Sunday, October 3, 2010
Looking thru Lewey's Lens 100 Years Ago
I am a writer at this point in my life (I also build Windsor chairs). Actually, I have done many things in my life but more about that in a later post. Right now, I want to talk about my latest book, "Looking thru Lewey's Lens 100 Years Ago." Lewey Thomas was my Father and an early 20th Century photographer who was virtually unknown outside his native White Deer Valley in central Pennsylvania. In 1903, he bought a Century Grand 5" x 7" view camera with an f-8 Bausch and Lomb lens. Eventually, he would turn professional, but he is remembered most for his photographs taken early on before any studio work when he was free to travel the countryside with his camera and tripod in a horse drawn buggy. His photographs are of the villages and the people he knew. I have chosen sixty-eight of his images for this book, all but two taken between 1906 and 1912. They are a delight, and I have had the book expertly printed and case bound at theWalworth Print Group in Marceline, MO on fine gloss paper. They illustrate that fine photography has been around for a very long time, long before the digital age. I would be happy to discuss my book with you and/or sell you one for $17.95 postpaid. I'll have some samples in my next post. Marlin Thomas, carma1953@gmail.com
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This is a wonderful book of photography taken 100 years ago by my Great Grandfather Lewey Thomas. Lewey's photographs take you back to a place and time in the early 1900's. This book takes you on a wonderful journey back to a simpler time. The book is written by Lewey's youngest boy, my great Uncle Marlin Thomas. I highly recommend this book to photogs, art lovers, and history buffs. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteA beautiful book that take you back in time! Not only is it informative but it captures a glimpse of the Thomas' family journey throughout the last century. Hard to believe the clarity of the pictures match any digital process today. Dad, you made Lewey proud!
ReplyDeleteMatilda Harvey
I was fortunate to have seen Marlin Thomas’s book. In my opinion, I found it to be a finely crafted text. With high quality images and explanation of large format view-camera photography, this book is a nice choice for casual reading. Along with the pleasing images, the informative descriptions tell the story of life in the rural countryside of central PA. From an historian point-of-view, this narrative provides a snapshot (pardon the pun), complete with images, of the early 19th century representing life in America during the industrial age automobiles were replacing the horse and buggy and where people still lived off the land.
ReplyDeleteFrom an academic perspective this text provides context for the photography/art discipline as well as American history, as told through the visual medium of photographs and personal account of the times. If you’re of the notion that a picture tells a thousands words, I believe this is an easy book to recommend for its revealing view of the past.
Andrew P. Lokie, Assistant Professor, Missouri State University