Upcoming Exhibit at the Jeffcoat Museum to Focus on the Studio's History

The Jeffcoat Photography Studio Museum in Abilene, Kansas is proud to announce a new exhibition highlighting the history of three generations of photographers in the Jeffcoat Studio family business.

Before the turn of the twentieth century, Lucy Fritz Jeffcoat trained herself in camera operation and retouching photographs.  She quickly found work for several photographers in the Abilene area.  Lucy was also the mother of four children, so she did most of her photographic work from her home.  Her son, Paul, became interested in the photographic process at a young age.  He began delivering his mother’s retouched photographs and was fascinated with the developing process.

Paul went into business as the Jeffcoat Photography Studio in 1921.  At the time, the studio was located in a small second story room in downtown Abilene.  The business soon outgrew this space, and Paul built a new building for the business in 1925.  This building still stands today, and is the current home of the Jeffcoat Photography Studio Museum.

Paul saw his business through the Great Depression, and was able to supplement his income by partitioning his building and renting half of his property to other area businesses.  Over the years, the north side of the building would be occupied by an optometrist, an insurance agency, and a shoe repairman.  The sound of pounding hammers repairing shoes could be a bit distracting during portrait sessions, but having these businesses next door helped the Jeffcoat Studio immensely. 

Paul passed the trade of photography down to his son, Bill.  Throughout his life, Bill was interested in documenting life and events in his hometown of Abilene.  Bill photographed several parades, visits from President Eisenhower, and of course, family portraits.  He enjoyed photography outside of his professional work, walking around Abilene and snapping pictures of anything that caught his eye.  His father, Paul, saw this differently.  He once told his son not to take photographs unless he could make an income from the image.  Bill would continue taking snapshots, choosing to develop his film at night to keep it a secret from his father.

Though the Jeffcoat Studio was primarily a portrait studio, the Jeffcoats were able to document the history of the Abilene area, creating images that will last several years to come.  The Jeffcoat Photography Studio Museum’s newest exhibit, The Family Behind the Lens: A Retrospective of the Jeffcoat Studio, begins on September 1 and runs through November 20.

You can learn more about the history of the Jeffcoat Studio and the history of Abilene by visiting the Jeffcoat Photography Studio Museum at 321 N. Broadway Street in Abilene.  For hours of operation or to schedule a private viewing, contact the museum at (785) 263-9882 or jeffcoatstudio@att.net.  Be sure to visit the museum’s website at jeffcoatstudio.com and their Facebook page at facebook.com/jeffcoatstudio.

Photography Certificate

Howdy folks!  I thought I would share a picture of this photography certificate belonging to Paul H. Jeffcoat.  It seemed interesting to me.

Photography as a Family Business: The Jeffcoats

A staple of Abilene throughout most of the twentieth century was the Jeffcoat Photography Studio and Camera Shop.  Paul H. Jeffcoat, known as “Bud” to many locals, started a photography business in 1921 in a small second story room in downtown Abilene.  In 1925, he built a small studio on Broadway Street and opened business at that location.

The Jeffcoat Photo Studio.  Today, it is the Jeffcoat Photography Studio Museum.

Paul got his start in photography due to his mother, Lucy Fritz Jeffcoat.  Lucy had taken some training classes in developing and retouching film.  She assisted area photographers with retouching and hand painting portraits for a number of years as supplementary income for her family.  Paul became interested in the photographic process at a young age, and learned all that he could about the art of photography.

After a few years had passed since Paul opened his new studio in 1925, the Great Depression was in full swing.  During those years, the Jeffcoat Studio began to sell Abilene postcards for five cents.  Small postcard stands bearing the title “Abilene Views” could be found in some area businesses.  This was not a lucrative money maker though, Paul only made about one cent per card.  He began to rent out half of his business’ building for additional income.

Over the years, the Jeffcoat Studio shared its space with several different businesses including a shoe store.  Paul’s son would muse that it was not ideal to have the hammering sounds of shoe repair next door to a portrait studio.

In the studio, a 1925 Century No. 7 studio camera is still on display.

The same year that the Jeffcoat Studio opened on Broadway Street, Paul’s wife Regina gave birth to a son.  The couple named him Paul William Jeffcoat.  To most, he became known as Bill.  Bill was also interested in the family business, but initially wanted to aspire to other things.  He attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio and later moved to New York City in search of work.  After World War II, he heard a lot about General Dwight D. Eisenhower, also from Abilene.  Bill decided to move back home to see if he could document the goings on in Eisenhower’s hometown.  He began working for his father in the studio, and found some business selling pictures of Abilene to United Press.  Bill continued to do this for a number of years, documenting every visit that Eisenhower made to Abilene, including Eisenhower’s presidential campaign and later, funeral.  

Bill eventually took over the family business; however before doing so, he was told by his father that he would have to buy the building.  After gathering enough money to do so, Bill did just that.  He continued to run the studio and camera shop long after his father’s death, and was well known as a portrait photographer in Abilene.  

Several cameras are still on display, as well as photography exhibits showing many of the pictures taken by Paul and Bill Jeffcoat.

Bill always had great interest in local history, so near the end of his life, he decided to turn his studio into a museum.  Bill died in 2007 before he could see his dream fully realized.  The Jeffcoat Photography Studio Museum opened in May 2008.  The museum is managed by the Dickinson County Historical Society and the Jeffcoat Memorial Foundation, and is open on a part-time and by-appointment basis.  For more information, visit here.

A View of the Eisenhower Family

This is probably the most well known photograph taken by Paul "Bud" Jeffcoat.  Jeffcoat was a photographer who owned and operated a studio in Abilene, Kansas for a number of years.  In 1925, he built a new building for his photography business, located at 321 North Broadway Street.  Approximately one year later, he took this photograph at a time when all of the Eisenhower brothers were visiting home.  Jeffcoat's subjects are positioned in interesting places in this photograph, especially Dwight seated on the front steps while in uniform.  After Dwight began his campaign for President, this photograph was featured in several publications, including Life Magazine and National Geographic.  Jeffcoat generally did not get credit for this picture in publications, as he had sold the rights to the photograph for a small fee.

Image courtesy of the Jeffcoat Photography Studio Museum.