Porter C. Thayer Photographs

This archive contains 1300 photographs made by Porter C. Thayer,scanned from silver gelatin prints, held in the collection of the Brooks Memorial Library. The prints were made in 1980 from the 5x7 glass plates negatives created by Porter Thayer. These images are also available on microfilm at the Brattleboro library. Porter Thayer was born Porter Charlie Thayer on January 6, 1882 on Main Street in Williamsville, Vermont. He grew up in the red house called the Tillotson Place in the Parish section of Newfane, Vermont. He photographed Windham County, Vermont, beginning in 1906 through around 1920. Like most Vermont men of his generation he was a farmer, specifically an apple orchardist, managing his 50 acre apple orchard on Baker Brook Farm in Newfane. He turned to his apple business after ending his photographic career. The postcard craze that most likely reached Vermont by about 1905, was perhaps the impetus for Porter Thayer starting up a photographic business. His diaries tell that he sold 1,197 postal cards during a six-month period at the height of his career. The cards were for sale as souvenirs to summer tourists at small general stores, local inns, boarding houses and hotels. Local folks purchased his photographs as well, especially around the Christmas season, to send to distant relatives. A Brattleboro, Vermont directory of 1909 lists Porter as advertising that he would come to anyone’s home and make images for a reasonable fee. Around 1911 he recorded that he had 720 customers. Eventually he photographed in all the towns within a 25 mile radius of his home in Newfane. Porter Thayer perfectly fits the archetype of the town photographer. He traveled the narrow dirt roads in his buggy, behind his faithful mare Lady, who accompanied him daily. He could apparently take extended naps while Lady brought him safely home, as she always knew the way. He used two cameras: a 5 x 7 and a 6.5 x 8.5 view camera and made glass dry-plate negatives. He traveled with stacks of postcards to be delivered at stores along the way to his days work. Working continually through seasons and years, Porter Thayer left an archive that is a cultural treasure for southeastern Vermont. The quality of his work shows that he was able to combine business needs with aesthetic ones. During the time period Porter worked, Vermont was extremely poor and rural, yet held a close-knit population that shared the labors of life. Farmers helped one another to survive in a subsistence and barter economy. For women, men, and children, life meant constant work. Thayer’s images describe the work and the tools involved. His landscape images reveal this working landscape, which today is mostly hidden by trees. The fruits of his labor as a photographer have grown in importance, as both the landscape and culture of Vermont has shifted into modern spheres of living. Written by Jessica Weitz and Forrest Holzapfel, 2010.

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318 still image
Miniature of Bull Run, Ames Hill, Vt.
Bull Run, Ames Hill, Vt.
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    • Date Created: 1912
    • Description: A quirky cabin on Ames Hill Road in Western Brattleboro with stripped logs as porch supports.
    • Parent Collections: Porter C. Thayer Photographs
    Miniature of Farmhouse with large locust trees on Route 5 in East Dummerston
    Farmhouse with large locust trees on Route 5 in East Dummerston
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      • Date Created: 1912
      • Parent Collections: Porter C. Thayer Photographs
      Miniature of Mrs. Marsh's Colonial House, with palladian door and barn in West Dummerston
      Mrs. Marsh's Colonial House, with palladian door and barn in West Dummerston
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        • Date Created: 1909
        • Parent Collections: Porter C. Thayer Photographs
        Miniature of Hill Crest, Ames Hill, Vt.
        Hill Crest, Ames Hill, Vt.
        Image nop
          • Date Created: 1911
          • Description: Dr. Herbert Barry's house "Hill Crest", on Ames Hill Road in Western Brattleboro. See image bmlthayerT39 also.
          • Parent Collections: Porter C. Thayer Photographs
          Miniature of Farmhouse, either the Phillips, Cook or Pratt house
          Farmhouse, either the Phillips, Cook or Pratt house
          Image nop
            • Date Created: 1911
            • Description: Believed to be same household as images bmlthayerT199 and T200.
            • Parent Collections: Porter C. Thayer Photographs
            Miniature of Main Street Looking West, Jamaica, Vt.
            Main Street Looking West, Jamaica, Vt.
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              • Date Created: 19--
              • Description: Hearse carriage visible on the righ and store on the left in image.
              • Parent Collections: Porter C. Thayer Photographs
              Miniature of Interior of Mrs. Eddy's Room, Jamaica, Vt.
              Interior of Mrs. Eddy's Room, Jamaica, Vt.
              Image nop
                • Date Created: 1912
                • Description: Same image as bmlthayerT298.
                • Parent Collections: Porter C. Thayer Photographs
                Miniature of Main St., So. Londonderry, Vt.
                Main St., So. Londonderry, Vt.
                Image nop
                  • Date Created: 1912
                  • Description: Looking East. See images bmlthayerT309 and T311.
                  • Parent Collections: Porter C. Thayer Photographs
                  Miniature of The Homestead, Jamaica, Vt.
                  The Homestead, Jamaica, Vt.
                  Image nop
                    • Date Created: 1912
                    • Description: See images bmlthayer T241, T243, T275 also.
                    • Parent Collections: Porter C. Thayer Photographs
                    Miniature of Bald Mt. Brook, Jamaica, Vt.
                    Bald Mt. Brook, Jamaica, Vt.
                    Image nop
                      • Date Created: 1912
                      • Description: Bald Mountain Brook looking toward bridge.
                      • Parent Collections: Porter C. Thayer Photographs