Photo Northfield circa 1870, courtesy Northfield Historical Society Ruben McIntosh, a prominent Northfield photographer had his mobile studio in a trailer, at right, at the end of Central Street where it stayed for several years in the 1870's. The building on the left is where the Company F armory, recently taken over by Norwich, stands today. The buildings in the center no longer exist. Our caretakers of the Society have been working diligently, inventorying and accessioning our collection of glass negatives. These negatives were produced in the mid 1800s. The Northfield Historical Society has over 280 negatives, 196 by Reuben McIntosh.

The following is taken from Picture Northfield and Green Mountain Heritage.

"Such a rapidly growing town deserved a photographer to record all the goings-on and, fortunately for us, just the right person came to Northfield in 1853. Reuben McIntosh was born in 1823 in Bethel and although brought up to be a farmer, he later 'learned the Daguerrear business and practiced in and about his native town'. This was a process which left a sun-light imprint likeness on a chemically coated copper plate. Said Furnas of this type of photography:

Ruben McIntosh "The portraits were often duly hard-favored. Human being's faces tended to show the strain of having to sit frozen-still for about a minute exposure; it is a comfort to know that your great-greatgrandfather probably did not look that grim. But..(later) daguerreotype portraits… are breathtaking… By the 1850s the actual photograph, utilizing a negative from which prints could be duplicated, was coming in.

"McIntosh (portrayed in Gregory with a furrowed brow and a curly beard sweeping to his chest) owned a 'photo gallery' on wheels which he kept on ground later owned by the Stevens Block (see photo: the foot of Central Street, about 1860). Fitted up like a gypsy van with a studio and darkroom and drawn by horses, this van often made trips to neighboring towns. In time McIntosh became a specialist in stereopticon pictures. Most of his scenic views were turned into stereopticon cards which could be mounted on cardboard and fitted into a small holder. The viewer held up the holder and peered through a pair of lenses, thereby obtaining a sort of three dimensional effect similar to a child's toy of today called a View-Master.

McIntosh later had a permanent studio on the Common (now home of Mayo Insurance) and took hundreds of pictures in and around Northfield. He married Perces Wheeler, and they had two daughters, Abbie, born in 1860, who married George Sanborn, and Hattie, born in 1871. Abbie and George's son, Max Sandborn, became Northfield's second generation photographer.

The Society is planning to undertake a fund raising effort in order to digitize these valuable negatives and make them available to the community. Follow up will be in next week's column.