Porter C. Thayer Photographs
Collection Overview
This archive contains 1300 photographs made by Porter C. Thayer, scanned from silver gelatin prints, held in the collection of the Brooks Memorial Library. The prints were made in 1980 from the 5x7 glass plates negatives created by Porter Thayer. These images are also available on microfilm at the Brattleboro library.
Porter Thayer was born Porter Charlie Thayer on January 6, 1882 on Main Street in Williamsville, Vermont. He grew up in the red house called the Tillotson Place in the Parish section of Newfane, Vermont.
He photographed Windham County, Vermont, beginning in 1906 through around 1920. Like most Vermont men of his generation he was a farmer, specifically an apple orchardist, managing his 50 acre apple orchard on Baker Brook Farm in Newfane. He turned to his apple business after ending his photographic career.
The postcard craze that most likely reached Vermont by about 1905, was perhaps the impetus for Porter Thayer starting up a photographic business. His diaries tell that he sold 1,197 postal cards during a six-month period at the height of his career. The cards were for sale as souvenirs to summer tourists at small general stores, local inns, boarding houses and hotels. Local folks purchased his photographs as well, especially around the Christmas season, to send to distant relatives. A Brattleboro, Vermont directory of 1909 lists Porter as advertising that he would come to anyone’s home and make images for a reasonable fee. Around 1911 he recorded that he had 720 customers. Eventually he photographed in all the towns within a 25 mile radius of his home in Newfane.
Porter Thayer perfectly fits the archetype of the town photographer. He traveled the narrow dirt roads in his buggy, behind his faithful mare Lady, who accompanied him daily. He could apparently take extended naps while Lady brought him safely home, as she always knew the way. He used two cameras: a 5 x 7 and a 6.5 x 8.5 view camera and made glass dry-plate negatives. He traveled with stacks of postcards to be delivered at stores along the way to his days work.
Working continually through seasons and years, Porter Thayer left an archive that is a cultural treasure for southeastern Vermont. The quality of his work shows that he was able to combine business needs with aesthetic ones. During the time period Porter worked, Vermont was extremely poor and rural, yet held a close-knit population that shared the labors of life. Farmers helped one another to survive in a subsistence and barter economy. For women, men, and children, life meant constant work. Thayer’s images describe the work and the tools involved. His landscape images reveal this working landscape, which today is mostly hidden by trees. The fruits of his labor as a photographer have grown in importance, as both the landscape and culture of Vermont has shifted into modern spheres of living.
Written by Jessica Weitz and Forrest Holzapfel, 2010.
Time Period Covered: 1906 - 1920
Published: October 11, 2010,
Rights: The William Thayer Family and heirs hold copyright to the Porter Thayer Photographs collection. Material in the collection may not be used without permission. For permission requests, contact Bill Thayer at billthayer08@gmail.com
Browse Options
Creator(s)
Place(s)
- Williamsville (Vt.) [23]
- Newfane (Vt.) [15]
- Wardsboro (Vt. : Town) [12]
- Dover (Vt. : Town) [8]
- Marlboro (Vt.) [7]
- Jamaica (Vt.) [5]
- Dummerston (Vt.) [4]
- Halifax (Vt. : Town) [4]
- Townshend (Vt.) [3]
- Wilmington (Vt.) [3]
Format(s)
- image [105]
Genre(s)
- black-and-white photographs [105]
- photographs [105]
- group portraits [35]
Topic(s)
- Portrait photography [105]
- Children [43]
- Animals [18]
- Elementary school buildings [16]
- Dwellings [13]
- Horses [5]
- Transportation [5]
- Blacksmithing [4]
- Sawmills [4]
- South Branch School (Marlboro, Vt.) [4]
- Webster family [4]
- Agriculture [3]
- Camping [3]
- Draft animals [3]
- Employees [3]
- Hunting [3]
- Oxen [3]
- Bands (Music) [2]
- Hale, Lucy [2]
- Logging [2]
- Round Schoolhouse (Brookline, Vt.) [2]
- Stagecoaches [2]
- W.J. Metcalf Feed & Stable (Dover, Vt.) [2]
- Automobiles [1]
- Barns [1]
- Betterly family [1]
- Bingham's Mill (Newfane, Vt.) [1]
- Blackface entertainers [1]
- Brattleboro Retreat [1]
- Bridges [1]
- Church buildings [1]
- Holidays [1]
- Indians of North America Clothing [1]
- J.A. Davis' Store (West Dover, Vt.) [1]
- Postal service [1]
- Railroad tracks [1]
- Rivers [1]
- Snow [1]
- Soldiers [1]
- Stores, Retail [1]
- Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie)1882-1972 [1]
- Theaters [1]
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Browsing by:
Topic: ("Portrait photography")
Title: Howard Thayer, Porter Thayer's brother, in soldier uniform
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Title: Hubert Brown with his horse, in front of his house, South Newfane, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Title: Interior of Pearley Sparks' blacksmith shop, Williamsville, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
See also bmlthayerT767, T769.
Title: Interior of a blacksmith's shop in Jacksonville, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1911
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
See image bmlthayerT215 for exterior.
Title: Irving Williams with hanging deer he shot, Williamsville, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Title: James Mundell and his dog, Brookside, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Title: John A. Davis (and wife?) in his store in West Dover, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1909
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
See image bmlthayert127 also.
Title: L.E.Stratton Meat Cart with John Lewis in front of South Newfane Store
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1909
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Title: Lady holding an 11 pound cat in Vermont
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Title: Leonard Timson of Williamsville, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Title: Linas and Milton Bingham in Bingham's Mill, South Newfane, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1909
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Bingham Mill Pond pictured in image bmlthayerT490.
Title: Lottie Williams with piglets on front lawn, Williamsville, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Title: Man dressed in native american dress, Newfane, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
ADD NATIVE
Title: Marjorie Williams as a baby outside, Williamsville, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Title: Minister's Family on Porch, Jamaica, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1911
Resource type: group portraits
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
See images bmlthayer T220, T237, T261, T266, T284 also.
Title: Miss Clark and her Sunday School Class Inside Building in Jamaica, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1912
Resource type: group portraits
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
See image bmlthayerT293 also.
Title: Miss Clark and her Sunday School Class in Jamaica, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1912
Resource type: group portraits
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
See image bmlthayerT294 also.
Title: Mount Herman Glee Club, Williamsville RR depot, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: group portraits
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Title: Mr and Mrs Ballou with two kids and a dog, Brookside, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: group portraits
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Title: Mr and Mrs Carpenter, Newfane, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Title: Mr and Mrs Frank Bruce, Brookside, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Title: Mr. Nichol's Campsite with Four People and a Dog, in Halifax
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1911
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
See image bmlthayerT204 also.
Title: Mrs. Eddy's house interior with young woman at piano
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1911
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
See images bmlthayer T941 and T955 also.
Title: Mrs. Mabel Phillips, Telephone Operator, Newfane, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Title: Mrs. Wellman of Wilmington, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
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