Open every day from 9AM-4PM, May 5th - October 1st, 2025
Barnard-Stockbridge Museum
The Barnard – Stockbridge Museum in Wallace, Idaho displays images in large format of the photographs taken by Thomas Barnard and Nellie Stockbridge in their studio and in the surrounding community between 1893-1965. The original collection of over 200.000 images is preserved in the University of Idaho Library Special Collections Unit. It has been fully digitized and well indexed by subject, so it is a treasure of information for research purposes.
This collection is considered as the Best Photographic Collection in the Northwest United States, and one of the seven best collections in the United States. The Museum has a Memorandum of Understanding with the University which allows the Museum full access to all the digitized images. Those photographs are now being displayed in large format at the Museum.
This gives the viewer an ability to “discover” much more information in each picture because most were first published in a much smaller format for viewing in local newspapers. Now the new expanded size allows one to count the number of persons searching for victims in a snow slide, find details of buildings in the background of parade pictures, and better understand the unique ability of Nellie Stockbridge to create truly remarkable portraits.
Why Visit?
Admission is $5 per person or $10 for a family. The Visitor enters through the original bell town atrium and into the main Church Chancel. The display area has up to 10 theme Modules. each featuring a single subject with 3 or more pictures of the collection. This viewing area has the original Church pews for seating while viewing.
The Collection has selected themes, such as “Snow Slides,” “Famous Women” “Parade Cars and Floats” “Underground Mining” and “Portraits.” Each of these themes is represented by several 36″ x 48″ reprints of the digitized picture set into a “Module” format. Each Module has written descriptions of the images, along with some of the “discoveries” when printed in a large format.
Unique to the Museum is direct access to the 33,000 portraits mostly by Nellie Stockbridge. Because the images are fully indexed, a visitor can search for the names of family relatives who may have had their portrait taken when they worked in the Coeur d” Alene Mining District. Each image has the name of the person, the job title, and the mine name for the men, and the clothing styles, hat and dress for the women. If the visitor finds a portrait that needs to be reproduced, the Museum will create an 8″ x 10″ copy for a fee.
As of 2020, the Barnard-Stockbridge Museum is offering classes for both adults and children on various aspects of photography, such as “Composition”, “Camera Basics,” and “Photo Display.”
Twice each day, a Docent will be guiding the Visitor through the exhibit area to explain more of the “discoveries” that have become such a unique attraction to the Museum. Learn more about the skill of portrait photography, and why some are now identifying Nellie Stockbridge as the best Portrait Photographer of the 20th Century.
For viewing only the Module area, plan on at least an hour. If there is a desire to search for family Portraits, the Visitor should plan for at least another 30 minutes.
The Collection
The Barnard – Stockbridge Photography Collection is the result of photographs taken by Thomas Barnard and Nellie Stockbridge. These photographs were taken by each of them, starting with Thomas Barnard in 1893 and then with Nellie Stockbridge when she joined him in Wallace in 1898.
When Nellie Stockbridge died in 1965 with no heirs, community leaders found over 200,000 images at the Stockbridge Photography Studio. The images include “events” ranging from snow slides to floods, with building fires and train wrecks interspersed. All images were carefully indexed. so they can be quickly accessed now that the University of Idaho has digitized the collection. The book Mining Town by Patricia Hart and Ivar Nelson states that this collection is the “Best photography collection in the Northwest United States, and one of the seven best in the United States.”
The collection also features photographs of mining used in a prospectus to raise more funds. Also, there are pictures of mining equipment manufactured in the area that became part of advertising literature. Most of the pictures were intended for publication in newspapers or for home display. As a result, the original pictures were no larger than 8 inches by 10 inches for portraits and many only 4 inches by 6 inches for publication in newspapers.
When the University of Idaho Digitizing Unit Leader first saw one of the collection images, a portrait expanded into a 36 inch by 48 inch print, his first reaction was total silence, then he exclaimed, “WOW, I have never seen one of our digital images expanded to this size. I can count the individual hairs in his mustache.” That print is part of one Module in the Museum. That quality also must acknowledge the skill of Nellie Stockbridge in making the photograph.
Few photo collections are as blessed as is the Barnard – Stockbridge Collection with a full index of the subject matter. Thomas Barnard took many photographs of groupings of persons, such as the high school basketball team. He then intended to sell the picture to each of the persons in the photograph. As a result, the name of each person in the photograph becomes an indexed identity for a search of persons. All this cross referencing of persons, places, dates and subject are easily researched because of the thorough indexing of these photographers.
Within the full collection are over 33,000 images of persons whose picture was created as a Portrait. Nellie Stockbridge found that portrait photography was a way of generating cash at all times and in all circumstances. Her portrait skills have been recognized as some of the best and most unusual ever created. There is even discussion that she may have been the best Portrait Photographer in the 20th Century.
Because the collection is fully indexed. a visitor is encouraged to search the Portrait Collection for relatives who may have worked in the Coeur d’ Alene Mining District. As an example. Bruce Flohr the Museum Board Chair, has found 8 pictures of his family. Three of these pictures, including one of his grandmother in her wedding dress, were completely new to him. Should the visitor want to make a copy of an image of interest, it is encouraged. There will be a cost for that reprint. A volunteer is available to help with this search process.
Quality of Images
When the University of Idaho Digitizing Unit Leader first saw one of the collection images, a portrait expanded into a 36 inch by 48 inch print, his first reaction was total silence, then he exclaimed, “WOW, I have never seen one of our digital images expanded to this size. I can count the individual hairs in his mustache.” That print is part of one Module in the Museum. That quality also must acknowledge the skill of Nellie Stockbridge in making the photograph.
Index of Images
Few photo collections are as blessed as is the Barnard – Stockbridge Collection with a full index of the subject matter. Thomas Barnard took many photographs of groupings of persons, such as the high school basketball team. He then intended to sell the picture to each of the persons in the photograph. As a result, the name of each person in the photograph becomes an indexed identity for a search of persons. All this cross referencing of persons, places, dates and subject are easily researched because of the thorough indexing of these photographers.
Portrait Collection
Within the full collection are over 33,000 images of persons whose picture was created as a Portrait. Nellie Stockbridge found that portrait photography was a way of generating cash at all times and in all circumstances. Her portrait skills have been recognized as some of the best and most unusual ever created. There is even discussion that she may have been the best Portrait Photographer in the 20th Century.
Portrait Collection
Because the collection is fully indexed. a visitor is encouraged to search the Portrait Collection for relatives who may have worked in the Coeur d’ Alene Mining District. As an example. Bruce Flohr the Museum Board Chair, has found 8 pictures of his family. Three of these pictures, including one of his grandmother in her wedding dress, were completely new to him. Should the visitor want to make a copy of an image of interest, it is encouraged. There will be a cost for that reprint. A volunteer is available to help with this search process.