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 n 1890, Dayton attorney Albert Kern began a love affair with the blossoming art of photography that would span more than three decades until his death in 1925. Albert became a familiar figure on Dayton streets, peering through the camera's eye, diligently capturing on glass people, places and events in downtown Dayton. An avid member of the Dayton Camera Club, he and his colleagues ventured outside the city, photographing peaceful glens and pastoral scenes in the surrounding countryside, honing their skills as dedicated amateur photographers. Intelligent, energetic, and possessing a formidable knowledge of military history, Albert's most absorbing interest was the Civil War. Not surprisingly, the Soldiers' Home, on the western edge of the city, was one of Albert's favorite photographic subjects. His many images of the Home, with its elegant buildings and beautifully landscaped grounds, provides us with rare glimpses of the Home at its zenith as a refuge for aging Civil War veterans and as an international tourist attraction. With family and friends, Albert journeyed to the scenes of battle, leaving behind a valuable photographic legacy for those who still seek to enlarge their understanding of the nation's most tragic era. Through his use of the camera to document the world around him, Albert left behind over 5,000 glass plate negatives documenting the city, historical sites, everyday scenes and small commonplace events long forgotten. Seizing the Light: The Photography of Dayton's Albert Kern by Claudia Watson, featuring more than one hundred of Kern's photographs, will be available for purchase August 1, 2004 at Books & Co., Carillon Historical Park and the Montgomery County Historical Society. Dayton Inventions: Fact and Fiction Dayton Comes of Age: The City The Eyes of John H Patterson, 1897-1922 |
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 Seizing the Light: The Photography of Dayton's
Albert Kern |
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