JCHS Photography Teacher Preserves Historic Joliet Photos from the Early 1900s

A few months ago Central Photo Teacher Joe Baltz received three boxes of glass plate negatives taken in and near Central Campus during the early 1900s. The boxes were given to him by Betty Mahoney, the widow of Mike Mahoney, who was the Central photography instructor prior to Baltz.

“Most of the photos are of the school or of Joliet,” said Baltz. “This type of photography is called ‘Dry Plate.’ A piece of glass was coated with light sensitive material, placed in the camera, exposed by the photographer, then developed in the darkroom. It was named ‘Dry Plate’ because the emulsion was dry before, during and after exposure. Unlike the ‘Wet Plate’ process which had to be prepared, sensitized, exposed, and developed before it dried.”

Baltz recently contacted Dr. Robert Sterling, a history professor at Joliet Junior College to find more information about the photos. Dr. Sterling provided the following information: “In 1907, the play “David Garrick” was presented by the high school Alumni Association to help raise money for a bust of Louis Joliet to be placed over the south entrance of the new high school - JTHS. The cast was composed largely of students who had graduated from high school and were taking postgraduate or college level classes. There was no formal JJC program yet, but there were college level classes that high school graduates could take. The production was a financial success, and a bust of Louis Joliet was placed above the south entrance.”

These rare and fragile moments of our past have been preserved by Mr. Baltz and can be found online: http://room620jolietcentral.weebly.com/joliet-central-photos.html