hotography, the recording of fragments of time, has long fascinated mankind. From early years, the idea of permanently recording a photographic image was dismissed as an impossibility. This standard of thought did not prevent the curious from trying though. In 1822, J. N. Niepce created the first permanent photograph, an image of the view from his Paris apartment window. In 1840, Samuel F. B. Morse brought to America the photographic process invented by Louis Daguerre. This first practical method of photography quickly became popular, and one could find photographic studios in towns of almost any size during this period. By the late 1870’s, technology had evolved to allow easier photographic processes, which permitted amateurs to begin photographing the world around them. The desire to record these fragments of time still drives us today, whether through photographs, digital images on a computer or recording home videos of family.

The Archive Center was fortunate enough to be given a large collection of photographs and negatives that document what events, people and places were important to one local man. Albert Kern was born in Germantown, Ohio in 1848, and was a lifelong resident of Montgomery County. In the early 1870’s, after studying law at the University of Michigan, Kern returned to Dayton and established a law practice in the Callahan Building. He was married to Delia Helen Brown, and together they had two children Margaret and Walter. Kern practiced law in Dayton for over forty years and was an active member of the Bar Association. Among his hobbies were both photography and archery. Kern was a charter member of the Dayton Camera Club, and in 1879, he founded the Robin Hood Archery Club.

Kern was meticulous about his photography. He handmade the envelopes in which he stored his developed negatives. These envelopes were made with anything that Kern could find, including old advertising posters and discarded pages of courthouse ledgers from the 1850’s. After forming the envelopes, Kern would write the identification of the image on the front of the envelope. This identification would include location and subject, date, and often some information about the technical specifics of the photograph.

The Kern Collection contains images that date from 1890 to 1922. A favorite subject for Kern to photograph seems to have been local parades. He photographed a Memorial Day parade in 1895 and the first Columbus Day celebration in Dayton in 1892. When the elephants paraded through Dayton for an 1893 circus, Kern was there with his camera. Dayton’s Centennial parade in 1896 and the 1909 Homecoming Celebration parade for the Wright brothers were also captured by Kern. One of the last parades that Kern photographed was the 1922 Armistice Day parade, which commemorated the end of World War I.

Kern also photographed local landmarks, many of which are no longer a part of the Dayton landscape. An 1894 photograph of Steele High School on Main Street shows the building as it neared completion. From 1891 to 1895 Kern extensively photographed the National Soldiers Home (now the Veterans Administration Medical Center) on West Third Street. These photographs include the buildings, grounds and the cemetery at the facility. He also photographed Dayton streetscapes, which allows us to see how much Dayton has changed over time. Albert also extensively photographed his family. A grape arbor, located in the backyard of the family home on West First Street, frequently served as a background for photographs of family and friends. Kern often took photographs of family members modeling suits of armor and engaging in mock sword battles and other fanciful poses. Kern titled an 1895 photograph “Helen with helmet,” and another in 1892 is titled “Margaret in gym costume.” He photographed his son Walter with his bicycle, and later while hunting, and as a lieutenant returning home from World War I. Of course, the archery and camera club were also frequent subjects of Kern’s photographs. Kern would photograph the clubs’ excursions to such places as Yellow Springs or Fort Ancient in Warren County, Ohio.

By looking at the subjects that Albert Kern chose to photograph, his fascination with the Civil War becomes obvious. Of the approximately 15,000 negatives in the Kern Collection, about eighty percent are images of Civil War battlefields and sites. Kern traveled extensively to these locations, often returning over two or three times to the same site. While Kern visited the standard popular battlefields such as Gettysburg, Antietam and Chickamauga, he also photographed some of the lesser-known battlefields. These battlefields included sites where two units with large numbers of Montgomery County men had fought, the First and the Ninety-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Among these images are Stone Mountain and Murfreesboro, Tennessee; New Hope Church and Resaca, Georgia and other battles of the Atlanta campaign.

Kern also visited a few of the large East Coast cities, and of course, he took photographs while he was there. Included among these images is one of New York harbor in 1895. Kern photographed various streetscapes, landmarks, and monuments in New York City, Philadelphia and Washington DC. Another image shows the White House, Washington DC, in 1895.
All of the images that Albert Kern photographed from the period 1890 to 1922 capture hints of a by-gone era. What Kern chose to photograph tells us today what was important to him one hundred years ago. Family and celebrations, local landmarks and friends all give us insight into the life of Albert Kern. His photographs of Civil War locations tell us how important that critical event in American history was, even more than thirty years later.

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