Everything Photographic: J. T. Boysen and his ... - Yosemite Online

A prominent sign attracted visitors entering the Old Village to Boysen 's studio . The former Sentinel Hotel can be seen in the distance nextto Sentinel Bridge.By the time J .T. Boysen turned 21, he had moved tothe Sierra Nevada foothills . He lived with, and probablyworked for, Joseph Rydberg, an indirect relative whoowned a ranch in Cooperstown about 20 miles westof Sonora. There he spent about six years working onranches and farms in Stanislaus and Tuolumne counties.Boysen then left the foothills and moved to Yosemite.Little did he imagine that it would be the beginning of a43-year association with Yosemite, from 1898 to 1943.Young and strong, Boysen performed trail work forthe first few years . But in 1895, he tried to follow in hisfather's entrepreneurial footsteps, asking the YosemiteCommissioners for a permit to operate Snow 's abandonedhotel near the base of Nevada Fall . The commissionturned his request down . Undaunted, Boysen appliedfor " a curio and souvenir shop and photo privileges ofgroups with a 4 by 5 camera " on May 8, 1897 . This time,he was successful. In 1898, Boysen opened a tent studioon the site of Gustavus Fagersteen 's former photographystudio, located in what is now called the Old Village.The Boysen Studio was considered a "general photographicbusiness" by the National Park Service . Thepermits allowed dealings in "everything photographic, "including processing film, selling cameras, film, photographs,postcards and " Yosemite paintings in water or oilcolors ." He took portraits of tourists at sites around theValley and sold visitors prints and postcards of waterfallsand other landmarks . Boysen rounded out his offeringswith fine candies and even Indian baskets, but the latterwere removed from his permit in 1915.When J. T. Boysen became interested in photographyor how he learned to process film is unknown . Whateverhis motivations, his photography business proved successful.Good luck and good timing also played a role.In 1900, just as Boysen was starting his business, Kodakunveiled its Brownie camera . Simple to use and affordableat just a dollar, the Brownie brought photography to themasses for the first time.The Brownie 's popularity created business opportunitiesfor Boysen and many others in the nascent field ofphotography. At this time, Boysen wisely made his studioan Eastman Kodak agency . He could not only sell Kodakfilm and cameras to Yosemite visitors, but also developand print their photos while they were still vacationing inthe park.Also in 1900, Boysen moved his business from a tent toa wooden building . The shift was part of a state policy torid Yosemite of temporary structures . The studio he constructedwas modest, just 16 x 34 feet.By 1913, Boysen could proudly report to ParkSuperintendent Major Littebrant that he was " the first tointroduce developing and printing for amateurs ; the firstto carry a line of Photographic Supplies for sale and thefirst to introduce the photographing of people reflectedat Mirror Lake and also on horseback at trails, free ofcharge, to buy or not, at their option, after seeing theYOSEMITE ASSOCIATION, FALL 2008