Steven J. Schmidt and Danita L. Davis have generously donated two copies of their latest book, “The Lost Photographs of Osbert Sumner 1898-1903, Irvington Historical Society Edition,” to the Indiana State Library’s Indiana collection. The book chronicles an extraordinary discovery made in an Irvington home: a box filled with old glass negatives. Many of the negatives were damaged, but a handful remained intact, just enough to begin unraveling the mystery of who took the photographs, and what stories they captured.

In addition to presenting the recovered photographs, the book explores the life of Osbert Sumner, the man behind the lens. Readers will learn about the camera he used, and some of his family history.

You can now explore the results of this fascinating exploration in the Indiana State Library’s collection.

This blog post was submitted by Michelle Sharp, collections and outreach manager at the Indiana State Library.