Camera

A Visual Journey (Look Into My Eyes)

Imperial No. 6

La Crosse was a growing industrial power in the late 1800s and early 1900s, shifting from lumber mills to other industrial and service work. This view camera was made locally by the Imperial Camera Company. Never making it far from home, this particular camera was purchased by one entrepreneur, Charles A. Loveland, who started the  Northern Engraving Company, a growing local photography business. This camera helped create the image of La Crosse through capturing images of local businesses in the early 1900s such as the Pamperin Cigar and Pearl Button companies. The crisp images created by the Imperial No. 6 Camera were converted into advertisements to help sell the idea that La Crosse was truly the “Gateway to the West”.

Tami Holtslander, a community member living in La Crosse, is a teacher for La Crescent Montessori & STEM grades 7-12, Humanities courses.  As someone who enjoys teaching history and art courses, this project was a perfect match for all things “art” and “fact”.

Mixed-Media: Glass Tile, Mirror, Polymer Clay, Solar Panels, LED Lights, Wood, Metal, Foam, Fiberglass

Visualize this: early 1900s La Crosse man taking photos with his Imperial Camera time travels to the year 2020 and finds himself wearing a pair of solar powered “video glasses”(depicted as kaleidoscopes). We transcend time with common themes of La Crosse, cameras, light, reflection, and visually documenting the world around us.

Jill Rippe is a resident of Onalaska, WI, and is a Food Scientist at Agropur Ingredients. Her artwork credits include design of “The 4 Muses" at the Weber Center for the Performing Arts.