The Indiana Historical Society has a wonderful collection of photographs by Ben Winans. Though not a photographer by trade (Winans was a printer), his photographs are lovely. They all seem to have been taken in and around his home in Brookville, Indiana.
Winans captured thousands of images between 1902 to 1916. But for him, life in turn-of-the-century Brookville, Indiana would have been forgotten forever.
These photographs are high-resolution and, if you’re so inclined, they’re well-worth clicking on to see all the extra details. And with so many pictures to look through, would you care for some mariachi musical accompaniment?
The first image is a collage of the photographer himself.
Baby in a wicker stroller
Look at the tough guy in the front row here!
Baseball Players
Election Day Scene
The next two pictures of are of the high school graduating class of 1903. Plenty of things surprised me in these pictures. Does anything stand out to you?
Brookville High School Class of 1903 (1 of 2)
Brookville High School Class of 1903 (2 of 2)
Mary Deter at Her Spinning Wheel
Street Fair
Suhre’s Bee Hives
The Ohio Mud Hen and Crew
I love this next one but I must admit, it makes me long for a paintbrush to paint over the random apostrophe between the L and A!
Pianos and Victrolas
Women in Winter Clothing
Notice anything unusual about these fellows and their bicycles?
Franklin County, Indiana Bicycle Race
The last photo was taken close to home…
Mrs. Winans and Flowers
old spirituals 
I love these posts highlighting different pictures!
I wondered why there is only one man in the high school graduating class. He looks too young to be a teacher, but maybe he was.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I, too, believe he is a student. The young woman sitting to his right in photo #1 and to his left in photo #2 would not likely be shoulder-to-shoulder with the teacher in 1903. Nonetheless, all the photos elicits intrigue.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My gut says you and Ruby are correct about this, but I still think it’s curious he is the only male… and he’s front and center in both pictures.
LikeLike
I wondered about him too, especially as the only man. Could he have been a teacher at a girl’s school? He does look very young. Though—Laura Ingalls Wilder taught school at 15 years old though, so who knows?
LikeLike
My enjoyment looking at these old photos comes from wondering about the subjects and the Country at the time. For example, riding a bicycle was the craze in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. The Wright Brothers opened their first bicycle repair and sales shop in Dayton, OH, in 1892, just 50 miles northeast of Brookville, IN.
The photo of the “Ohio Mud-Hen” car with accompanying individuals is curious. The present-day “Toledo Mud Hens,” a minor league baseball team, was established in 1883. Not certain the two are related. By the way, “Mud-Hen” is the nickname for the “American Coot,” a bird similar in appearance to a duck.
LikeLiked by 1 person
As much as I love the old pictures for themselves, I really love the historical background you give us, Jax! I was curious about the mud-hens, but it was late and I didn’t research it. thank you!
LikeLike
He has wonderfully clear photography! I do notice a tandem bicycle in that one photo in front of Mr Winan’s own shop. I wonder if there is only one male in the grad class because most of the young men would be taking over their father’s businesses or farms. Maybe in that area “real men still didn’t eat quiche”. 😛
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lol! Maybe that’s why! I noticed the tandem bike too. Little things like that always make me wonder. If you showed up at a bike race today with a tandem bicycle, I doubt they’d let you join. People were more easy-going then!
LikeLike