Before There Was Photoshop, There Was Lewis Reed…
If you take a look at the state of photography today, such as the advances of digital cameras and the artful image manipulation by Photoshop, it is easy to forget that back in the 1900s photographers couldn’t just go into a computer program and change their images any way they wanted. They did what they could with the tools they had. Double image exposure was one tool Lewis Reed had in his photography tool belt. He was doing crazy things to images and creating humorous effects over 100 years ago. With double exposure technique, you could create certain effects like placing the same person on both sides of a picture simultaneously. Photographs were pieced together in the darkroom from separate photographs.
Spotting these manipulated photos in Lewis Reed’s extensive collection has been both easy and difficult. It wasn’t until I viewed the high resolution scan that the modification jumped out at me. The photograph below taken at Black Rock Mill, highlights Lewis Reed’s photo manipulation. (click image to enlarge)
This is a double exposure photograph of Lewis Reed and the same two ladies with bundles of flowers appearing twice – standing on a bridge over Seneca Creek at Black Rock Mill – and on the left at the foot of the bridge. Photo by Lewis Reed, ca. 1905
With double-exposure technique, Lewis Reed learned how to make a subject appear twice in a frame, as if they had an identical twin. To capture these images, he would snap a picture of the subject in one position. Then, he would have to move into another pose before the following photo was shot. Rotating lens caps and special glass plates (the precursor to film) were also part of the process. The final image was then pieced together and developed in the darkroom from the separate photographs. The result was a playful and surreal approach to early photographs.
Double exposure technique often left a telltale vertical line running down the center of the image that is lighter than the left and right sides — a fuzzy stripe separating the two exposures. This is the area where the two exposures overlapped. The picture is lighter where the images overlap because the exposure value is doubled (causing over-exposure) in that specific vertical area. The left half of the image (standing at the foot of the bridge) ends where the light band becomes dark on the right side. And vice versa for the right half of the image (standing on top of the bridge).
Today we are accustomed to Photoshop and people manipulating images, but back in the early 1900’s photo manipulation was used as a form of whimsy.
Lewis Reed Photos in Film Premiere: The Three (Known) Lynchings of Montgomery County, Maryland
These are screenshots of three of Lewis Reed’s photographs that appeared in the premiere screening of “The Three (Known) Lynchings of Montgomery County, Maryland” held Sunday, November 15, 2020 at a virtual event sponsored by the Montgomery County Lynching Memorial Project. (click any image to view photo gallery)
Jay Malin, filmmaker and photographer:
I haven’t seen anything else that gives as good an idea of what Darnestown or Rockville or an ordinary road in the county looked like in the day of the horse and buggy…. As a photographer, I know we most often fail to photograph the aspects of daily life that would really be of interest to future generations. So to have a photo of a horse and buggy on a county road or of the almshouse, which is probably the last thing most people would have thought to photograph, is really great.
I know if my grandfather was here today, I am certain he would be truly humbled and pleased that his photography is being used to help educate future generations.
Lewis Reed’s photos have also been featured in historical television programming, including on the national television show American Pickers, Science Channel Impossible Engineering, Maryland Public Television, and the American Experience History Series on PBS.
Montgomery County Lynching Memorial Project
Jay Mallin Photos
A Look Back at What Halloween in Montgomery County Looked Like 100 Years Ago
Ever wondered how Montgomery County families celebrated Halloween 100 years ago? Thanks to the these photographs from Lewis Reed’s collection, we can travel all the way back to 1914.
At the turn of the century, women often wore their regular clothes topped with homemade masks. The first Halloween costumes were usually worn by women and reflected the idea of masquerades that was extremely popular in the early 1900s. People only began to buy manufactured costumes in the second and third decades of the 20th century.
Halloween, ca. 1914. These women are holding homemade Halloween masks for their upcoming celebration. Photo by Lewis Reed
Oh the good ol’ days, when wearing a mask was enough to be dressed up for celebrations! Do you know how your ancestors’ celebrated Halloween? Newspapers are a great source to get a better understanding of life in the past. This special post is a look back through newspaper articles and Lewis Reed’s photographs at how Halloween was celebrated 100 years ago.
Stocked Stores: Stores were stocked with all the Halloween supplies needed for a fun celebration. Below is an ad for costumes and masquerade suits for those participating in Halloween parties and other seasonal affairs.
The Washington Post, October 30, 1916
Dancing and Parties: Halloween parties and dancing were enjoyed by many. Some announcements even included a list of guests in attendance!
The Baltimore Sun, November 3, 1912
Here is the description of a Halloween party from the Society Section of the November, 1916 issue of The Evening Star (Washington, District of Columbia):
A Halloween party was given last evening… and a merry evening spent by those present. The reception hall, living and dining rooms were artistically decorated with autumn leaves, lanterns, chrysanthemums and orange and black streamers. The evening was spent in old-fashioned games, concluding with the entire assemblage gathering about an open fireplace in the dark, while the guests were led by a ghost through various parts of the darkened home. The evening’s entertainment concluded with music, dancing and the serving of refreshments.
This photo captures a moment from a Halloween gathering over 100 years ago. Photo by Lewis Reed
Any sort of Halloween festivities demanded some sort of refreshment. In addition to traditional pumpkin pies and molasses cookies, a suggested dish to serve at Halloween parties was a Halloween salad.
Halloween Pranks: Witches and goblins, ghosts and mischief-making youngsters were permitted to enjoy all the Halloween revelry they liked … BUT DON’T THROW FLOUR. Yes, apparently in the early 1900s, there wasn’t much to do for entertainment, so kids would knock on doors on Halloween night and throw flour at whoever answered. To the modern observer, some of the traditions of Halloween 100 years ago are downright bizarre.
The Evening Star, October 31, 1916
Halloween Parades: Halloween parades actually began because pranks and mischief had gotten out of control. By 1920, there was a push to turn Halloween into a holiday centered around community gatherings and festive Halloween parades, rather than mischief.
There is something undeniably creepy about this clown in sunglasses riding on a horse in a Halloween Parade. Location is unknown. Photo by Lewis Reed
With the convergence of a full moon, a blue moon, and daylight saving time — plus the unprecedented events of this year — Halloween 2020 will truly be one to remember. In fact, a Halloween such as this won’t happen again for at least another 152 years. Wishing all my friends, followers, and visitors of this blog a very safe and happy Halloween!
Sept 17, 1908: Testing the Wright Military Flyer at Fort Myer, VA
On this day in September 17,1908, the first military airplane in the world, built by the Wright brothers for the Army Signal Corps, made its first flight at Fort Myer, Virginia. Less than a thousand people witnessed the first flight at Fort Myer, because the general public was still doubtful that powered flight had been achieved. But Lewis Reed was there… and to commemorate that milestone, I have posted six original snippets of history that Lewis Reed captured through the lens of his camera that day.
Soldiers at Fort Myer prepare to pull the Wright Military Flyer out of its temporary hangar. Photo by Lewis Reed
Five years after the first successful flight at Kitty Hawk, Orville Wright and Thomas E. Selfridge test flew the Wright Flyer in a demonstration for the U.S. Army at Fort Myer, VA. The Army was considering contracting Wright’s aircraft to use as a military airplane, but, in order to win the contract, he needed to demonstrate the plane’s ability to carry a passenger. Twenty-six-year-old Lt Thomas E. Selfridge volunteered to be a passenger that day. Orville Wright succeeded in keeping the Wright Flyer aloft for one minute and 11 seconds. After more than four minutes in the air, the airplane crashed to the ground from a height of about seventy-five feet after a propeller blade broke and the machine went out of control. Orville Wright was severely cut and bruised and his passenger, Lt. Thomas Selfridge, became the first powered-aviation fatality.
Curtiss Model D with tricycle undercarriage. Photo by Lewis Reed
Curtiss Model D. Photo by Lewis Reed
Wright Model B with skids. Photo by Lewis Reed
Another early aircraft from 1909 was the Bleriot XI monoplane. In the background a Rex Smith Aeroplane Company School is advertised on the side of a building. Photo by Lewis Reed
A Rex Smith Aeroplane Company School can be seen on the side of the building in the background. The founder, Rex Smith, was an inventor and a patent attorney. The Rex Smith Biplane was used in the successful April 3, 1911 U.S. Army Signal Corps experiments in wireless communications. The Signal Corps did not buy any Smith Biplanes, they did however use them from time to time to train pilots to fly the Curtiss aircraft at the same field.
Airplane Hangars at Fort Myers, Virginia. Photo by Lewis Reed
The Wrights would prove their machine’s qualifications at Fort Myer. They met or exceeded all of the Army’s specifications, including flying at 40 miles per hour, carrying a combined passenger weight of 350 pounds, maneuvering in any direction in the air, landing without damage, and flying for at least an hour non-stop, which was a world record at the time.
Today, the Wright brothers are legends, with their accomplishments being the storybook example of American perseverance and ingenuity.
Rare, Historical Photos: 1912 Grading of Massachusetts Ave Washington, DC
Washington, DC is an amazing city with a fascinating history. Massachusetts Avenue intersects every major north–south street and passes numerous Washington, DC landmarks. It is a landmark itself, long considered the northern boundary of the downtown as well as home of Washington’s Embassy Row.
Massachusetts Avenue is tied with Pennsylvania Avenue as the widest road in the District, at 160 feet. The two roads run in parallel through much of the city, Massachusetts about seven blocks north of Pennsylvania. Massachusetts Avenue was long Washington’s premier residential street, as Pennsylvania was once its most sought-after business address. Both streets were named after states with prominent roles in the American Revolution: Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
Below are some extremely rare, historical photographs that Lewis Reed took of Massachusetts Avenue as it was being graded in 1912. As always, click on the photos to get a better look.
Marion Shovel Model 60 in action cutting a high bank of dirt on Massachusetts Ave. Photo by Lewis Reed, ca.1912
A Bucyrus steam shovel loading dirt onto a railway car. Photo by Lewis Reed, ca. 1912.
A steam shovel is a large steam-powered excavating machine designed for lifting and moving material such as rock and soil. It is the earliest type of power shovel or excavator. Steam shovels played a major role in public works in the 19th and early 20th century.
When digging at a rock face, the operator simultaneously raises and extends the dipper stick to fill the bucket with material. When the bucket is full, the shovel is rotated to load the railway car. Steam shovels usually had a three-man crew: engineer, fireman and ground man.
The track of Massachusetts Avenue was paved in the early 1870s. It was extended beyond Boundary Road (now Florida Avenue) in the 1880s, and beyond Rock Creek up to the District line after 1900. The section between Sheridan Circle and Scott Circle became known as “Millionaires’ Row”.
Hill Grading Massachusetts Avenue, Washington DC. The Washington Monument and many other landmarks can be seen in the background. Photo by Lewis Reed, ca. 1912
The Great Depression forced many to relinquish their homes on Millionaires’ Row. After World War II, Massachusetts Avenue was seen as less fashionable than newer areas such as upper 16th Street. Many residences were sold and demolished to make way for office buildings, particularly around Dupont Circle and to its east. Many others, however, survived as embassies and society houses; the former ‘Millionaires’ Row is today well known as Embassy Row.
An early steam locomotive is hauling away dirt. Photo by Lewis Reed, ca. 1912
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Reed Brothers Dodge History (1915-2012) by Jeanne Gartner is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Reed Brothers Dodge History 1915 – 2012 
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