Usually, the building labeled Baldwin’s Art Gallery is used for taking photographs of guests. Here our visitors can dress up in period costumes individually or with family and friends. Also, many props are available such as a saddle, prop guns, hats, spurs, etc… But with COVID looming the last two plus years, our photography studio has been closed. So, until it can again be used as a place for Cowtown visitors to have portraits taken, the museum now uses the space a little differently.

Last month, I converted the space to an exhibit. With much help from our board member Nichole, we staged the studio with artifacts from the photography collection of Old Cowtown Museum. Now the space looks like a photography studio that one might wander into during the 1870s.

Many items from Cowtown’s collection are now out on display in this photography studio space. You can see a Seroco extra rapid portrait camera lens. A Bausch and Lomb portrait camera is on display. An Elwood Pattern Works camera body can be seen. Chemical boxes on the west shelves showcase Kodak acid fixing powder and sodium carbonate; you can also see Merek’s pyrogallic acid. Types of physical photos on display include cartes de vistes, daguerreotype, cabinet cards, and stereoscopes.

Next time you visit Cowtown, be sure to visit our new exhibit. We hope you find it camera-ready!