Rufus W. Holsinger: Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox Officeholder
{{Infobox Officeholder
| name = Rufus W. Holsinger
| name = Rufus W. Holsinger
| photo =
| photo = R. W. Holsinger.JPG
| caption =  
| caption = Self-portrait, ca. 1915
| office1= Member of the<br/>[[Charlottesville City Council]]
| office1= Member of the<br/>[[Charlottesville City Council]]
| district1 =First Ward
| district1 =First Ward

Revision as of 20:46, 9 October 2022

Rufus W. Holsinger
R. W. Holsinger.JPG
Self-portrait, ca. 1915

Electoral District First Ward

Biographical Information

Place of birth Bedford County, Pennsylvania
Place of death Charlottesville, Virginia
Spouse Sallie "Sadie" Leland Anderson Holsinger (1872–1933) m. Jan. 20, 1896
Children Three
Residence 1021 Wertland Street
First Ward
Profession Photographer
Religion Baptist

Rufus Washington Holsinger (1865–1931) was a prominent Charlottesville citizen in the early 20th century known for his work as a photographer [1] and as a member of the Charlottesville City Council. A former president of the Charlottesville Chamber of Commerce, he also helped organized the National Bank of Charlottesville.

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Early life and career

Holsinger moved from Pennsylvania to Charlottesville in the late 1880s to open a photography business. He opened up University Studio at 719-721 West Main Street[2].

Holsinger specialized in wet-plate collodion photography, he opened his ‘University Studio’ at 719-721 West Main Street. He preferred the wet-plate method because he believed they produced the sharpest large (14 x 17) image negatives. He mastered the tedious process (the objects would appear in the lens upside down and have to be laterally reversed) and prints would be made on the finest albumen paper, purchased from E. & H. T. Anthony & Company.[3]

Wet-collodion process, also called collodion process, early photographic technique invented by Englishman Frederick Scott Archer in 1851. The process involved adding a soluble iodide to a solution of collodion (cellulose nitrate) and coating a glass plate with the mixture.

In 1912 he was commissioned to create an historical record of the interior and grounds of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello estate

A fire in 1912 destroyed many of his early prints but he stayed in business. 1915, while working as an instructor at the University of Virginia, among the people who sat for portraits was Georgia O'Keefe.

Holsinger died on October 9, 1931, and his daughter and son continued operating the studio at its 908 West Main Street location until 1969. The gallery was subsequently operated by various family members until its closure in 1977. The Holsinger Studio Collection of nearly 9,000 dry-plate glass negatives and 500 film negatives are currently part of the Special Collections of the University of Virginia Library. This collection can be accessed online via UVA’s digitized VIRGO catalog.[4]

Public life

City Council

He served for twelve years as a member of the city council, and was two terms president of the body.

Other services

President of the Charlottesville Chamber of Commerce. He was one of the charter members of the local Kiwanis club.

Biography

Rufus Washington Holsinger, the oldest of Thomas Snyder and Elizabeth Snyder Holsinger’s four sons, was born on February 22, 1865 in Bedford County, Pennsylvania.

Political career

Marriage and children

Personal life and death

He died at his home on Wertland Street on October 8, 1931 after an extended illness. He was sixty-five years of age.

Legacy

Published works

The Holsinger Studio Collection is housed at the University of Virginia's Special Collection Library. The collection consists of 9,000 dry-plate glass negatives and 500 celluloid negatives from Holsinger's studio. Roughly 60% of the collection are portraits of local Charlottesville and Central Virginia residents including almost 500 portraits of African-American citizens[2].

Recognition

He served as president and treasurer of the Photographic Association of Virginia and the Carolinas, and as treasurer of the Photographer’s Association of America[2].

Further reading

  • Heblich and Walters, Holsinger's Charlottesville, 1890–1925. Selected Photographs From The Collection of Rufus W. Holsinger (Batt Bates & Co., 1976)
  • Brennan, Charlottesville (Arcadia Publishing, 2011)

See also

References

  1. Web. The Holsinger Studio Collection, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia, retrieved July 12, 2016.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Web. Holsigner Studio Collection, University of Virginia's Special Collections Library, 2018
  3. https://historiccamera.com/cgi-bin/librarium2/pm.cgi?action=app_display&app=datasheet&app_id=3851&
  4. https://historiccamera.com/cgi-bin/librarium2/pm.cgi?action=app_display&app=datasheet&app_id=3851&

External Links