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Northeast Georgia History Center
In the fall of 2019, a photography collector named Ken Cancelosi called our front desk offering to donate 500 glass plate negatives of a photographer named N.C. White that he bought on eBay. We were thrilled to receive these as we did not have any photos from this photographer who was unknown to us.
Lesley Jones, our Collections and Archives Manager, contacted the seller of the negatives, Bill Riley, and asked if we could purchase the collection from him. Bill agreed to stop selling the negatives to allow us the time to raise funds for the purchase.
Through donations made during our annual Taste of History fundraiser in 2020 and donations from Ken Cancelosi, we were able to purchase the collection of not just 500 glass negatives, but 40,000 negatives including 20,000 nitrate negatives that were donated by the original seller, Bill Riley. This is the largest single acquisition of the Northeast Georgia History Center to date.
From February of 2020 to August of 2021, Lesley Jones and a team of interns scanned hundreds of these negatives, conducted research, and designed a special exhibit including artifacts from the actual photography studio (including N.C. White Jr.'s camera!) Since the debut of this special exhibit, the History Center has had rotating themes to highlight the diverse collection including Military, Siblings, Motherhood, Fashion, and Juneteenth Generations.
We are extremely grateful for the continued support of Ken Cancelosi who has contributed toward the printing and processing of our collection. This exhibit is also supported by the Jack and Janice Frost Endowment and Memorial Park Funeral Homes. As well as you, our community, who are a sustaining force for our mission.
But who were N.C. White & Son? Nathan Carrel White Jr., known around Gainesville as N.C. White, was born in June of 1870 in rural Tennessee. The White family moved to Hall County in 1884 and, within a few years, N.C. White senior established a successful photography studio on the Gainesville Square. N.C. White Jr. joined the family business with a keen sense of composition and early editing techniques.
Located at 40 Main Street, the N.C. White & Son Studio prospered. Known as "The Fadeless Photographer," N.C. White Jr. took photographs of weddings, businesses, Christenings, loved ones in mourning, portraitures, and landscapes. It is notable that the collection features a large number of Black clientele, a significant detail for the early 1900s South.
Other notable clients included the City of Gainesville, Standard Oil, New Holland Mill, Gainesville Northwest Railroad, The Atlanta Journal, and Brenau College. In its heyday, the studio could take in as many as eight appointments in a single afternoon.
Following the devastation of the 1936 tornado, N.C. White Jr. rebuilt the studio on the Gainesville Square at 221 South Main Street. The N.C. White Studio remained at this location until N.C. White Jr.'s retirement in the 1950s.
By contributing to this important collection, you are helping us preserve history that may have otherwise been scattered across the country or lost. It takes a great deal of care and costly materials to share this collection, and every donation helps.
Thank you for your support and for becoming part of this wonderful story and collection!