The unmatched natural beauty of Niagara Falls has been a boon for artists and photographers through the ages and helped bring international renown to a Canadian photographer who settled in Niagara Falls, N.Y.
In earlier years, the falls attracted painters who attempted to capture the mystic awe of the falling water, but the invention of photography in the 19th century proved a windfall for all tourists.
One of the earliest photographers of the falls was George Barker, said to be the first person to make paper prints of falls landscape scenes. Barker was born on July 17, 1844, in London, Ont. While in school there, he developed an artistic talent and studied for five years in oil and watercolor paintings.
He became intrigued with the new photographic art and got a job in the studio of James Egan, then a leading Canadian photographer. Barker opened his own photographic studio in London in 1862, but found it hard going. He decided to try Niagara Falls, N.Y., in 1863, getting a job with then-famed Falls photographer Platt Babbitt.
By 1865, he was ready to set out on his own and opened his own photographic shop. At that time, photographs were made of tintype or glass and were mainly stereographic shots. Many of the old stereographic pictures are still around.
Barker was the first to start printing falls photos on paper, and these found favor among many tourists. Although the pictures were generally popular, Barker had a hard time making a decent living just during the tourist season. His business dried up in the winter, as many other tourist-oriented businesses did.
The book "American Photograph, The First Century," by Merry A. Foresta, said of Barker, "Though his original aim was to be a landscape painter, Barker worked his entire career as a photographer in Niagara, New York. In 1862, he opened Barker's Stereoscopic View Manufactory and Photograph Rooms, marketing views as well as curios and souvenirs of a natural wonder that embodied the power and optimism associated with America."
The book further stated, "By the mid 1880s spectacular images of the Falls were his trademark. They were composed for dramatic effect, a darkened sky, the contrast of churning white water with dark rocks and an emphasis on tremendous scale."
Historian Marjorie F. Williams noted Barker became known "the world over" for his stunning pictures, mainly of the falls. "Eleven first prize medals were awarded to him in connection with his exhibits in various parts of the world," she wrote, "and in 1886 at the convention of the Photographers Association of America in St. Louis, he was awarded the first gold medal. He also was awarded a $100 prize for the best display of prints made from Cramer plates."
The Buffalo Times on July 11, 1886, in reporting on the convention, said, "It is a matter for considerable pride to the people of Niagara Falls that Mr. George Barker, the well known photographer, has been awarded the first gold medal for landscape photography. It is no empty honor when it is considered that Mr. Barker's exhibit was placed in competition with the works of the leading photographers from every state in the Union and was awarded first prize."
He won top honors in photo competitions in 1887 in Chicago, in 1889 in Boston, and again in 1889 in Paris, France. He won a special prize medal in Germany in 1886.
Barker was also well known for his winter shots of the many and varied ice formations in and around the falls.
Barker's negatives were purchased by Underwood & Underwood after his death in 1894. An exhibit of his works was held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | October 13 2009 |