RG2836.PH189
Are you enjoying your summer as much as the boys in this photograph?
This image was captured in about 1915 by Emanuel Wolfe. Surprisingly, Wolfe was not a professional photographer. He owned and operated a successful dry goods business with his brother in Neligh, Nebraska. Photography was his hobby and passion. Wolfe used his camera to chronicle his life, family and the community of Neligh.
The Nebraska State Historical Society holds over 2,300 of Wolfe’s original glass plate negatives, many of which are just as spectacular and charming images as this image. Unfortunately, much of Wolfe’s collection is undocumented and unidentified. The boy on the right appears in several photographs and might be Wolfe’s son, Wayne.
So, what is your best Nebraska summer memory? Please share your favorite experiences in the comment section below.
Karen Keehr
Curator of the Visual and Audio Collections
Wondering how many of Mr. Wolfe’s photos have been reproduced in print. Have they ever been collected, in a Neligh centennial book or anything? Are they available for viewing from the Society?
NSHS received the Wolfe Collection (RG2836) on September 22, 1951 from Mrs. Emanuel Wolfe courtesy of Dr. V. E. McPherson, a dentist from Neligh, NE. The collection contains over 2300 original glass plate negatives. Over the years, Wolfe’s photographs have been featured in numerous exhibits, publications, books, and now blog posts. Historian Michael A. Amundson wrote a great article about Wolfe for Nebraska History (Winter 1998, pages 150-161) entitled, “Portrait of a Small Town: The Photographic Diary of Neligh’s Emanuel Wolfe.” The images can be view on microfiche at the NSHS Reference Room. The microfiche can also be interlibrary loaned, http://www.nebraskahistory.org/lib-arch/research/photos/access/loan.htm. The Wolfe Collection has also been digitized.