Joliet Central Photos
All of the photos below are from glass negatives taken in the early 1900's. Most are of the school or of Joliet. 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..
(explanation of Dry Plate Photography)
(explanation of Dry Plate Photography)
A Mystery Solved
As with most old photos, unless someone made notations or passed on the identity of the content, we see them as simple curiosities. Fortunately, these photos were identified by the good graces and scholarship of Dr. Robert Sterling, history professor at Joliet Junior College. He writes: "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 Jolliet was placed above the south entrance."
As with most old photos, unless someone made notations or passed on the identity of the content, we see them as simple curiosities. Fortunately, these photos were identified by the good graces and scholarship of Dr. Robert Sterling, history professor at Joliet Junior College. He writes: "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 Jolliet was placed above the south entrance."