Book Synopsis
The reality for many early photographers in America was that the profession offered more adventure than financial gain. By mid-1875, there were already several photographers in Arizona capturing images along the Colorado River--Yuma to Ft. Mohave, and in central Arizona--Prescott to Tucson. Evidence of the breadth of their work can be found in scattered, incomplete collections preserved in a few research libraries. Equally problematic, there is little cohesive biographical evidence into the lives of many of these early photographers, even though several were seemingly well known. Relatively few kept intimate diaries of their travels, and almost no memoirs have surfaced. Without an abundance of anecdotal material, what may be learned of these pioneer photogaphers has to be pieced together using extant business directories, occasional newspaper accounts, obituaries, and census reports. The following collection includes H. Buehman, Carleton Watkins, A. Frank Randall, and C.S. Fly.