Benjamin W. Kilburn
Encyclopedia
Benjamin West Kilburn (December 10, 1827 - January 15, 1909) was an American photographer and stereoscopic view publisher famous for his landscape images of the nascent American and Canadian state, provincial, and national parks and his visual record of the great migrations at the end of the nineteenth century. Visual historian of immigration
and international tourism
.
He was a legislator in the New Hampshire General Court
. A patent was granted for his Gun-style_camera.
, at age 16. After four years, Benjamin returned to Littleton, New Hampshire
, to became a partner with his father in the Josiah Kilburn & Son foundry.
Kilburn was a sergeant in Company D, 13th New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry
, and participated with his unit in the Civil War
Battle of Fredericksburg
, Virginia.
A mountaineer, Kilburn was active on Mount Washington
in New Hampshire; in Ouray, Colorado
; and in the Sierra Nevada of California, including Yosemite in 1872.
, Ora C. Bolton, from neighboring Waterford, Vermont
at an earlier date.
Photographer O. C. Bolton also taught Franklin G. Weller of Littleton, New Hampshire
. Weller became a notable stereo-photographer who would introduce comic views of a special local color and pioneer a popular line which appeared in later Kilburn subject categories. Bolton was connected with another early stereo-photographer, Franklin L. White of Lancaster, New Hampshire
, who published a view list of glass stereographs in 1859.
Early period Kilburn stereoviews were sold by Joseph_L._Bates, a retail outlet which specialized in Oliver Wendell Holmes stereo-viewers at his location on Washington Street, Boston
. He published a Kilburn-Bates stereoview catalog about 1867. The Kilburn list reflected choices similar to those of Franklin_L._White. Bates commercial support gave Kilburn Brothers their first significant push in the marketplace.
By 1868, a second larger viewshop was built at the Chutter Block location on Main Street. After the Boston Fire of November 1872, a new factory was built on Cottage Street with more room to expand. Both of these larger viewshops were but one block from the Littleton railroad station. Young salesmen carried Kilburn views onto the trains and south to an ever-expanding audience. Today the site of the third viewshop is a state historic landmark. They quickly became the world's most extensive manufacturer of stereoscopic views.
Edward Kilburn retired from the partnership about 1877, although the product continued to be identified as Kilburn Brothers until the late 1880s. John P. Soule
, a famous stereo-photographer from Washington Street in Boston, was closely associated with the Kilburn Brothers. A significant number of his negatives were shipped to the Kilburn business of Littleton in 1881. Benjamin was active in the National Photographic Association
.
The new B. W. Kilburn & Company brought many changes in stereoscopic technology and audience. By 1890, Benjamin's second son-in-law, the attorney Daniel Clark Remich, had joined the board of the firm, as well as James M. Davis, agent for a growing army of door-to-door salesmen. Davis would in later years direct the day-to-day decisions of the firm. As General Manager, located first in Philadelphia and later in New York
and St. Louis
, he used his cable address "Artistic" to direct production, send photographers to distant lands, and hire a sales force to distribute the views.
The Columbian Exposition at Chicago
in 1893 became the high-water mark for their business as they acquired exclusive rights to sell stereoscopic views of the World's Fair.
The business was succeeded by several of its former salesmen and competitors including: W. F. Burns & Co. of St. Louis in 1910; Underwood & Underwood
brothers of New York; B. L. Singley of the Keystone View Company
; and others.
Civic-minded citizen: Civil War Veteran and supporter of the Grand Army of the Republic, developed early fire-fighting apparatus, and was involved in search and rescue on Mount Washington.
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
and international tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
.
He was a legislator in the New Hampshire General Court
New Hampshire General Court
The General Court of New Hampshire is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The lower house is the New Hampshire House of Representatives with 400 members. The upper house is the New Hampshire Senate with 24 members...
. A patent was granted for his Gun-style_camera.
Early life
The son of Josiah Kilburn, an iron founder who manufactured Franconia stoves, Benjamin received his education as a machinist in Fall River, MassachusettsFall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...
, at age 16. After four years, Benjamin returned to Littleton, New Hampshire
Littleton, New Hampshire
Littleton is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,928 at the 2010 census. Situated at the edge of the White Mountains, Littleton is bounded on the northwest by the Connecticut River....
, to became a partner with his father in the Josiah Kilburn & Son foundry.
Kilburn was a sergeant in Company D, 13th New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry
13th New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry
The 13th New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment is reputed to have the distinction of having the first U.S...
, and participated with his unit in the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...
, Virginia.
A mountaineer, Kilburn was active on Mount Washington
Mount Washington (New Hampshire)
Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at , famous for dangerously erratic weather. For 76 years, a weather observatory on the summit held the record for the highest wind gust directly measured at the Earth's surface, , on the afternoon of April 12, 1934...
in New Hampshire; in Ouray, Colorado
Ouray, Colorado
The historic City of Ouray is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Ouray County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 813 at the U.S. Census 2000 and 1,000 as of the U.S. Census 2010...
; and in the Sierra Nevada of California, including Yosemite in 1872.
Photography
Kilburn Brothers stereoviews date from about 1865. Published sources attribute their stereographs (stereo-photographs) before 1876 solely to Benjamin. His brother, Edward Kilburn (February 27, 1830 - 1884), however, learned the art of photography from a local daguerreotypistDaguerreotype
The daguerreotype was the first commercially successful photographic process. The image is a direct positive made in the camera on a silvered copper plate....
, Ora C. Bolton, from neighboring Waterford, Vermont
Waterford, Vermont
Waterford is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,104 at the 2000 census.The town was originally called Littleton but the name was changed to Waterford in 1797.-Geography:...
at an earlier date.
Photographer O. C. Bolton also taught Franklin G. Weller of Littleton, New Hampshire
Littleton, New Hampshire
Littleton is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,928 at the 2010 census. Situated at the edge of the White Mountains, Littleton is bounded on the northwest by the Connecticut River....
. Weller became a notable stereo-photographer who would introduce comic views of a special local color and pioneer a popular line which appeared in later Kilburn subject categories. Bolton was connected with another early stereo-photographer, Franklin L. White of Lancaster, New Hampshire
Lancaster, New Hampshire
Lancaster is a town in Coos County, New Hampshire, USA, on the Connecticut River named after Lancaster, England. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 3,507, the second largest in the county after Berlin. It is the county seat of Coos County and gateway to the Great North Woods Region...
, who published a view list of glass stereographs in 1859.
Early period Kilburn stereoviews were sold by Joseph_L._Bates, a retail outlet which specialized in Oliver Wendell Holmes stereo-viewers at his location on Washington Street, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. He published a Kilburn-Bates stereoview catalog about 1867. The Kilburn list reflected choices similar to those of Franklin_L._White. Bates commercial support gave Kilburn Brothers their first significant push in the marketplace.
Kilburn Brothers and B. W. Kilburn Co.
Their first stereoscopic views were produced in Edward Kilburn's studio in the McCoy Block in Littleton. The location proved to be too small for their popularity. The business remained family-centered and was largely focused on local subjects and talent. Benjamin's daughter Elizabeth and her husband William Jackson were employees who helped to develop the quality product associated with Kilburn views.By 1868, a second larger viewshop was built at the Chutter Block location on Main Street. After the Boston Fire of November 1872, a new factory was built on Cottage Street with more room to expand. Both of these larger viewshops were but one block from the Littleton railroad station. Young salesmen carried Kilburn views onto the trains and south to an ever-expanding audience. Today the site of the third viewshop is a state historic landmark. They quickly became the world's most extensive manufacturer of stereoscopic views.
Edward Kilburn retired from the partnership about 1877, although the product continued to be identified as Kilburn Brothers until the late 1880s. John P. Soule
John P. Soule
John P. Soule was a photographer and publisher in Boston, Massachusetts, and Seattle, Washington.-Biography:Soule was born in Phillips, Maine on October 16, 1828. His brother, William S. Soule, also became a photographer....
, a famous stereo-photographer from Washington Street in Boston, was closely associated with the Kilburn Brothers. A significant number of his negatives were shipped to the Kilburn business of Littleton in 1881. Benjamin was active in the National Photographic Association
National Photographic Association of the United States
The National Photographic Association of the United States formed "for the purpose of elevating and advancing the art of photography, and for the protection and furthering the interests of those who make their living by it." In particular, the group organized initially to prevent "the reissue of...
.
The new B. W. Kilburn & Company brought many changes in stereoscopic technology and audience. By 1890, Benjamin's second son-in-law, the attorney Daniel Clark Remich, had joined the board of the firm, as well as James M. Davis, agent for a growing army of door-to-door salesmen. Davis would in later years direct the day-to-day decisions of the firm. As General Manager, located first in Philadelphia and later in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, he used his cable address "Artistic" to direct production, send photographers to distant lands, and hire a sales force to distribute the views.
The Columbian Exposition at Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1893 became the high-water mark for their business as they acquired exclusive rights to sell stereoscopic views of the World's Fair.
The business was succeeded by several of its former salesmen and competitors including: W. F. Burns & Co. of St. Louis in 1910; Underwood & Underwood
Underwood & Underwood
Underwood & Underwood was an early producer and distributor of stereoscopic and other photographic images, and later was a pioneer in the field of news-bureau photography....
brothers of New York; B. L. Singley of the Keystone View Company
Keystone View Company
The Keystone View Company was a major distributor of stereographic images, and was located in Meadville, Pennsylvania. From 1892 through 1963 Keystone produced and distributed both educational and comic/sentimental stereoviews, and stereoscopes. By 1905 it was the world's largest stereographic...
; and others.
Legacy
Known as the world's most extensive manufacturer of stereoscopic views from 1890 - 1910.Civic-minded citizen: Civil War Veteran and supporter of the Grand Army of the Republic, developed early fire-fighting apparatus, and was involved in search and rescue on Mount Washington.
Further reading
Wikimedia Commons contains images from both the Kilburn Brothers and the B. W. Kilburn firms. Searches typed with either of these headings followed by a keyword (such as: Niagara, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York, and Saratoga, NY, Franconia, and Mt Washington, NH, VT, Maine, Massachusetts, Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, Alaska, cotton, or veteran topics navy, naval, soldier) will yield various specific subject categories for you. There are certainly a lot more. The largest event collection is the Colombian World's Exposition.- Benjamin W. Kilburn at familystacks.com
- Darrah, William C. Stereo Views A History of Stereographs in America and Their Collection. Gettysburg, PA: Times and News Publishing Co., 1964 and The World of Stereographs. Gettysburg, PA: W. C. Darrah, 1977
- McShane, Linda. "When I wanted the Sun to Shine": Kilburn and Other Littleton, New Hampshire Stereographers. Littleton, NH: Sherwin Dodge Publisher, L. McShane, 1993
- Treadwell, Tex. Stereo World, Vol. 1 #1, 1974, page 1 -