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)
- Dover (Vt. : Town) [14]
- Williamsville (Vt.) [13]
- Wardsboro (Vt. : Town) [10]
- Newfane (Vt.) [9]
- Dummerston (Vt.) [5]
- Townshend (Vt.) [4]
- Brattleboro (Vt.) [3]
- Jamaica (Vt.) [2]
- Putney (Vt.) [2]
- West River Valley (Vt.) [2]
- Brookline (Vt.) [1]
- Halifax (Vt. : Town) [1]
- Higley Hill Road (Vt.) [1]
- Marlboro (Vt.) [1]
- Searsburg (Vt.) [1]
- Western Avenue (Brattleboro, Vt.) [1]
- Westminster (Vt.) [1]
- Wilmington (Vt.) [1]
Format(s)
- image [70]
Genre(s)
- black-and-white photographs [70]
- photographs [70]
- landscape photographs [8]
- group portraits [1]
Topic(s)
- Farmhouses [70]
- Dwellings [27]
- Barns [24]
- Roads [17]
- Stone walls [14]
- Bridges [3]
- Children [3]
- Snow [3]
- Transportation [3]
- Animals [2]
- Betterly family [2]
- Family [2]
- Rivers [2]
- Apples [1]
- Architecture, Victorian [1]
- Birds-eye view [1]
- Cemeteries [1]
- Church buildings [1]
- Mines and mineral resources [1]
- Morse, J. E [1]
- Stagecoaches [1]
- Thayer family [1]
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Topic: ("Farmhouses")
Title: "Fairview" Dover, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1909
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Robcheck's (?) house (1978) with view of church on common in the background.
Title: Air Castle Farm, Higley Hill Rd., Wilmington, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Title: Another view of the old Thayer farmhouse, Newfane, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Title: Betterly Homestead
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1909
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
See images bmlthayerT155,T157, T158, and T171also.
Title: Betterly Homestead, Looking East
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1909
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
See images bmlthayerT155,T158, T159 , and T171 also.
Title: Birds-Eye View, South Wardsboro, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Title: Birds-Eye View, West Brattleboro, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: landscape photographs
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Looking down on Western Ave on an unidentified homestead.
Title: Birds-eye view, Williamsville, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: landscape photographs
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Title: Cooper Hill House, either Boyd or Perry Residence
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1911
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
See bmlthayerT122 and bmlthayerT128 also. Possibly same as bmlthayerT136.
Title: Cooper Hill House, either Boyd or Perry Residence
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1911
Resource type: landscape photographs
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
See bmlthayerT121 and bmlthayerT128 also. Possibly same as bmlthayerT136.
Title: Crapo Family in front of their house, South Newfane, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1911
Resource type: group portraits
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Possibly hired hands holding horses or family members. Became Batchelder house.
Title: Dana Dutton's House on Dover Road, South Newfane, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1910
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Since burned down.
Title: Dorr Fitch's House OR Upton Place in West Dover, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1910
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Originally indentified as Dorr Fitch's house; Webster Thayer believes it is the Upton Place. Both in West Dover.
Title: Dummerston Hill Road, W. Brattleboro, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1910
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Road now called Sunset Lake Road. The image shows a farmhouse on the right and farm fence along the road.
Title: Family in front of their homestead, Westminster, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Title: Farmhouse in the snow, Wardsboro, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Title: Farmhouse on hill with stonewall in front, Dover, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1918
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Title: Farmhouse with people in front, either the Phillips, Cook or Pratt house
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1911
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Believed to be same household as images bmlthayerT198 and T199.
Title: Farmhouse with windmill in East Dummerston, off Route 5
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1912
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Was Dr. Baldwin's house in early 1980s.
Title: Fred Johnson's place in East Dover, Vermont
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1909
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
House was occupied by Arvine Hescock in 1978.
Title: Gray Birches, Newfane, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Title: Hill Scenery, East Dover, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1909
Resource type: landscape photographs
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Farmhouse in field, with wooden split rail fence.
Title: Hill Scenery, Wardsboro Center, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 19--
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Title: Hill Scenery, West Brattleboro, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1910
Resource type: landscape photographs
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Locke Farm (what is now the Chelsa House) on Sunset Lake Road.
Title: House and Barn with stone walls, Newfane, Vt.
Creator: Thayer, Porter C. (Porter Charlie), 1882-1972
Date: 1910
Resource type: photographs
Resource type: black-and-white photographs
Roger Sparks house in 1981.
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