Pet Parades, Prostitutes and Pretty Photos: The Wallace Museum Prepares for Spring Gala

WALLACE – “Where else are you going to find an old church full of pictures of prostitutes?” »

The likely answer to Jeremy Watterson’s question: Only Wallace.

The Barnard-Stockbridge Museum held its annual Spring Fling Gala on Sunday, unveiling a new collection of photographic exhibits from the renowned Barnard-Stockbridge Collection.

The museum maintains several exhibits that remain on display, but this year, in addition to the “Ladies Upstairs” galleries and several historic mining collections, the museum delves into Wallace’s longtime love of pet parades.

“Each group – Slippery Gulch, the veterans and the town – have all had pet parades,” said museum director Tammy Copelan. ” I do not know why. I think this could have been a good way to get the kids involved.

High-resolution renderings of the historic photos show children from the first half of the 20th century, all dressed up with their pets, some of whom were dressed up themselves.

“It’s funny because it’s turned into what we see every year with our annual Paw Parade,” Copelan said.

The Ladies Upstairs is another major exhibit at the museum. Nellie Stockbridge – who was not a fan of sex work herself – was meticulous in documenting and providing portraits for many of the women who lived in Wallace’s red light district.

Also returning this year will be the vintage cameras and backdrops used by photographers Nellie Stockbridge and TN Barnard in their Wallace studio from the 1890s to the mid-1960s.

Stockbridge also took a series of scenic photos during his time at Wallace. These photos are displayed with a panoramic camera, similar to the one he used, on loan from the Shrewsbury Private Collection, based in Virginia.

Watterson, who recently joined the museum’s board of directors, was excited to attend his first gala in his new role.

“Every year it’s one of the best events,” Watterson said. “This collection is so vast and contains so much history that it is priceless. The “then and now” look of many of these photos, particularly of Wallace, shows how much has and has not changed, especially when we see some of the buildings that are now gone.

Along with the big reveal of their new galleries, Copelan said she was excited to announce that the museum’s website is being redesigned by local web developer Gravis Tech. The updated site will be operational later this year.

She also said Carl Rowe, owner of the historic and famously haunted Jameson Hotel, would open the hotel for tours starting in June this year.

The Barnard-Stockbridge collection contains more than 200,000 photos. These photos give viewers access to the life and times of Shoshone County’s bygone eras.

In 2019, the museum obtained the collection from the University of Idaho, where the collection had been preserved and housed since 1965.

Located in the former Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Wallace at 312 Fourth St., the Spring Fling Gala is the museum’s official opening for the season.

The museum is open every day, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.