Photos, artifacts shed light on family’s life

One perk of working at the Heritage Museum in Independence is that you never know what will be donated on any given day.

Take that day 13 years ago when three people stopped by the museum, then at the old Baptist church, to donate hundreds of glass negatives taken by their grandfather, Albert Clinton Moore. The negatives were between 80 and 100 years old.

“The glass plates, nobody knew what to do with them. So, our brother was still alive then, and the three of us came over to the old Baptist Church and gave it to the museum” Rosemary Carlson said. “We told them we don’t know what to do with them. But we think these might be of some interest.”

The glass negatives were delivered, as stored by Moore himself, in a light-proof satchel. Museum staff were told not to open it.

“He had one of the first cameras, and all these wonderful pictures were on glass plates. And we inherited this satchel that’s full of these glass plates, and you dare not open it because the light would expose it,” Carlson said of her grandfather’s legacy.

Carlson and her sister Elizabeth Callahan shared custody of the satchel and glass negatives over the years, making sure to keep the collection in a dark closet, before donating the collection.

Donations from sisters Rosemary Carlsen (pictured, l-r) and Elizabeth Callahan made the Albert Clinton Moore Collection possible. Moore is the sisters’ grandfather. The exhibit is at the Heritage Museum in Independence. Photo by Lance Masterson.

Photographer Dennis Galloway processed the negatives for the museum.

The photographs that are part of the Albert Clinton Moore Collection were taken over a 20-year period that ended in the 1930s. The temporary exhibit ends its run at the Heritage Museum on Saturday, Aug. 10.

As impressive as the photographs are, it took more to get them out of the archives and onto the museum floor.

That something extra arrived in 2023 when the granddaughters returned to the museum. This time they donated physical artifacts from the family, many of which are seen in Moore’s photographs.

Among the artifacts donated were the dress and shoes worn by Rose Moore, Albert’s wife, at their wedding, along with his satchel. Callahan and Carlsen wore their grandmother’s shoes on their wedding days.

These artifacts added a new dimension to Moore’s photographs.

“That’s when I connected with them,” museum curator Amy Christensen said. “That’s when it became more than a neat collection, and became, like, okay, this an exhibit.”

Not that Albert Moore’s photographs aren’t special in their own right. They are. They take people beyond the stodgy and formality often associated with the early 1900s. Moore offers a more relaxed view of that era.

“We get to see a vision of what family life looked like in 1910 that was so different than the usual, because it was very intimate, very loving, and very informal for the time,” Christensen said of the photographs. “Not only that, it was so connected to here because their parents were from Independence, they were from Independence, their children were from Independence. So it’s just such a local story … It’s a valuable story to tell.”

Especially since most photography from then leaned toward poses that are known today for their very lack of intimacy.

“What’s unique about (Moore’s) images is the casualness of his subjects, such as his children, Ramona and Dan. His specialty was everyday life, not the posed pictures people associate with that era,” Christensen said. “It’s a great example of how a local family’s history can paint a broader picture about local history.”

Dennis Galloway

Museum Director Natascha Adams agrees.

“Through the lens of Albert Moore's photography, you can view life in Independence, in the early 20th century. Moore skillfully captured tender family moments shared between himself, Rose, and their children,” stated Adams in a release. “As mayor and a successful Main Street entrepreneur, Moore played a vital role in Independence history.”

Christensen is in her fifth year as museum curator. She has been with the museum for eight years.

“I work on the archiving, research and the development of new exhibits,” she said. For me, “it’s such an honor to work with local families and be a steward over these items and to give them an opportunity to share their personal stories.”

Plans are for the exhibit to transition to permanent status given its importantance in telling the city’s story.

Heritage Museum is at 281 S. 2nd St., Independence. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

Call (503) 838-4989 for more information.