Reed Photo Collection

Introducing the Second Edition of the Lewis Reed Photograph Collection (1898–1960)

Some photographs simply capture a moment. Others capture an entire world.

More than a century ago, my grandfather Lewis Reed began documenting the towns, farms, roads, and people of Montgomery County, Maryland with a camera and a sense of curiosity about the rapidly changing world around him. What started as the hobby of a young motorcycle enthusiast traveling back roads with photographic equipment soon became an extraordinary visual record of a region in transition.

The photographs in the Lewis Reed Photograph Collection (1898–1960) span more than sixty years of history. Many were created from glass-plate negatives and early prints, preserving scenes that might otherwise have been lost to time—quiet rural crossroads, bustling town centers, early automobiles sharing roads with horse-drawn wagons, and landscapes that today look entirely different.

For decades these images remained within the Reed family, carefully preserved by those who recognized their historical importance. Over the years I have digitized more than 2,500 photographs, researching the places and people they depict and piecing together the stories behind them. The result is this growing collection, which offers a window into everyday life across Montgomery County and the surrounding Mid-Atlantic region during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Lewis Reed is remembered locally as the founder of Reed Brothers Dodge, established in Rockville in 1915, but photography was another lifelong passion. His images document everything from the C&O Canal in operation to small-town parades, churches, farms, and early roadways. Taken together, they form one of the most extensive visual archives of Montgomery County during the period when rural communities were giving way to the modern suburban landscape we know today.

This Second Edition expands and refines the collection, presenting the photographs in thematic sections that highlight the breadth of Reed’s work; from Maryland towns and landscapes to family portraits, travel scenes, and the early history of Reed Brothers Dodge itself.

For me, the project has been more than historical research. Many of the photographs were identified through long conversations with my mother, Mary Jane Reed Gartner, Lewis Reed’s daughter, who helped recall the people, places, and stories behind the images. Those moments of shared discovery helped bring the photographs back to life.

My hope is that this collection will continue to preserve my grandfather’s work while offering readers, historians, and local residents a deeper appreciation of Montgomery County’s past. Through his lens, we can still see a world that has largely disappeared—but whose stories remain worth remembering.

— Jeanne T. Gartner

The book, “Lewis Reed Photograph Collection (1898–1960) Second Edition” is available through Blurb.com print‑on‑demand bookstore. If you’d like to browse or purchase a copy, visit: http://www.blurb.com/b/8936686-lewis-reed-photograph-collection-1898-1960

A Note About Book Pricing

Several readers have asked why the Lewis Reed Photograph Collection (1898–1960), Second Edition is priced higher than a typical paperback book. The answer is largely due to the way the book is produced.

This volume contains thousands of historic photographs, many reproduced in large format to preserve their detail and historical integrity. Printing a photo-heavy book,  especially one approaching several hundred pages, requires significantly higher production costs than standard text-only books.

In addition, the book is printed on demand, meaning each copy is produced individually rather than in large commercial print runs. While this allows the collection to remain continuously available, it also results in a higher per-book printing cost.

This project was created primarily to preserve and share Lewis Reed’s historic photographs, not as a commercial publication. The price largely reflects the actual cost of printing such a large photographic archive.

Thank you for supporting the preservation of Montgomery County’s history.