In today’s world of digital "super-cameras," the idea of lighting rarely plays a role in an “average Joe’s” picture taking. Imagine a world where automatic flash and focus did not exist. How could people take pictures in such a world? The answer is highly trained professional photographers. Martin’s Photo Shop, located within the Kaufman Building, was a renowned photography studio established in 1906. On the cover of my textbook, An American Hometown: Terre Haute, Indiana, 1927, the Martin’s Photo Shop is easily distinguished by large windows on the third floor of the building.
According to Tod Nation, proprietor of that section Kaufman Building, the windows on the third floor were originally the same size as every other window. Frank Martin had to knock out a section of the building between two windows in order to capitalize on the natural light. After Frank Martin’s death, his sons expanded the business to include the second floor of the Kaufman Building, consequently resulting in the large window seen on the second floor. One hundred and four years later, the Martin’s sign is still hanging in front of the Wabash Street stairwell entrance. Whether the sign’s continued presence is due to the town’s respect for a historical landmark, or past owners not wanting to pay for its removal, it is a wonderful glimpse into a world 104 years in the past. Ironically an iphone, not a camera, was used to capture the images of Martin’s sign and windows.
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