Posts - LibGuides at New Mexico State University

My first interaction with the archives at the NMSU Library happened when I was an undergraduate student here in the early 1990s. At the time, I was consumed with photography and split my time studying the medium in the art and journalism departments. During a history of photography class I was taking with Professor Deborah Rindge in the art department, we made a field trip to Branson Library to visit the archives and hear about the historic photographic collections from archivist Tim Blevins. One of the collections Tim pulled for us that day was a group of 50 glass plate negatives, 4x5 inches in size, that was part of the Amador family papers. He told us that the photographs were somewhat of a mystery, as he didn’t really know who had made them. Only that they were a part of the Amador family collection. I was hooked and decided to write my final paper for the class on that collection.

The 4x5-inch glass negatives from the Amador family papers

In the paper, I argued that the photographs likely were made by one of the daughters of Amador family around 1905. By the turn of the 20th century, photography had shifted from a specialist art in which one had to master messy, and dangerous, chemical procedures, to a popular hobby that could be practiced by nearly anyone. The person mainly responsible for the shift was George Eastman, whose company, Kodak, aimed to make everyone a photographer. After all, if everyone was a photographer, just think how many cameras and how much film you could sell. The plan was brilliant and launched one of the most successful companies in world history.

Kodak Girl advertisement, 1910s (https://www.lensculture.com/articles/martha-cooper-kodak-girl#slideshow)

Following the technological advancements that made amateur photography possible, photography as a hobby was marketed to those with enough money, education and leisure time to practice the craft. Young middle-class women were a prime demographic. Beginning in the 1890s, advertisements often depicted women, such as the “Kodak Girl,” behind the shutter. The daughters of the Amador family had the economic means to practice the hobby of photography, and they were well-educated and involved in other artistic pursuits, such as music, painting and poetry. Since the original negatives were in the Amador family collection, it’s likely they were made by someone in the family. Photographic prints may get passed around, but negatives generally remain with the photographer.

Glass negatives from the Amador papers on a light table

Evidence in the glass negatives themselves show the photographer who made the images was female, as her shadow appears in a couple of the photographs. Some of the Amador girls appear in the photographs, along with friends, family and other acquaintances. It appears that the photographer carried her camera on walks about downtown Las Cruces, taking photographs of people she knew and encountered. The photographs depict the town’s diverse ethnic population and focus across economic lines. While not technically perfect – the negatives indicate a light leak in the equipment or careless handling and most images are not quite sharp – the photographs form a remarkable portrait of Las Cruces in the early 20th century. So, who made them? There is no definitive evidence yet, but it’s likely one of the younger sisters – Julieta, Clotilde or Corina, before they married – was pressing the shutter. I’m still hoping a document in the Amador papers will surface someday that will answer the question once and for all. In the meantime, it’s always fine to have a little mystery in the archives.