Abstract
Frank Barbeau (1893-1983) was a local photographer that ran the Barbeau Photo Studio from 1915 to 1978. Throughout his career, he photographed hundreds of thousands of street scenes, businesses, people, and community events. This collection highlights daily life in Oswego, NY from the mid 1930s to the late 1980s.
Scope and Content
The scope of this collection is broad. Subjects for Barbeau’s photography included:
- Portraits of individual and families intended for U.S. Passports
- Group photos of school graduations, including elementary school, junior high, high school, and college
- Exteriors and interiors of local businesses, including banks, department stores, grocery stores, movie theaters, etc.
- Exteriors and interiors of community buildings, such as government buildings, churches, and the library
- Factory and industry photos, including images of laborers, factory machines, and construction sites
For the full extent of the collection, please browse the collection finding aid, available via Google Drive.
Biography/Historical
This collection was found behind a cellar bulkhead entrance in the donor’s home. The home had been the residence of Frank Barbeau for over 40 years until he moved out in the late 1970s. The collection was donated to OCHS in 1999, and processing began in 2003 by an OCHS volunteer. In early 2024, an additional 10 bankers boxes worth of unprocessed Barbeau negatives, likely from the same collection, were rediscovered in the Richardson-Bates House basement. These are negatives that will need to be processed at a later date. Frank Barbeau (1893-1983) was a local photographer that ran the Barbeau Photo Studio from 1915 to 1978. Barbeau was a third generation photographer—his family had owned and operated E.M. Collins Studio in the later half of the 19th century. For the majority of his career, the studio was located on the West Side of Oswego, NY, until a construction initiative bought out his store’s building and forced him to move his business into his personal residence.
