George Beard Exhibit on Display at the Kimball Junction Library
The George Beard Traveling Exhibit is making it’s way throughout Summit County and will be on display at the Kimball Junction Library until October 29th, 2023. This exhibit features historical photographs by Coalville artist George Beard taken between 1880 and 1929, which capture many local landscapes and landmarks.
About the exhibit & George Beard:
Community in Coalville
Photographs from George & Alice: Partners in Alchemy
Born in England in 1854, George Beard immigrated to North America in 1868. Joining the large-scale migration of Latter-Day Saints to Zion, his family settled in Coalville, where Beard remained for all his life. Beard’s photographs beautifully capture the transformation of this community; faces and places, across 5 decades around the turn of the century. This collection of photographs takes viewers back in time to experience a captivating portrait of the early days of Coalville. What I love most about this collection is the breadth of the subject matter. Beard documented thoughtful moments both public and private, exposing an antiquated world both natural and man-made.
In the photo of Paul Beard, Chalk Creek at first glance, you see what looks like a well-composed nature shot but upon a closer look, you can find a grinning, young fisherman tucked away almost camouflaged in the shrubbery along the bank. Hay Rig Near Coalville is another photograph that I love mainly because of the thoughtful composition but also because we get to see how an antique hay rig operates. I also love the landscape photo Coalville, which consists of a snowy landscape shot of a very peaceful-looking main street. You can see the unique markings that sometimes develop while practicing any kind of traditional photography. Finally the photograph with the self-explanatory title of Funeral Services for Coalville Victims of the Scofield Mine Disaster of May 1, 1900, Held in the Coalville Tabernacle; B. H. Roberts Spoke, is another favorite included in this traveling exhibition because it captured a moment in national history. Carbon County’s Scofield Mine disaster in 1900 was the worst mining accident to date in America. 250 men were killed in the explosion, 11 of whom were from Coalville (note the 11 coffins in the foreground of the image).
Though photography was not his profession, nor was it his primary artistic pursuit (he became well-known for his landscape paintings) the care, skill, and vision with which he approached this new and quickly evolving medium continues to stand out. He even affectionately named his camera Alice and together they were alchemists forging light, shade, and matter into powerful artifacts of awe and remembrance.
George Beard’s exploration of photography was made possible by the dramatic changes in the medium in the late 19th century. This period saw the introduction of faster, easier, and more mass-produced formats, among them the dry-plate negative. This new process was much less expensive than producing daguerreotypes and eliminated the requirement of a portable darkroom. The plates could be processed days or weeks after exposing them, rather than needing to be done immediately.
Beard was largely a self-taught artist, but he met or sought advice from multiple artists in the region, among them the noted photographer Charles Roscoe Savage. To this day, Beard's artistic legacy has been and continues to be celebrated throughout Utah.
Make sure to check out this traveling exhibit before it heads out!