Staff Writer
HOULTON — Since the invention of the camera, photographs have been used to capture life in its essence, telling a story or showing an era that is somewhat alien to the culture we have today.
Pioneer Times photo/Jennifer Ruth
PROUD ARTIST — Houlton photographer, Rosiland Morgan, shares the best of hers and her father Raymond’s iconic photographs. The photos seen here are part of the Daddy & Me exhibit at the Blue Moon Art Gallery at Visions on Main Street.
With the rise in digital photography and decline in darkroom developing, that prospect still remains true. For the last 32 years, Rosiland Morgan has been sharing her love for images with everyone she knows. Since Feb. 10 and until March 22, she’s sharing her most sacred images with the public at the Blue Moon Gallery in the first-ever showing called “Daddy & Me: The Photographic Visions of Raymond and Rosiland Morgan.”
Morgan’s appreciation for the camera began at an early age. He father, who she calls “The Pro,” delved into photography both professionally and personally. During the day, her father Raymond was a staff photographer for the United States Postal Service in Washington, D.C. From the Kennedy era to the Nixon years, he photographed numerous “grip and grins” for the postal service. Behind the scenes, he was a studio photographer, going to people’s homes and taking their portraits.
“He’s my inspiration and this was a chance for our work to be on the wall together,” said Morgan. “Because Dad was a staff photographer for the government, most of his work disappeared. A lot of them were published, but again, as a staff photographer, he hasn’t had a showing of his work since he was a student of photography.
“I wanted him to have a little recognition, but it’s also a chance for me to see his work in a way that I don’t generally get the opportunity,” she explained. “Many of these weren’t prints, a lot of them were slides that have been sitting around for a very long time, and not necessarily in the best of shape. All of the photos of his here, I had to retouch digitally. It was truly a labor of love.”
Morgan’s attention to detail was recognized during her early years in college. Her father gave her his “old” 35mm camera to use. She had enrolled in a photography class for extra credit and her interest in the art took off from there.
Thirty-two years later, Morgan and her camera continue to be a presence in most public events. Her display however, brings her modern-day point of view together with her father’s amazing eye for detail, which has captured scenes from the Vietnam War to days of vinyl records. Each photograph has its own story and Morgan appreciates each one.
“In this show, you see many of the portraits he did, as well as a couple of pictures from parades that he took in the 1960s,” she explained. “There’s also some of the stuff from the staff photography he did, as well as people from bowling teams to people photography. And then there’s my work.
“I’ve really started to do more people photography,” she remarked. “I kind of always thought of myself as a nature photographer, but I do quite a bit of people photography. So there’s a blend of his stuff, which dates from the 1940s to 1971, and mine, which is all far more contemporary, from 2006 to 2007.”
Morgan remembers the first time she watched the “magic” happen. She said her father would take her to work with him and she was able to get a glance at the elaborate setup of their dark rooms. She said she had no idea that people could actually do that in closets and bathrooms.
“I watched the magic happen then,” she said. “But I didn’t really get too involved until I went off to college in 1974 and that’s when he gave me his 35mm camera. That was my first serious camera.
“I’ve done the Kodak instant, the little 110s and I think I even played with the Brownie at one point, but it wasn’t until I got that 35mm camera that I got serious about it. And it just felt right.”
Morgan said of the dozen or more photographs on display, it’s hard for her to choose one “favorite” but there are a couple that speak volumes to her.
“The shot of the Postmaster General is iconic,” she said. “It speaks so much of a particular time period. And even though she’s not in the best shape, the gal with the album in her hands, and that again, speaks so strongly of a time period. I don’t have a strong favorite and each one tells its own story, but I really love that trio down by the lake having a little picnic.
“I like them all,” she said. “I really do.”
In addition to the photos, Morgan also has photographic equipment from hers and her father’s shared past. Among the items are the camera that belonged initially to him and was given to her, as well as an old Brownie from way back when.
Morgan is the co-owner of Fox Hollow Photography and Design and co-founder of the Southern Aroostook Cultural Arts Project.
Pioneer Times photo/Jennifer Ruth
ICONIC — These photographs were taken by Raymond Morgan during his employment with the United States Postal Service. The top photo is of the Attorney General speaking with students, middle is of the building and the two bottom photos are of the post office and its staff.
