New Exhibit At The Gaylord Building Unveils Lockport Life In 1910s

LOCKPORT, IL — A new exhibit at the Gaylord Building Historic Site brings early 20th-century Lockport to life through the eyes of local pharmacist and amateur photographer H. H. Carter, according to a news release from the museum.

The exhibit is installed on the museum’s rotating Story Wall, and showcases Carter’s candid street photography from more than 100 years ago—capturing everyday people, places and moments.

“Through the Lens of H. H. Carter” features enlarged prints made from Carter’s original glass plate negatives, taken between 1910 and 1915, the museum said. With a handheld Graflex camera and a keen eye for composition, Carter documented life along State Street and beyond: children at play, shopkeepers tending storefronts, and scenes of daily work and leisure.

"These images are some of the earliest known examples of candid, street-level photography in Lockport—and a rare visual archive of life in a Midwestern canal town at the dawn of the 20th century," according to the museum.

Carter moved to Lockport in 1900 and opened his own drugstore, quickly becoming a prominent local businessman and civic leader. Like many pharmacists of the era, he sold and developed film in his store—an everyday task that soon became a creative passion, the museum said.

The exhibit is housed on the Story Wall, a space at the Gaylord Building dedicated to sharing stories from Lockport’s past—especially those that haven’t been widely told, according to the museum. The Story Wall invites visitors to explore local history through rotating exhibits that combine original research with photographs, documents and artifacts.

“Carter’s photos are more than just beautiful—they’re full of life,” Clint Cargile, Manager of Public Programs at the Gaylord Building, said in a release. “He caught Lockport in motion. These are glimpses of a city at work, at play, and very much alive."

The exhibit is now open to the public and will be on display through the summer. Admission is free. All H. H. Carter images used courtesy of Lewis University’s H. H. Carter Collection.

The Gaylord Building is a National Trust for Historic Preservation site located at 200 W. Eighth St., in downtown Lockport, along the historic I&M Canal.