News & Events
A Wealth of Indiana Visual History on the World Wide Web: The Photographs of Frank M. Hohenberger
01/01/2000
September 1998
A Wealth of Indiana Visual History on the World Wide Web: The Photographs of Frank M. Hohenberger
From the beginning of this century to 1963, famous Nashville photographer Frank Hohenberger recorded the people, their daily lives, and the scenic environment of southern Indiana. Hohenberger's photographs have proven to be one of the most popular collections in the Lilly Library. Now these historical images cross into the future as Indiana University's Digital Library Program makes them accessible via the World Wide Web. Researchers, genealogists, historians, local schoolchildren, and others with Internet access can easily view Hohenberger's photographs from their homes, offices or classrooms. "These photographs hold both scholarly and popular interest," says Kris Brancolini, chief planner of IU's Digital Library Program. "The site is designed to benefit both types of visitors." Having studied the print trade and photography in his early years, Hohenberger moved to Brown County Indiana in his early 40s because he was attracted to the lifestyle and the photographic opportunities the area provided. He gained national recognition for his Indiana photographs selling thousands of his prints to magazines, newspapers and individuals across the country. Hohenberger also wrote a column for the Sunday Indianapolis Star which ran from 1923 to 1954. "Down in the Hills o' Brown County" contained local folklore, politics, court trials and biographical sketches. Some of his columns contained material Hohenberger had gleaned from hours spent swapping tales with Nashville locals on the "Liar's Bench" - a wooden bench which stood across from the courthouse and the old log jail on Main Street. One of Hohenberger's earliest popular photographs was a shot, taken from behind, of town folk sharing stories on the bench. The popular Liar's Bench photograph is now one of about 400 that are available for viewing from the IU Digital Library Web Site. Additional photographs from the Lilly Library's total collection of about 8,700 are being added to the site continuously as they are converted to digital form. "Our goal is to have the entire photograph collection available online eventually, as well as supplemental material including articles about Hohenberger, reproductions of his newspaper columns, and excerpts from his diary," says Brancolini. Hohenberger's Indiana images include street scenes, historic buildings, natural landscapes, covered bridges, gristmills, trains, and numerous photos of the people - at work, home or leisure. Hohenberger ooked beyond Brown County, travelling all over Indiana to find subjects which captured the spirit of Indiana or which held historical significance. "We now have an opportunity to make history come alive for students across the state and around the world," says Suzanne Thorin, Ruth Lilly University Dean of University Libraries. For instance, schoolchildren from anywhere in Indiana can plug into the Internet and access digital images which capture the historic transition from horses to automobiles. Also featured on the Digital Library Web Site are a number of Hohenberger's photographs taken in the Midwest, New England, New Orleans and New Mexico as well as photographs collected from several journeys to Mexico and Cuba. Indiana University's Digital Library Program was launched last fall for the purpose of enhancing access to a wide selection of IU's information resources by making them available electronically. The Digital Library Program is a collaboration of the Office of the Vice President for Information Technology, the IU Libraries, and the School of Library and Information Science, and the Center for Copyright Management at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Some of the Digital Library projects are designed to support the research of IU faculty and students; other projects make valuable resources - such as rare and historical documents - available world wide. Additional emphasis is placed upon developing programs which support teaching and learning in the K-12 schools statewide. The Hohenberger photographs can be accessed on the IU Digital Library Web Site: http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/collections/lilly/hohenberger/index.html
A Wealth of Indiana Visual History on the World Wide Web: The Photographs of Frank M. Hohenberger
From the beginning of this century to 1963, famous Nashville photographer Frank Hohenberger recorded the people, their daily lives, and the scenic environment of southern Indiana. Hohenberger's photographs have proven to be one of the most popular collections in the Lilly Library. Now these historical images cross into the future as Indiana University's Digital Library Program makes them accessible via the World Wide Web. Researchers, genealogists, historians, local schoolchildren, and others with Internet access can easily view Hohenberger's photographs from their homes, offices or classrooms. "These photographs hold both scholarly and popular interest," says Kris Brancolini, chief planner of IU's Digital Library Program. "The site is designed to benefit both types of visitors." Having studied the print trade and photography in his early years, Hohenberger moved to Brown County Indiana in his early 40s because he was attracted to the lifestyle and the photographic opportunities the area provided. He gained national recognition for his Indiana photographs selling thousands of his prints to magazines, newspapers and individuals across the country. Hohenberger also wrote a column for the Sunday Indianapolis Star which ran from 1923 to 1954. "Down in the Hills o' Brown County" contained local folklore, politics, court trials and biographical sketches. Some of his columns contained material Hohenberger had gleaned from hours spent swapping tales with Nashville locals on the "Liar's Bench" - a wooden bench which stood across from the courthouse and the old log jail on Main Street. One of Hohenberger's earliest popular photographs was a shot, taken from behind, of town folk sharing stories on the bench. The popular Liar's Bench photograph is now one of about 400 that are available for viewing from the IU Digital Library Web Site. Additional photographs from the Lilly Library's total collection of about 8,700 are being added to the site continuously as they are converted to digital form. "Our goal is to have the entire photograph collection available online eventually, as well as supplemental material including articles about Hohenberger, reproductions of his newspaper columns, and excerpts from his diary," says Brancolini. Hohenberger's Indiana images include street scenes, historic buildings, natural landscapes, covered bridges, gristmills, trains, and numerous photos of the people - at work, home or leisure. Hohenberger ooked beyond Brown County, travelling all over Indiana to find subjects which captured the spirit of Indiana or which held historical significance. "We now have an opportunity to make history come alive for students across the state and around the world," says Suzanne Thorin, Ruth Lilly University Dean of University Libraries. For instance, schoolchildren from anywhere in Indiana can plug into the Internet and access digital images which capture the historic transition from horses to automobiles. Also featured on the Digital Library Web Site are a number of Hohenberger's photographs taken in the Midwest, New England, New Orleans and New Mexico as well as photographs collected from several journeys to Mexico and Cuba. Indiana University's Digital Library Program was launched last fall for the purpose of enhancing access to a wide selection of IU's information resources by making them available electronically. The Digital Library Program is a collaboration of the Office of the Vice President for Information Technology, the IU Libraries, and the School of Library and Information Science, and the Center for Copyright Management at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Some of the Digital Library projects are designed to support the research of IU faculty and students; other projects make valuable resources - such as rare and historical documents - available world wide. Additional emphasis is placed upon developing programs which support teaching and learning in the K-12 schools statewide. The Hohenberger photographs can be accessed on the IU Digital Library Web Site: http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/collections/lilly/hohenberger/index.html
