Bradley Portrait

 

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G.W. Bradley's studio was at 42 and later at 125 Main Street in Menasha where he plied his trade. Born in 1838 in Niles, New York, he came west in 1856 and only began his photography business in 1875.

 

Dealing with facts and figures, maps and drawings, old documents and records... it is only too easy to sometimes forget that real people were involved here, with hopes and dreams and aspirations, and perhaps, too many moments that challenged them.  Day to day life was hard back then.  You can see it in their faces, though the dour expressions we expect from photography of this era was largely due to the long exposure times and the prevailing thought that this was a record for the ages, and often the ONLY photograph ever taken of some of these folks.  One wouldn't squander the opportunity on a frivolous expression or dare we say, a smile.  No, photography was a serious business, expensive, and nothing less than a dignified presence would do. 

 

I wish I could say that Walter grew up to be a captain of industry or that Lucy became a well-respected teacher.  Their last names might never be known, but we know that these little ones, like all of us at that age, had their whole lives ahead of them, complete with their dreams for a bright future.   To look into those faces and ponder their fates, there's your history, my friends.