James L. Wasson

This afternoon we stopped by Old Portland Hardware not to look at old light meters but to see a small photo exhibit they have going right now.  The hardware store (which is way cooler than Rejuvenation, in my opinion) has monthly art and photography exhibits, I'm on their emailing list and was intrigued when a notice of this particular show, of a local photographer's work, landed in my email box.  

The folks at Old Portland Hardware had purchased an old steamer trunk from a family that were clearing out some old junk from a basement.  When they opened it up they discovered an intriguing puzzle of papers, receipts, negatives, and documents belonging to man called James L. Wasson.  Mr. Wasson was born in North Carolina in 1899, around 1917 he joined the US Army and was stationed on the Arizona/Mexico border during the final years of the Mexican Revolution and was a soldier in one of the African-American cavalry regiments that were commonly called Buffalo Soldiers.  During his time stationed in Arizona is when he appears to have become interested in photography.  Mr. Wasson also served in France during WWI.  It seems he moved to Portland sometime around 1925, and turned his interest in photography into a business.  There was a receipt for a Leica II Model D he purchased in 1932 for $96.  From what they can gather he was most likely a portrait photographer; however, most of the pictures on show are pictures of home life and Portland of the 1930s, as well as some army photos from Arizona.  James Wasson passed away sometime in the early 1980s, he and his wife had no children, so the trunk found its way to A family member (the gentleman selling the trunk had said it had belonged to his aunt's husband's brother) and there it'd sat in the basement untouched until being sold.

If there are any Portlanders reading this, you might want to drop by Old Portland Hardware (700 NE 22nd Ave) and check it out, I thought it was a very interesting exhibit and a great story that might have gone untold if the hardware store hadn't decided to develop some of the film.

A toasty 82ºF.  We walked very leisurely over to the record store for a browse, then ambled home.  I am going to have to set up the water irrigation for the garden this evening.