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Huested Photo Collection
from the JCHS Archives
Herbert R. Huested
Herbert
R. Huested was a prolific local photographer who captured many aspects
of life in early Jefferson County. His photographs of storefronts,
businesses, adults, children with their pets, even farmers in their
fields, have added to our understanding of what life may have been like
in Jefferson County during the first half of the 20th century.
The very first Huested studio was opened by Herbert Huested’s father George P. Huested and his brother Ralph W. Huested. The Huesteds were traveling photographers who came to the Mannsville, NY area in 1873, setting up their first studio on a horse drawn wagon. In later years, the Huested brothers worked out of more permanent studios in Belleville, Adams, Sackets Harbors, Ellisburg, Camden and Orwell. Herbert Huested was born to this entrepreneurial family in May of 1874. Young Herbert learned the photography trade from his father, as well as the art of capturing people’s personalities on film, often traveling with his father between the family’s various studios.
The Huested Studio
Those familiar with the Huested Studio think of the famous Watertown
location at 119 Stone Street. Herbert opened this studio with his father
George in 1904, but soon after bought out his father’s share in the
business. In 1919, Huested moved his studio to 241-243 Washington
Street, which was at that time located just south of the present day Flower Memorial
Library. He operated from that building until he closed the business in
1943.
The Huested Catalog
Looking through the Huested catalogue, Herbert Huested seems to have
photographed almost all of Watertown’s citizenry, from well known
individuals like Emma Flower Taylor and Orville Hungerford to ordinary
people. Being photographed by Huested was a special occasion and
Huested, in turn, photographed many occasions. Listed among his
catalogue are pictures of brides and grooms, baptized children, and
funerary photographs.
Catalogues from our Huested Photograph Exhibit are for sale in the gift shop for .50/ piece (+ shipping and tax, if applicable.) The catalogue has biographical information on Herbert Huested, his family, and the museum’s collection of 15,000 + Huested negatives. Also included are selected negatives with information on the subjects. Catalogues are complimentary with each order of Huested photograph reproductions.
An index to the Huested catalog is available in PDF format. The Huested Index is approximately 5mb in size and may require a lengthy download on slower internet connections. It is fully searchable and Adobe Acrobat or similar program is required to view the file. Click on the "Download" button to open or save the index. For additional information on any of the photographs listed in the index or to order prints, please contact the Curator at 315-782-3491.
Download
the Huested Index (Note: file size is ~5MB)
The Huested Collection
After Herbert Huested’s death in 1944, the Jefferson County Historical Society acquired over 15,000 of his glass plate negatives– a collection that spans over four decades of photographic history of Jefferson County.
The photographs at the top of the page are a small sample developed from the Huested Collection. Note that in many cases Huested only indicated who ordered the photograph not who was being photographed.
In honor of the collection we are proud to present our 2011
Huested glass plate negative calendar. Titled “Jefferson County through
Huested’s Lens” the calendar features a selection of twelve never-before
exhibited photographs developed from the original Huested negatives.
Each calendar is priced at $10 with 100% of the profits going to benefit the museum collections. Celebrate the New Year with the Jefferson County Historical Society calendar. Available for sale at the museum Gift Shop (telephone orders accepted.) Visit the Gift Shop here...