The Palimpsest

Bennett, Mary

Images
of
V ictorian Iowa
by
M ary B ennett
P hotographs offer unique opportunities to interpret history. In their choice of sub­
jects and in their artistic styles, photographers 
of the past tell us what mattered most to them 
and to the society in which they lived. Iowa’s 
Bertha M. Horack Shambaugh (1871-1953) was 
one such photographer who understood the 
documentary value of her medium when it was 
still in its childhood. Much of her camera work 
of the 1880s and 1890s has survived, and in it 
she provides fascinating glimpses of life in the 
Hawkeye State during the Victorian Age.
Young Bertha Horack discovered the camera 
at a time of enormous change in photographic 
technology. Previously, picture-taking was 
limited to a few skilled artisans, to adventurous 
frontier photographers, and to those who prac-
©Iowa State Historical Department/Division of the State Histor­
ical Society 1980 0031—0036/80/0304—0034$ 1.00
ticed in the local portrait studios. Equipment 
was cumbersome and required a good deal of 
preparation. It included a large camera, a 
tripod to hold it steady, and heavy (yet fragile) 
glass plate negatives. Before each snap of the 
shutter, a glass plate was coated with a thin 
layer of emulsion. This “wet plate served as 
the negative for the upcoming photo. Glass 
negatives required long exposure times and 
carried high risks of failure, for the slightest 
movement could destroy the image.
The development of a “dry plate process in 
the 1880s eliminated much of the inconven­
ience in taking pictures. Photographers could 
now buy prepackaged glass plate negatives, 
which allowed a faster shutter speed. The 
snap shot made possible by dry plate pro­
cesses set off a boom in amateur photography in 
the United States, particularly among the 
country’s middle-income families.
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Bertha M. Horack Shambaugh poses with her 5-by-8 tripod cam 
era (courtesy University of Iowa Archives)
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Bertha Horack shared this enthusiasm. In 
1888, while still in high school, she was given a 
tripod camera with a single Waterbury lens. 
She proudly claimed it was “one of the first 
amateur cameras in Iowa City.” It required 
considerable technical skill and plenty of pa­
tience to operate. Long exposure times were 
necessary to assure good images on the 5-by-8 
inch glass negatives she used. Later Bertha 
replaced this tripod camera equipment with a 
more convenient hand-held camera, a “folding 
Eastman Kodak” that used 4-by-5 inch glass 
plates.
Like most amateur photographers, Bertha 
Horack recorded significant events and 
memorable occasions in her life and over the 
years collected scores of images of her family 
and friends. Domestic scenes appear often 
among her photographs. Typical are scenes of 
her father mowing the lawn, her mother knit­
ting, and her brothers showing off a catch of 
quail. More illuminating are her pictures of the 
interior of the Horack home in Iowa City. The 
contrasting designs of the furnishings and the 
opulent clutter seen in the rooms say much 
about Victorian ideas of comfort. The Horack 
family's affluence is apparent at once, as is their 
eclectic taste. To the modern viewer, these 
photographs are valuable representations of 
middle-class styles in late nineteenth-century 
Iowa.
Aside from their documentary interest, the 
interior views provide clues to the photogra­
pher’s artistic values. Candid shots are rare in 
Bertha’s work, but these compositions are par­
ticularly formal. She photographed each room 
from several different angles, often with 
glimpses into the room beyond. She appears to 
have spent time arranging the elements of each 
composition in order to highlight specific ob-
36 T he Palimpsest
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Berthas brothers, II. Claude and Frank Horack, return from the hunt (above); (below) brother Frank 
displays his taxidermy specimens, 6Yi. 7893.
The Palimpsest 37
K-jfrS -------------------------- ------i
Mrs. Horack and one of her sons clean ducks.
jects, as an artist would design a still life. Al­
ways attentive to the lighting, Bertha was espe­
cially successful in catching the sun as it filtered 
through lacy parlor curtains. Thus many of her
interiors have a warmth that their formality✓
would otherwise deny them.
Beginning in the 1890s, Bertha’s photo­
graphs documented activities around her 
community as well as those within the Horack 
family. Buildings, landmarks, and prominent 
people became subjects of her camera s roving 
eye. A picture series completed in 1893 re­
corded interiors and exteriors of many Iowa 
City schools. Such local scenes as the Johnson 
County Fair, the Firemen s Parade, Terrell’s 
Mill, and University of Iowa campus life also 
appear in work done during this period.
Perhaps the best known photographs are 
those she t(X )k  in the Amana Colonies in 1890 
and 1891 (see The Palimpsest, March/April 
1977); they include images of people, meeting
ho uses, and other community buildings. The 
photo collection is an important source of in­
formation for historians of the Amanas, as are 
Berthas books, Amana: The Community of 
True Inspiration (1908) and Amana That Was 
and Amana That Is (1932). She admitted that 
while some of the Amana pictures are good, 
some [are] indifferent.” What was more impor­
tant to her as a documentary photographer was 
that “they are all glimpses of the Old Amana 
that is fast disappearing.
Photography was still a new artistic form 
when Bertha t(x>k it up, but the appearance of 
flexible roll film in the 1890s encouraged even 
more amateurs to try their hand with the 
medium. As the number of photographers in- 
creased and more photos were processed at 
local drugstores, the uniqueness of Bertha’s 
early camera was lost. After her marriage to 
Benjamin Shambaugh in 1897, she set aside
r
38 T he Palimpsest
(Above) Bertha's sorority sisters boating on the Iowa River, ca. 1891; (below, left) Iowa City’s Skimek 
School, 1892; (below, right) sixth-grade classroom at the Second Ward School near Iowa City, 1892.
I he Palimpsest
The sitting room at the Horack house, ca. 1889
The Horacks’ parlor, ca. 1888
T he Palimpsest
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(Above) Bertha's husband, Benjamin Shambaugh, 
ca. 1892; (below) Bertha posing elegantly in her new 
home, November 1904, photographer unknown.
her equipment and hired others to do her pho­
tographic work. From then on, most of her 
artistic energy found expression in pen-and-ink 
sketches and paintings in watercolor and oil. 
Old photos, particularly those depicting histor­
ical landmarks, often served as models for her 
paintings and drawings, many of which ap­
peared in local and state publications.
Bertha \1. Horack Shambaughs decision to 
abandon serious photography is unfortunate. 
Her photos of the 1880s and 1890s are marked 
by a high quality unusual in amateur work done 
during the nineteenth century. Most of the 
pictures are properly exposed to give good con­
trast and almost all of the images are in sharp 
focus. Certainly she was among the first 
amateur photographers to appreciate the his­
torical and artistic importance of the medium. 
Bertha revealed her thoughtful attitude toward 
photography in her special care in handling 
prints: each was matted, stamped with her 
name, and dated. Those reproduced on these 
pages represent a small sample ot her achieve­
ment as one of Iowa’s pioneer historical photo 
graphers. 0
Note on Sources
The major sources for this article are the Shambaugh 
Family Papers at the University of Iowa Archives and the 
Shambaugh Papers at the State Historical Society of Iowa. 
The two collections contain a total of more than 200 pho­
tographs and glass negatives. The author wishes to thank 
Bertha Shambaugh s niece, Mrs. Katherine Horack Dix­
on, for her valuable assistance. A more detailed bio­
graphical sketch of Mrs. Shambaugh is on file in the 
Society s Manuscript Department. Unless otherwise 
noted, all photos are from the Society’s collection.
The Palimpsest 41
Bertha’s photograph of Old Capitol (above) served as the model for her painting of the building (below).


English

Images of Victorian Iowa

The Palimpsest, vol.61 no.2, March 1980

Teape, Vera Marie

The Road to Denver

Auge, Thomas E

The Dream of Bishop Loras: A Catholic Iowa

The Palimpsest, vol.61 no.6, November-December 1980

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM 
THE SCHWINN COLLECTION
Leonard Schwinn came to Red Oak, Iowa from Illinois in the 1880s. Although a businessman by
profession, Schivimi spent much time behind the camera, recording the activities of his family 
and friends in this pleasant Montgomery County community. More than a hundred of the
photographer s glass negatives survive, and they provide an unusually candid view of life in 
southwestern Iowa in the years around 1900. The photographs shown on these pages were 
printed directly from the original negatives, a gift to the State Historical Society from the 
photographer s son, Mr. Walter K. Schwinn of West Hartford, Connecticut.
© Iowa State Historical Department/Division of the State Historical Society 1980 0031—0036/80/0708—0108S1.00/0
.
Country scenes appear frequently among the Schwinn photographs: pictured on the opposite 
page are Schwinn s wife Kate and son Byron in a carriage drawn by Skibo, the family horse; 
above, the Seeley Flour Mill on the Nishnabotna River. (All photos SHSI)
il#
n o T he Palimpsest
Summer fun: members of a fishing 
expedition pause on the banks of the 
Nishnabotna (left), and a nutting 
party in a Red Oak park (below). 
Kate Schwinn's brother Walter Kelly 
also lived in Red Oak. Kelly's 
children pose for their uncle (right); 
(top tight) the Kellys play croquet.
*
The Palimpsest 111
The Palimpsest
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The Palimpsest 113
r Leonard Schwinn stands sc cone
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The Palimpsest 115
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In and about Red Oak: a panorama of 
the village (below right); a 
horse-drawn trolley (left); picnickers 
in the park (right); and the home of 
Schwinn's father-in-law, Charles 
Kelly (below left). Sitting on the 
porch are (from left) Kelly's 
daughters Virginia, Kate (Schwinn), 
and Jessie. Young Byron Schwinn 
watches his father from the top step.
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The Palimpsest
A final quartet from the Schwinn Collection: a summer 
outing (upper left); the armory at the Montgomery 
County fairgrounds (left); riders stop on a country lane 
(far left); and three hoys play on the railroad tracks near 
the South Mill (above).


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Images of Victorian Iowa

The Palimpsest, vol.61 no.2, March 1980

The Road to Denver

The Dream of Bishop Loras: A Catholic Iowa

The Palimpsest, vol.61 no.6, November-December 1980

Photographs from the Schwinn Collection

The Palimpsest, vol.61 no.5, September-October 1980

Cap Anson of Marshalltown: Baseball's First Superstar

The Library Fire of 1897

Plain Honesty: Wallace Short and the I.W.W.

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