Glass Plates to Memory Cards

The Photo Pictorialists of Milwaukee (PPM) 1904 2011

1904
A few men became friends through photography and formed a club which they named Wisconsin Club. The name was changed to Milwaukee Camera Club in the 20s; and to Photo Pictorialists of Milwaukee around 1930. Meetings were held at the Layton Museum. Members used tripods and view cameras with glass plate negatives.

1925
Meetings were moved to the Milwaukee Art Institute. Sheet films in holders were used with Speed Graphic and Graflex cameras. Members prints were shown at meetings and discussed. Prints were exhibited in juried salons including an annual salon run by PPM in partnership with the Wisconsin Painters and Sculptors.

1934
The Photographic Society of America (PSA) was founded January 1st with PPM as one of several Charter Club Members. PSA set standards for displaying prints and for judging. The maximum print and matte size was set at 16 x 20.

1937
Eastman Kodak rocked the photo world with the introduction of Kodachrome 35mm color slide film and Kodak provided processing. PPM members eagerly began to explore its potential for serious use while continuing to create, show, discuss and exhibit black and white (B&W) prints.

1941
PPM moved to rented rooms in The Realty Building on January 1st.Then, moving to a building at 1020 N. Fourth Street, PPM rented a 2nd floor suite of rooms with a separate street level entrance and stairway. A darkroom was built for members use and members were issued a key to the entrance. The large meeting room also served as a studio.

1948
Following World War II, the use of Kodachrome 35mm color slide film exploded!Small 35mm cameras travelled well and the slides arrived in the mail (no darkroom required).

Members purchased 35mm cameras, slide sorters, magnifiers, projectors and screens. PSA member clubs, experienced with print salons, now added color slide salons. PPM salons combined color slide sections and B&W print sections; with one set of judges serving both. Color slide photography was divided into subject categories by PPM and PSA. Categories

included General Slides, Nature Slides, Journalism and Stereo. Several PPM members became experts in stereo slides and 2 of the 5 top-ranked stereo exhibitors in the world were PPM members.

Member Ed Farber invented the portable electronic flash and founded the Strobo Research Co. The Milwaukee Journal equipped its photo staff with Eds units.

1956
The Korean War ended and PPM was functioning extremely well and growing steadily.

PPM Picnic, Terre Andre Park, 1950

The clubs spacious meeting room often served as a lecture hall. PPM visits to local professional studios frequently included photographing by members.

1960
April 1st , PPM moved to the new Milwaukee War Memorial Center. The meeting room included a large locked storage unit for PPM use. The print box, slide projector, screen and other supplies were locked up between meetings.

The 20th Milwaukee salon of Photographic Art in 1962 was run by PPM members. Entered were 1269 prints (300 accepted) 1835 color slides (432 accepted) and 476 stereo slides (158 accepted). Accepted prints were exhibited in the new War Memorial Center. Several club members had photos accepted and honored. Entries came from 21 countries.

1969
PPM revised the By Laws to indicate new members male or female, at least 21 years of age, thus inviting women to join and they did! They had not been excluded by the 1945 By Laws, but for 65 years they had not been encouraged to join. Eight women joined at the next two meetings. Several were elected club officers; including President. The age requirement was changed to 18 in 1972.

1970
The position of PPM Secretary passed after 28 years of continuous service, including monthly newsletters, from Enoch Miller, to a rapid succession of members. Enoch was elected a Life Member (a member for life no dues) for his many years of service to the club. Regular stereo slide projection was discontinued. During the 1970s, member slide shows with tape recorded commentary and location sound were shown with slides changed by silent signals from tape

player to projector. Some meetings were held by invitation at professional studios, such as the Milwaukee Journal, color printing companies, etc.

1973
PPM exhibited 77 prints by 16 members for the month of October in the main entry lobby of the Marine Bank at Wisconsin Ave and Water Street. Another exhibit was hung there in 1977 with fewer prints. A different member was appointed for each month to arrange one club meeting involving an outside presenter on some enriching photographic subject. This was highly successful.

1976
PPM moved from the War Memorial Center to First Federal Savings and Loan, north of Capitol Drive on Fond du Lac Ave. Room charges at the Center had increased and parking was a serious problem, especially in winter. The Savings and Loan community room was free.

1978
PPM moved when First Federal closed the community room to another S & L for one month. In February of 1978 PPM moved to Hart Park, Wauwatosa. The club moved 11 times from 1976 until 2008. Meeting locations included the Milwaukee Stockyards, a printing company, 2 bars and Mt. Mary College.

1979
PPM is 75 years old and going strong. The club purchased a voting machine to make judging faster and easier for judges and scorekeepers. One member couple began the tradition of a pot luck summer picnic at their home which continues through 2011.

1980
Club meetings were reduced from 4 to 3 per month. Annual parties continued: Holiday party in December and Year End party in May.

1984
What is your pleasure demonstrations? Competitions? Travelogues? Shows? Outings? We have them! With that statement, the September newsletter set the stage for a great year for 55 members and 3 Life Members. Many members participated in competitions and meetings of the Wisconsin Area Camera Club Organization (WACCO). At that time the annual Holiday party was held at Servite Woods' clubhouse.

1989
The color prints category in year-end competition included 28 prints by 5 makers. Proud members of PPM wore Photo Pictorialists of Milwaukee patches on caps, jackets and camera bags.

1991
Prints by 13 PPM members were included in an exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Fifty three (53) members from various clubs, belonging to WACCO (Wisconsin Area Camera Club Organization) participated in this exhibit. PPM - run Color Slide International Competitions (salons) were integrated with similar competitions sponsored by 3 other Wisconsin Photo groups. PPM members ran the Wisconsin Circuit which enabled entrants to send 4 slides to one location to be scored by 4 separate sets of judges over a 4 week period. This streamlined method became very popular world-wide.

2004
PPMs Centennial was celebrated with an exhibit of 64 prints at the Schlueter Art Gallery, Wisconsin Lutheran College, Wauwatosa. Members chose and framed their favorite color and monochrome prints for hanging. Pedestals in the gallery displayed vintage cameras. The opening reception was memorable! Included was a reading of a proclamation by the Wisconsin Governor congratulating the club on its 100 years! The prints overflowed the gallery and hung splendidly in the atrium. Live music and refreshments added to the enjoyment of PPM and guests.

Photograph displayed at PPMs Centennial by member Del Desens.

Photograph displayed at PPMs Centennial by member Robert Lauer.

During that year, additional exhibits of photos by members were hung at The Zablocki Library, Milwaukee City Hall, Shorewood Library and University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.

2005
PPM converted from slide technology to digital in the 2005 to 2010 period. Displayed prints are from film as well as digital sources. In club competitions, prints are not separated by source (film

vs. digital) and the print category of monochrome (B&W) is continued. Projected digital images replace color slide projection. Members donate the use of laptop computers and digital projection units to display digital images. Maximum print size remains 16 x 20.

2008
PPM moved to Luther Manor, Wauwatosa on Milwaukees northwest side. Meeting in a groundfloor staff conference room, it regained wheelchair access that was given up in 1976 when the club left the War Memorial Center.

2009
Meetings were reduced from 3 to 2 per month: 1st and 3rd Thursdays, 7:00 PM, September through May. Members took turns exhibiting their prints in the Welcome Center of Luther Manor. Thirty two (32) members come to the meetings from surrounding areas and from as far as West Bend and Grafton.

2011
PPM established a website, www.photopictorialist.com, in June of 2011. Frequent photo exhibits by club members are hung in the Welcome Center of Luther Manor. Club meetings are held regularly in a Manor conference room. Showing images, commenting, asking and answering questions in order to improve photos and techniques remain primary PPM goals; and fellowship and friendship comes naturally and abounds. PPM transitioned nimbly from glass plate negatives to color slides to memory cards in its first 107 years!

This historical overview was contributed by Del Desens, APSA, member of Photopictorialists of Milwaukee since November 1956, Life Member since May 1988. References for the article were provided by club historian Mary Desens, member of Photopictorialists of Milwaukee since July 1969.