The Nebraska State Historical Society recently received about 142 nitrate negatives and 20 glass plate negatives related to the community of Walthill in Thurston County. The images date from the 1910s, and depict life in that community prior to and during World War I.
A young man and woman smile at the camera while each holds a boat oar.
Scenes include farm and town life, and soldiers departing for military training. While early photography tends to be serious, even stern, many of these images are of a playful nature, adding to their exhibit and research potential.
A group of uniformed soldiers wait to depart for training.
Left: A steam train engine passes through a Nebraska town in a cloud of steam. Right: A little girl and a dog sit on an unhitched wagon while the photographer’s shadow looms below.
A group of four women pose for a photograph in a town’s business district.
