A rich and exciting collection of photographs by the F.M. Tuckerman, an exceptionally talented amateur photographer from Topeka Kansas.

Born in Illinois in 1870, Frederick M. Tuckerman spent the early part of his life in Topeka, Kansas, and then traveling with the Atchinson, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad, where he was the chief clerk for many years. The hundreds of photographs in these albums, created from about 1890-1905, richly and artistically document Tuckerman’s formative years and his burgeoning prowess with the camera.

The albums contain scores of surprising, thoughtfully-composed shots taken in and around Topeka. These include playfully-staged portraits of friends and family, sometimes the subjects are costumed such as group shots of women in drag and portraits of the Apollo Club in classic attire. Tuckerman appears in many self-portraits, standing next to his camera or seen in a group, the shutter release slyly palmed in his hand. There are sensitive studies of clouds, lightning, and botanical specimens and artful shots of snow-lined main streets or serene river banks. The same image will periodically appear in another album, often printed in a different photographic process, which speaks to the development of his craft.

There are a few photos of the Topeka Camera Club and its members. The club was formed in 1894 and Tuckerman was a founding member. The club’s first president was the local photographer C.C. Baker, and a photograph of his photographic business card appears in an album as well.

There are many interesting photographs taken when Tuckerman was working or traveling for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. These shots include interior views of railroad offices including some artistic shots of office hardware and furniture, an exterior view of the AT&SF owned “Rockvale Mercantile Co.” in Colorado, the Royal Gorge in Colorado, a few unusual photos of an AT&SF parade float, presumably in Topeka, and a number of interesting photos showing the mining town of Madrid, New Mexico, which was was established in 1891 by the Cerrillos Coal and Iron Company, a subsidiary of the AT&SF. Other photographs taken during Tuckerman’s travels include views of fairs and Expositions such as the Chicago World’s Fair, the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo and, more locally, the Kansas Midwinter exposition of 1902.

The albums are not compiled chronologically nor in any other meaningful way, save for perhaps Tuckerman’s own artistic impulses. The one exception is an entirely devoted to his sister Dorothy “Dora” Tuckerman, the subject who appears most often in the collection and who was evidently an early photographic muse. Dorothy Tuckerman, a well-known figure in Topeka, graduated from Washburn College in 1901. There, she met Carlos Everett Conant, a professor and an accomplished linguist who specialized in Austronesian languages, particularly the languages of the Philippines. After her graduation, she joined Conant in Bais, Negros Oriental, in the Philippines where he was serving as principal for a local school. The pair were soon married and she planned to take a position at the school, but passed away from an unknown illness a short time later. Though the images in the album of Dorothy are not captioned, they are the only ones in the collection that are dated. Given the context, it is hard not to view this album as anything short of a loving photographic tribute to a lost relative.

Tuckerman would later move to Chicago where he became an integral member of the Chicago Camera Club, which was later integrated as a Department within the 'Chicago Art Institute. He continued to champion amateur photography, writing articles in photographic publications and giving lectures around the country. A 1910 article in the Quad City Times declared him “one of the best known amateur photographers in the country.” Though he never quit his job as clerk for the Santa Fe Railway, working for them until the 1940s, he continued to make photographs throughout his life.