"In 1888, before streetcars ran in San Francisco or New Orleans, Richmond, Virginia built the first successful electric streetcar system in America. Driving the streetcar was my great-grandfather's job but his passion was photography and his camera rode by him on the streetcar route. I recently discovered nearly 3,000 photos and negatives that provide a rarely-seen visual record of life in the early 1900s.
Richmond has stories to tell and the Stilson photos are part of that. I want Harry’s pictures to be seen, to be a learning tool and a way for Richmonders to connect with who we were a century ago.To accomplish this, I've compiled oral histories of elderly Richmonders. I wrote my first book, From a Richmond Streetcar, based on Stilson photos, which was released last January. My second book concentrates on the West Clay line, which included historic Jackson Ward, a neighborhood of African Americans and Jewish immigrants." - Kitty Snow.
Learn more about the Stilson photos HERE. Great images - be sure to check that site out.
Her first book of Stilson photographs is available to purchase HERE.
- Ray.
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