They developed other projects and became enamored in a steam engine automobile that they encountered. They sold the dry plate company to investors that eventually made the dry plate company the cornerstone of the newly launched Eastman Kodak Company.

The Stanley brothers went on to fully develop the steam engine and the famous Stanley Steamer Automobile.

Boys on boat from Stanley Dry Plate collection

The Stanley Company Dry Plate Box Cover. Note that this box cover is from before the company was sold to Eastman Kodak.

Steam engine at station

Unknown group of people doing something I can not identify