Walter C Schneider Archives

Images by Walter C. Schneider 1898-1924

Walter, Edith, Frank and Sadie Schneider

Born in Kankakee, Illinois in 1884 - died in Kankakee, 1964

Images by Walter Carl Schneider 1898 - 1924

It is a hot September day in 1899. A good looking strapping boy of fourteen could be seen bicycling through the streets of Kankakee, Illinois. On the bar and package rest of his bicycle one could note that there was a tripod and several parcels strapped to it. He was on his way to a citywide parade to photograph the event. The idea of preserving an image of people and places for later ages and generations to see, was quite new, only some fifty + years old. The concept intrigued our young lad. Just a little over a year ago his Uncle George had interested him in the craft of photography. A year ago his father had given him a camera and tripod. Uncle George showed him how to use the camera and process the film plates using the wet plate process. George also instilled a very important discipline in the lad, He taught him to document carefully each step of his work, each image by location, subject, time of day and the specifications used in capturing the image. That discipline is necessary for later knowledge about any great body of work of photography. The boy did it diligently.

From earliest photographic methods such as dagguerreotype , which used an iodine-sensitive silvered plate and mercury vapor to reveal the images, two new processes had evolved in the beginning and middle 1880s. First the wet plate process used sheets of glass which was coated with collodion and dipped in a bromide-iodine solution. While wet it was placed in the camera for exposure. Then the plate was removed immediately and the wet plate was coated with a silver nitrate solution to reveal the image and fixed with water. Our young artist used this process until 1900 when he went to the dry plate process. The dry plate process used glass plates coated with a dried silver-bromide emulsion, and kept in a light-free bag. The plate was then placed into the camera in darkness and exposed via a shutter. The exposed plates were kept in darkness. Then the plates were either developed in the field using a light free bag, or at home in a dark room, using a developer and a fixer to neutralize continued development. It was an easier process then dagguerreotype or the wet plate process, but it was still a complicated process fraught with broken plates and damaging light exposure. Yet very clear black and white images were possible with this new photographic advancement that have withstood the ravages of time. The camera he used was a box which had a very rudimentary slow lens. Many times light incursion in the box would ruin the image and he would have to fix the light leak and start over. The boy used a tripod to keep camera shake from blurring his 5"x 4" images. The tripod also served to keep the camera level. This platform was almost always used in this period by serious photographers. The slow speed of the lens and film plates necessitated long exposures, mostly from 1/25th of a second to several minutes. Our eager young lad learned the camera’s limited ability and mastered the development of the plates in the hot months of July and August 1898. The failures of early mishaps only served to whet his appetite as he developed his technique to achieve excellent images by September of 1899 when he documented the Industrial Parade in Kankakee.

Another development in the United States helped him to become mobile with a much greater and more immediate range. Well designed two wheeled rider driven vehicles had became available in America and Europe. Immediately they became very popular. Bicycles were easier to handle and quicker then the carriage, and they did not cost as much. These two technically improved advancements, dry film plates and the bicycle, allowed our young lad to develop his interests and gave him the range which allowed him to take his unique images. It would be his modis operendi of photographing until 1912. Bicycling throughout the Kankakee area, Europe and later the Midwest expanded his ability, creating work over far greater ranges then earlier photographers. In addition, he found that by taking images of people, houses and public events, people would buy them which supported his avocation and spending needs. The images of the Industrial Parade in Kankakee in 1899 were his first commercial sales.

Kankakee in 1900 was a small Midwestern city of 15,000 inhabitants with a growing economic base. Located in central Illinois on the Kankakee River, fifty six miles south of Chicago and served by the north-south Illinois Central Railroad just where it meets with an east-west junction. The city was set in flat farmland country and had established a sizable industrial base in the past few years. It was home to several different European migrations There was a German influence which had come over a series of years. Migrant workers, mostly Slavic, labored in the four rock surface mines nearby or in the fields of farmers gathering corn and reaping and threshing of wheat. Workers produced ice from the river and skated on it in the winter. A brewery was established owned by F.D. Radecke. The river boat Steamer Margaret plied the Kankakee River with three other public steamers carrying weekenders to Gougars Park. The small city had a growing middle class which provided services such as carriage making, insurance, travel services, banking and legal services. In Kankakee there was a master photographer I.W. Powell who provided portrait and other image services to Kankakeans. It was home to the largest state owned sanatorium, Eastern Illinois Hospital for the Insane, which was a city in itself with 2200 inmates and a staff of 500. The city prided itself on its civic endeavors. Festivals and parades were commonplace. There were parks where citizens picnicked. There was pride and wealth in Kankakee. Many streets were newly macadamized with cement sidewalks and curbs being the norm. The Great Northern street railway(trolley) connected Kankakee with the many manufacturing plants in suburban Bradley. Three daily newspapers and three weekly were published. Two public telephone companies provided services to Kankakee, Bradley and the small town of Bourbonnais, which was home to a college and seminary. Kankakee had just built a new opera house which cost $50,000. There was religious and ethnic tolerance in Kankakee which opened its doors to immigrants. It was a good American place to live. The Native Americans at an earlier time had called it “Wonderland”.

The Early years 1884-1899

Walter Carl Herman Schneider was born in Kankakee, Illinois on October 16^th 1884. His father Albert was born in 1860 in Newark, New Jersey where his parents had emigrated to from Ludwigsburg, Germany in the 1850s. With his parents and Alberts new wife Birtha, the Schneiders moved to Kankakee where other of the Schneider family had relocated to earlier. Albert’s father, Charles had opened a carriage shop and became very successful and was later joined by Albert’s brother. Albert’s father had also opened an insurance agency. Albert chose to enter this business. Later it grew into a savings and loan company as well as a travel agency under Albert’s care. When Walter was born, the Schneider family was well ensconced in Kankakee in the growing middle class with an extended family and many friends. Walter was the eldest of Albert’s and Birtha’s three children which included Frank( born 1887) and William (born 1891). The early years of Walter were pleasant in Kankakee, filled with family events and school. He was a quiet and serious lad, filled with curiosity and good manners. Walter was diligent and a very good student His friends were part of the new bourgeoning middle class of the growing community. He crossed many social barriers with his friendships in his social life. His family was well liked in Kankakee. The city was proud of its recent emigrants and embraced the addition of vitality in the community. Walter was very close to his fathers brothers, Frank and George. Many days he could be found at Franks carriage shop helping create lovely works of art in carriages for the community. His Uncle George was a robust man who explored new technology as it came available. His Uncle had taken on a new avocation that was very demanding and he created images that would give his family memories. Yet his interest was in the amazing technology of creating images that could be saved for future review. He became the archivist of family portraits and family events. He developed an expertise that was very professional, and he was a teacher. He was very exacting in photography. Young Walter was taken under Georges wing and became fascinated that images could be made and preserved. Over the years George would tell him about the processes used to technically process the plates. He would teach him about light, the use of the camera, the need for a tripod and the effect of movement of the subjects during the exposure. The technology of the plates and the resulting image in black and white which had difficulty in defining the blue colors in the sky and green of nature. Thus the subject of each image needed to be understood, to produce an effective photograph. The boy learned quickly. Uncle George instructed him in keeping records of the technical aspects in taking the pictures, mainly so the earlier mistakes could be corrected and the craft improved. The name and location was added as the documentation was completed. Walter kept very good records. By 1898, Walter was experimenting with flash. His image of the Schneider family playing cards was taken using chemical flash. Chemical flash was usually only used by professionals as it was complicated and dangerous. It was used for gatherings or portraits indoors under low light conditions, where time exposure could not be used because of the movement of people. A device was used which had a small alcohol lamp attached to a lidded container which had a flexible tube ending with a bulb. In flash units, powdered magnesium was often used, combined with a flammable compound to ignite the magnesium, usually potassium chloride. The magnesium and potassium chloride were mixed and put into the container. The alcohol lamp was lit and at the right time the bulb was squeezed and the powder flew up and was ignited by the lamp creating the flash. The white light produced by the burning magnesium was excellent light for photographers. His experimentation with chemical flash was an indication of the thorough and excellent training he had from his Uncle George and I. W. Powell, the professional photographer in Kankakee.

In a 1899 note book, he talked about expenditures for plates and chemicals for both processing and paper and chemicals to create prints. In addition, he kept an accounting of pictures sold and an income and expenditure balance sheet. He wrote that he received $.30 then $.50, $.25 and $.25 from E. Kurrash for pictures of the Street Fair in September 1889. He had found a demand for his images which would pay for his hobby and give him extra spending money. The result was that he developed a passion for photography and he developed his skill very well.

The first images that were available were taken in July through December of 1898 when the boy was still thirteen just turning fourteen. They showed some poor and some very good images, which indicated that he was still in the trial and error stage, his waste must have been considerable. The selection of subjects reflected testing of which images would be good and which he could not achieve. Flowers were attempted and soon left out of future work. Bland distant landscapes also attempted with little interest in the final image being achieved. Yet buildings and houses were photographed with surprisingly good results. Portraits also became a favorite subject as well as images of the city of Kankakee and events. The pattern of his work was developing. Four images of note occurred in September and December of 1898. A wonderful view of horse and buggy, a pastoral scene of the Schneider family under an apple tree. In addition the image of Merchant Street from Albert’s office was very documentary of the times. During this period he was using the wet plate process for developing images. It was difficult and demanding.

!899 was a very productive year for young Walter. In this year he showed that his experimentation had resulted in directions in which the quality of his images could be maximized with his equipment. His composition had become a driving force in his work. His group portrait in January of skaters at Gar Street Bridge, of a train going over the bridge, The refreshment committee, afternoon gossip and the Schneider Carriage shop were followed by a year of wonderful images. By this time his camera had become part of his being. A trip to Milwaukee included in his baggage, his camera and tripod. Over 120 images, many of which are very important were taken in this time period. The Flower and Industrial Parades dominated this period because he sold so many prints. The image of Governor Tanner with the Vice President of Mexico at the railroad station was also very popular. Images of silos, family, homes, Kankakee, Steamer Margaret, Carriages and the Hospital for the Insane set standards which continued for his imaging till 1914. Walter attempted images of sheep, pigs and nature with limited results. His pictures of a circus in Kankakee were disappointing for him and later work with moving objects that he could not control was limited. In this year he became friends with the professional photographer I. W. Powell and became his student. The master recognized Walter’s talent and encouraged him to create a picture postcard book of Kankakee images. The partnership provided inexpensive images for Kankakeans for decades. I.W. Powell was confined to his shop or on commissions most of the time leaving young Walter to do his on site location work, especially the non-portrait work. It was also economically rewarding for both of them. The year closed out with some lovely family images.

Mastering the Craft 1900-1903

1900 opened with the transition from the 1800s to the 1900s and this celebration was documented by our photographer. The confidence and skill of Walter in his craft grew and it reflected in the work. Over 140 images have been preserved from this period. His documentation of Kankakee and the surrounding area was quite astonishing. His bicycle took him to, a train wreck, wheat threshing, tornado destruction, the flooding of the Kankakee River, Gougars Park and Sauberlies woods where Kankakeans played and picnicked. He went with his family to Michigan where the documentation was very interesting. In addition, there was fine work in done of the Kankakee city scape, including the wonderful images of the library and Layfayette Hotel. and his uncle’s beautiful carriages including the Blatz Beer wagon and making ice on the Kankakee River. There were portraits of the family and commissions for images of homes and farms. The range of his friendships, showed in the images of prominent people’s summer cottages up on the River, that belonged to the Radekes and Kurrash’s. It was a very productive year. Walter was16.

By now our young photographer was quite accomplished. He had converted his processing from wet plates to dry plates. He was using chemical flash regularly. The quality of his work was first rate and he threw himself into his work with a passion. 1901's work commenced by the documentation of a train wreck on the Big 4 at Waldon. In addition the images taken at the Sinclair Quarries was important as well as the Starch Factory fire. In 1901 Walter was finding out about women. A young polish girl, Angela Slominski caught his fancy and she caused his blood to rush. Images of her were very good. Picnics to Sauberlis woods as well as fishing trips with the family and Angela took some of his attention away from photography. Only some 85 images were produced this year but they were very important. In addition he was a senior in high school and he was planning his life. The Schneider family was doing well and it reflected in their life together. The picnics were regular and the family was well respected in Kankakee.

Walter graduated from high school in 1902. The little senior class celebrated and then went their ways into the world. In the fall Walter enrolled in the Kankakee Business School. An image of him with his Kankakee Basketball teammates tells of other activities that he was involved with. Both events had images of their passing. In the summer of 1902 he traveled with his family to New York. His images on this trip were priceless. Niagara Falls, The Hudson, the wonderful images of the Rockaway Beach in Long Island. The ferries crossing the Hudson, the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge are all important and iconic images. The images of Court Street in Kankakee and the new City National Bank with the electric lights and the end of the trolley line where the carriages picked up riders are wonderful. Angela was still an item when he graduated from high school. Walter continued his study at the College. While the number of images was not great some of his best work was done in 1902. During this year, after a year at the College he determined that he did not want to enter his Dad’s business. He applied to the University of Wisconsin entering the Undergraduate program leading to a law degree. He was accepted and entered the program in the fall of 1903. It was a year for studying to prepare himself for a law practice. He was 18. His photographic work was concentrated more in the summer and reflected his involvement with his family. He did some important work on the aftermath of a tornado in the summer of 1903. In addition, he was not out selling his images as much, thus reducing his spending ability. The relationship with Angela was over. He created over 58 plates during this period.

The College Years 1903 - 1905

In the fall of 1903, Walters interest in recording the University and his environment was piqued. He joined the photography club of the University of Wisconsin and his productivity was renewed. The images of the University were outstanding, the frosh rush as well as room mates and events on the campus were documented. At the time that he was there the Wisconsin capitol building burned and he recorded that on the day after the fire. There are amazing images. Walter visited the Wisconsin Fish Hatchery and Lake Mendota. By now Walter was a consumate master. He was far more selective in his subjects for recording. His skill to realize each image was masterful and good. The images of the hatchery and ice fishing were iconic and important. In the summer of 1904 his photography continued with excellent images of his family, the advent of the automobile and Kankakee. 1905, his second year in the program continued with images of the University and ice fishing. Near the end of the term his father had suggested that he might continue his law study program by studying in Germany. The University agreed to give him one years credit for the study work. Albert worked with his contacts in the insurance and travel businesses to make it happen. By now Albert was well respected and his contacts included American Consuls in Germany. He arranged for Walter to stay with the Consul in Solingen who would tutor the student in political law. Walter went as a Vice and Deputy Consul. In the summer of 1905 the work was excellent. He documented his friends homes and cottages creatively. His acceptance in the community as a serious young adult was reflected by the need of friends of the family to have images of their families and homes taken by him. All of his photographic skill development from 1898 was leading to his extraordinary work that was to take place in Europe for the next two years. His father asked that he record his journey.

Europe as a Vice Consul 1905 -1907

In the late summer of 1905 Walter traveled east to board the ship SS Finland with his bicycle and camera. During his travel to the east he again visited Niagara Falls and took some historical images as well as a ferry in New York with a horse on deck. On September 30^th the ship left New York. A month later when he was suitably ensconced in the Consulate in Solingen and his studies, he started to record Germany. Consul W.R. Estes was recorded for posterity with his son as well as the Consulate. Memorable was the image of a dog pulling a milk cart in Solingen. In January 1906, Walter was invited to join the Consul of Freiburg for a weekend of skiing in the German Alps at Schaninsland. An image of this race and event was sent home and was promptly published in the New York Herald. Recognition of Walters work was important to him as he continued to document his stay. The climb of Walters growth in the craft to be able to photograph well, was wonderfully timed so as to record professionally his travels. In Europe the craze towards bicycling had reached grand proportions and many very serious clubs were formed to support bicyclers with maps, lodging and eating locations as well as route news. This suited our your artist well. By now Walter is 21 and a young serious student of law and life. In the cold months of early 1906 Walter is exploring the countryside of the Black Forest of Germany on weekends. In April, he is relocated to the Consulate of Freiburg for additional tutoring. In Schlossberg a wonderful image of the Messe Cookery Market is captured. The Freiberg Rathaus is captured, In Haslach a Black Forest cottage is recorded, in Ravennaschlucht a saw mill. Wonderful pictures of the German country side are captured. The work done this year was mostly in Germany. In the winter of 1907 it is decided that Frank, Walters brother will come to Germany and the two will travel from Germany into Switzerland, France and Italy for the summer of 1907. Driven by the excitement of their traveling together and documenting the travel, the work done on this trip was the best of his career. With Frank documenting the travels (We have the travel journals) and Walter taking pictures recording the locations and specifications, we have a complete study. There was great excitement when the two young men met at the ships dock in Hamburg on that early May day. With assistance from the Deutscher Radfahren Bund (German Bicycle Union) the young travelers set off on their journey. Their itinerary was ambitious as it wound in and around Germany, a touch of France, Lichtenstein and into Switzerland through the Alps, down to Italy along the coast and across to Venice and back to Germany. With their backpacks and camera equipment strapped to the bicycles they set off. Colmar had the image of women washing, the round tower of Nuernburg, The women working the high treadle of a water pump, The Reuss Valley had the children at the water fountain beside the road, In Felskirche, Lichtenstein, the boy and girl with the milk can, in Zurich the lovely woman at the flower market, and in Lucerne the boy and girl on Axenstrasse. These are powerful iconic images by a master photographer. In Geneva the serving of ice cold drinks and washing of clothes. Crossing into Italy to Isola Bella to record the lovely image of fish drying and the man on the boat with basket. From there to Venice and Saint Marks square. These are important images of one hundred years ago. Then to Rome and the wine dealer. In Naples some his finest work including a vendor selling fresh milk from a cow, fishermen drawing in nets, and the sleeping homeless boy in the basket and the public letter writer. Finally the women washing clothes in Pegli and the men’s room in Milan. His portrait of the Leaning Tower of Pisa is wonderful. The summer of 1907 was a high water mark for Walter in his photography. Many moments in history conspired to give us this great work. Bicycling in Europe was very fashionable. Photography with dry plate technology was at the zenith. The ability of Walter in earlier years to grasp the intricacies of the camera and tripod and finally the youthfulness of the young men to attempt the arduous trip through Europe on bikes. The result was a collection of images that have withstood the test of time on both the images and the art. It is diverse and great work. In the two years in Europe over 301 plates were processed by Walter, a full quarter of the work that we have in inventory.

The Wanderlust Years 1908 - 1912

By September of 1907, the two young men were back in Kankakee. Walter went back to the University of Wisconsin to complete his law studies. We see little of his work in photography in the school year as his work load was very heavy. There were a few exceptions, the fire in Chicago in the dead cold of winter with ice everywhere and the images of Herman Handorf’s house are iconic. Walter graduated with a law degree in May of 1908. In July he recorded the wonderful image of Kamman’s wagon for the July 4^th parade. From then on the parade vehicles documented were automobiles. In early July, Walter and his brothers Frank and William decided to bicycle to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky for the month. This was quite an undertaking as beyond the Illinois line the roads turned to mud. The images of this trip were wonderful but limited because of the damage to the plates on this very rugged trip. Yet the images of the young men coping with the roads, the shacks, schools, covered bridge, the tollgate, repairing tires, the classic old well and finally the barges on the Green River in Kentucky are very memorable. Some of the plates that we have of this era are broken yet the photography was very good. By August they were back home. Walter then spent time passing the Illinois bar and establishing his practice. At the same time he wrote a series of articles that were published in Essen, Germany in the Deutsche Rad-und Kraftfahrer-Zeitung about his bicycle travels in the midwest. They were published in 1911. The texts and the images were wonderful. In 1909 Walter took some images of a grain elevator burning, Albert Schneider’s office and his own law office. In addition Kamman’s soda wagon, Cummings Elevator, and the Calendar Social Committee were recorded as 1909 slipped out. In June 1910 he took the portrait of two lovely young women, Nettie Genz and Minnie Kraft. Shortly after in July, Walter was introduced to Edith Albert who lived in Wheatfield, Illinois. The Albert family were prominent in the area and the match proved to be very good. Trips to Wheatfield were punctuated by Edith coming to Kankakee for visits. Soon they announced their betrothal and on November 4, 1911 they were married. The images taken in 1910 included Frank’s house and wedding anniversary with Sadie, automobiles with the family. In 1911 we have a lovely picture of Edith, Sadie, Frank and Walter as a self portrait just before Walter’s and Edith’s marriage. We also have images of Edith with her mother, Mildred Albert at Gougars Park. Walter is establishing his law practice in the early months of 1912 so their honeymoon is postponed to July when they go to Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee. The images of the couple swimming, the hotel and the wonderful image of a couple at a country store are iconic.

The Marriage Years 1913 - 1924

By now Walter is established in his law practice, Edith’s and Walter’s home is being completed and the Schneider’s are establishing themselves in the society of Kankakee. Photography is on the back burner of Walter’s life. Even so, there was a picture of a George Washington party the winter of 1913 at Walter’s and Edith’s home. Later in the year Edith and Walter travel to Lake Michigan and stay at Eagle Inn at Eagle Rock in Ephraim Wisconsin for a vacation. Classic images of Edith walking among the fishing nets, the lighthouse at Eagle Point, Edith walking on the road. It was a special time for the Schneider’s. In 1913, Edith became pregnant and in 1914 Richard is born. Two years later Allan was born. Lovely pictures of Edith and family follow. Some self portraits of Walter as a lawyer and father also are in the archives. In late 1915 Edith was diagnosed with tuberculosis. The images that follow show the boys in various states of growing up, while Edith continues to slip. In 1922, Edith enters a sanatorium and she died in 1924. The last images we have from Walter are images of Edith lying in repose in the Schneider home. Walter is heartbroken. While he remarries he is never the same happy person again. Walter died in Kankakee on February 28^th 1964.

Epilogue

Walter Carl Herman Schneider was a quiet thoughtful man, a lawyer that was kind to his clients, many times never receiving payment from the poor who he represented regularly. He was a student in so many ways, photography, learning about people, law and in life. He lived in a period which crossed from horse drawn transportation to the automobile, the electric light bulb, the telephone and the Industrial Revolution. He did not aspire to great heights, yet he achieved it in the wonderful documentation of the period from 1898 to 1924 of his life in a period of American history that was transitional. Walter did it with a professionalism and used his innate artistic ability to leave us a rare and precious body of work. His 1200 plates were an enormous undertaking in a time when documentation by photography was quite new and logistically difficult. At the end of this study Walter was using film instead of glass plates That these plates were created, documented by Walter in detail and preserved in Tom Schneider’s basement from the elements, allows us to view the wonderful rich life of American history at the turn of the 20^th century. The method of presenting these images was to make contacts prints and then using scans to create duotone plates. We have been able to print 160 plus images of his work. Over six hundred of his plates have the same technical and composition quality. The collection has great value for the historian, the student and the art collector. Walter gave us that gift.

Lucian Niemeyer

Santa Fe 2006