Captured Memories: Library and Historical Society to Open Exhibit of Never-Before-Seen Oswego Images

OSWEGO – “Captured Memories – the Photos of Frank Barbeau”, the first public exhibition of mid-century images of Oswego City and County taken by photographer Frank Barbeau and archived at the Oswego County Historical Society will be at the Oswego Public Library starting on May 16, with a special reception on the first floor from 5:30 to 7 pm, sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Other images from the collection will be digitally projected during the reception. Those attending the reception will be able to view these additional images before the full collection is made available online.

The May 16 opening reception for the exhibit is free but those who wish to attend are asked to register through the library’s online event calendar, oswegopubliclibrary.org/events, or by contacting the library front desk.

Frank Barbeau (1893-1983) was a photographer who operated a studio and camera supplies store in Oswego NY from 1915 to 1978. He was a third-generation photographer; his family had owned and operated E.M. Collins Studio in the 1800’s. For much of his career, his studio was located at 33 East Bridge St. until the “Urban Renewal” construction initiative bought out the building and forced him to move his business into his personal residence on the NE corner of West Seneca St and W. Third.

This collection of negatives was found behind a cellar bulkhead entrance in this home by the family who purchased it in the 1990’s. The boxes of unsorted negatives were donated to the Oswego County Historical Society (OCHS) in 1999, and the roughly 5,000 large format negatives were organized by an OCHS staff member.

From 2023 to 2024, a New York State Archives Documentary Heritage Preservation Grant provided funding for the scanning and conversion from negative to positive images by OCHS Museum Assistant Evelyn Fredriksen.

In early 2024, an additional 10 boxes of unprocessed small format negatives, likely from the same Barbeau collection, were rediscovered in the Richardson-Bates House basement. These are negatives that will need to be processed at a later date.

Many of the images were not labeled, so the Oswego County Historical Society is looking for help in identifying the people, places, and approximate years of the photos.

The exhibit of 30 images will feature some recognizable nostalgic locations from the 1940’s through 1970’s and a variety of unknown group photos and locations. The public will be invited to add to the information by filling out a form that will be provided at the exhibit opening and at the library throughout the exhibit’s display.

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