Much of what is known about Kalamazoo’s outward appearance during the mid to late nineteenth century—its buildings, its citizens, and its events—can be attributed to the Local History Room’s impressive collection of historic photographs.
Thousands of images dating from the 1860s and before provide invaluable insight into life and living during Kalamazoo’s formative years. The man behind the camera for many of these (often stellar) images was Wallace S. White, one of Kalamazoo’s most noteworthy early photographers.
Early Photographers
During the 1850s and 1860s, Kalamazoo became home to several prominent photographers and daguerreotypists. Among these early photographic pioneers were Schuyler C. Baldwin, who is perhaps best known for his stunning stereo images of Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, Cullen C. Packard, a well known portrait photographer, and many others. By the late 1860s, a second wave of local image-makers had begun to document the region and its citizenry. A leader among this group was Wallace S. White.
Born in Chicago in 1842 and raised in Otsego, Wallace White came to Kalamazoo in 1869 and began his career as a partner in a photographic supply dealership at 103 Main Street. By 1873, White had opened his own photo gallery and was actively capturing images of local citizens.
Images of Kalamazoo
Perhaps more so than his portraiture alone, however, it was White’s ability to capture images of the Kalamazoo community itself that continues to provide us with a highly accurate view of what the young village truly looked like. From its busy dirt streets and plank sidewalks, to attractive storefronts, local scenery and interesting social animation, White’s images provide an outstanding visual record of the community’s early architecture and a compelling glance at everyday local life. Cigar dealers, clothiers, grocers, and other merchants greet their customers with product-filled storefronts. Marching bands perform during festive parades; horses, wagons, carriages, parks, and buildings all lend valuable clues about life as it once was nearly a century-and-a-half ago.
In addition to his life as a career photographer, Wallace White also had an active interest in music. Marching bands were exceedingly popular throughout America during this time period, and White enjoyed being part of the movement, both as a performer and a band leader.
During the late 1880s, White formed a 17-piece military band and began participating in parades and other social events in Kalamazoo and other nearby communities. With Deal Richards directing and White himself playing alto horn, White’s military band (also called White’s light infantry band) soon developed an enthusiastic local following.
“As the procession ended at the park, a concourse of several thousand people were present...
At 3 o’clock, White’s military band struck up a lively medley piece, closing with the ‘Star Spangled Banner.’”
–Kalamazoo Gazette, 31 May 1891
During 1891, Whites band was featured prominently during lavish Memorial Day ceremonies on May 30th, and took their place among the dozen or more marching bands that participated in the day-long Fourth of July celebration in downtown Kalamazoo. The 1891 Independence Day festivities included a morning parade down Main Street (now Michigan Avenue), plus band concerts and other activities in Bronson Park during the afternoon and evening. (Fireworks were held that night at the corner of Main and Portage!)
During the summer of 1893, White’s band became the primary attraction for the opening of the community’s first amusement resort at the end of the new electric streetcar line near Woods Lake, drawing as many as four thousand or more for each concert performance.
Second Regiment Band
White continued to operate his photographic studio on Main Street until 1893 when H.A. Brown took over the location, allowing White to more closely follow his continuing interest in music. White’s band had performed locally and throughout Michigan for many years, and its popularity grew rapidly. The band reached a peak in July 1893, when it was inducted into active duty as the Michigan National Guard’s Second Infantry Band, known more commonly as the Second Regiment Band.
As the Second Regiment Band (with Deal Richards now its active leader) began to take on a more rigorous touring schedule, White opted out and assumed ownership of Solomon Dill’s Music House, a long-standing local music store in downtown Kalamazoo.
White’s Music House opened on 1 August 1894 at 123 South Burdick Street, selling sheet music, pianos, and other instruments. White also tried his hand at music publishing during this time, by producing sheet music for local composers. White even added a “wheel” (bicycle) department in 1899 to capitalize on the popular bicycle frenzy.
White’s (new) Military Band
With the Second Regiment Band still performing as an active unit and continuing to see National Guard duty during summer encampments near Battle Creek, White formed a new band during the summer of 1896. White’s (new) Military Band included longtime bandmate Frank Newell, local Philharmonic Orchestra leader O. G. Clement, Academy of Music director E. C. McElhany, and Symphony Orchestra drummer Carl Catherman.
The band performed often for local events and parades, and continued to make occasional special appearances at Lake View Park during the 1896 season. White’s Military Band (Wallace S. White, Director and Manager) remained active locally in one form or another until about 1909.
White’s Music House moved to 127 South Burdick in September 1895, and remained in business until about 1902. By 1909, White had become associated with the Kalamazoo Loose Leaf Binder Company, where he remained until shortly before his death in 1921 at the age of 79.
The library’s extensive collection of Wallace White’s photographs, including White’s original glass negatives, remains an essential part of the KPL’s Local History collection.
Written by Keith Howard, Kalamazoo Public Library Staff, 2009.