Tacoma Historical Society exhibit- A Century of Shutterbugs

March 7, 2018 10:37 am
The Emerson School, located at South 4th and St. Helens, was built in 1889 and demolished in 1920. Photo courtesy of The Northwest Room, Tacoma Public Library.
The Emerson School, located at South 4th and St. Helens, was built in 1889 and demolished in 1920. Photo courtesy of The Northwest Room, Tacoma Public Library.

What: Tacoma Historical Society will open its newest exhibit, “A Century of Shutterbugs: Tacoma Photographers 1872-1972,” accompanied by an online database of the same subject. Admission is free and donations are welcomed.

Where: Tacoma Historical Society Museum, 919 Pacific Avenue in the historic Provident Building

The exhibit at 919 Pacific Avenue continues through June 23. The Tacoma Historical Society museum is open Wednesday through Saturday, from 11 am to 4 pm, and by appointment. Thanks to a donation from McMenamins, Inc., and member support, admission is free.

The Emerson School, located at South 4th and St. Helens, was built in 1889 and demolished in 1920. Photo courtesy of The Northwest Room, Tacoma Public Library.
The Emerson School, located at South 4th and St. Helens, was built in 1889 and demolished in 1920. Photo courtesy of The Northwest Room, Tacoma Public Library.

Photographs capture memories, while preserving details of people and places for future generations. Tacoma Historical Society’s newest exhibit honors the photographers who recorded vital glimpses of Tacoma’s first century – through their lives, their equipment, and their work. Developed by Ron Karabaich and Deb Freedman, the exhibit features a variety of historic cameras, equipment and photographs. Many were donated to Tacoma Historical Society by Karabaich, known for his work as a photographer, collector and proprietor of Old Town Photo. The exhibit includes a full-sized “selfie” back drop, adapted by Chris Fiala Erlich from a vintage Tacoma postcard.

The exhibit helps fulfill a final wish of the late Dr. Caroline Denyer Gallacci, noted historian and author. In 1995 Dr. Gallacci presented her partner, Ron Karabaich, with the results of her meticulous research – a notebook of information about Tacoma photographers and studios. Painstakingly culled from city directories, her findings included dates of operation, addresses, and key individuals spanning the years 1872 through 1955. One of her wishes before her death in July of 2016 was to see the information shared in some way.

                                                                           – Tacoma Historical Society