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Fred H. Kiser (1878 -
1955)
Fred H. Kiser is acknowledged as one of
the most successful commercial
photographers between the turn of the
century and the First World War. Born in
Grand Island, Nebraska, Kiser moved to
Portland, Oregon where his parents ran
the Columbia Beach Hotel and Nursery.
Fred became interested in photography,
and with his brother Oscar, established
"Kiser Brothers, Photographers." A 1903
exhibition of his Crater Lake
photographs brought Kiser his first
public recognition. Two years later he
was honored as the official photographer
of the Lewis and Clark Centennial
Exhibition in Portland, Oregon.
That
same year, Louis Hill became president
of the Great Northern Railway and began
searching for artwork to promote
Glacier.
Hill discovered the Kiser
exhibition and immediately appreciated
Kiser's striking photographs of mountain
scenery. Kiser was hired as the official
photographer of the Great Northern
Railway, and for six years spent his
summers in Glacier. Soon, his images
were reproduced in brochures, books,
periodicals, and as postcards. Some were
released in beautiful hand-colored
portfolios richly showing scenes from
Glacier.
After Kiser's association with
the Great Northern ended, he returned to
photographing Crater Lake. There, he
built his studio in 1921, and became
it's official photographer. |
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