Above: H.H. Wonacott. Bavo Collection 1983-0027-0091
Who Was Henry Wonacott?
Henry Wonacott was a tenacious and adaptable commercial photographer working in Mendocino County between the years of 1908-1947. Equipped with the capacity to cater his skills to a changing market, his photography chronicles an evolving economic landscape.
Left: Photograph of Henry Wonacott Courtesy of Fern Mosier, Private Collection
Wonacott’s photographic career takes us on a journey through Mendocino County. With his camera he documented the evolution of the logging industry, explored the beauty of the countryside, and recorded the development of roads, bridges and businesses. His slogan, “Wonacott the Photographer in Your Town,” is a declaration of his marketing strategy. In his early career, he traversed the rough and rugged roads of the county to secure customers in every possible location. He would go as far as Eureka, offering his services at lumber camps and small towns along the way. He often developed and printed pictures on site in his portable darkroom.
During his life in Mendocino County he owned and operated multiple portrait photography studios in Willits and Fort Bragg, was employed as a photographer for the Union Logging Company, embarked on a “U Catch Em’ Trout Farm” business venture, and created invaluable, promotional tourism images.
The images preserved at the museum capture everything from spectacular scenery and events, to the mundane details of everyday life and business. In its entirety the collection provides a visual, historic record of early life in Mendocino County. The photographs in this exhibit are a small sample of work primarily generated during Wonacott’s occupation of his Laurel Street studio in Fort Bragg.
Right: H.H. Wonacott. Parkins Collection 96-2-222
A Shaky Beginning
Born the youngest of sixteen children, Henry Wonacott’s family migrated to Oakland shortly following the death of his eighty year old father. At the age of thirteen, he accepted an apprenticeship and worked under Fred Shaw of Shaw & Shaw Photographers, learning the trade of photography. It was during the aftermath of the great 1906 Earthquake in San Francisco that his career began to take shape. Curiosity about the tragic event created a demand for images and information. As a young man of eighteen Wonacott seized the opportunity to embark on his own profitable business venture. He ferried across the bay to take pictures of the disaster and returned to his studio at night to make prints. The following day he would sell photographs on the street for a dollar apiece, claiming he earned as much as one thousand dollars per day. Eventually, the demand wore off and Wonacott looked for his future elsewhere.
Background: H.H. Wonacott. Bavo Collection 1983-0027-0192
The Hunt for Opportunity
As public interest in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake wore off, Henry Wonacott looked to Willits as a promising location for his own photography business. Wonacott had likely been lured to the area by his half-brother, Kennerly Wonacott, an established resident who enjoyed the trapping and hunting opportunities of the countryside. In a 1909 business directory, Wonacott placed an advertisement, stating that he did “…artistic portraits, landscapes, and commercial work.” As his business began to grow he periodically advertised for assistance. The result of one such advertisement was his marriage to Lulu Robertson in 1911. Together they built a new studio on the corner of West Valley Road and Main Street. Shortly thereafter, they homesteaded 90 acres of land near Willits. The property allegedly had three lakes and an abundant supply of game. Wonacott’s enthusiasm for hunting, fishing, and trapping is well-documented in his photographs.
Background: H.H. Wonacott. Ogle Collection, 2000-0012-0131
Wonacott Expands Business
Wonacott decided to expand his business in 1917 by purchasing an additional studio on Laurel Street in Fort Bragg. Wonacott maintained his studio in Willits as well, and for a time traveled between studios. He also made the decision to sell photographic equipment at this new location. The Fort Bragg studio was a great success, mainly due to the presence of the Union Lumber Company, a major contributor to the local economy. The Union Lumber company valued photography for both advertising and public relations. Wonacott was hired by the company to photograph things such as: “grades of lumber, mill machinery, logging and production methods, reforestation efforts, company picnics,” etc. Other lumber companies in the area hired Wonacott to take photographs as well.
Background: H.H. Wonacott. Bavo Collection, 1983-0027-0186
His work continued to grow, due to the interests of both the lumber companies and increased tourism. He encouraged business by creating window displays of photos depicting local disasters, accidents, and community events, which he sold as prints or postcards. Portraits continued to be a high demand segment of his business: weddings, baby pictures, class pictures, and individual portraits.
Catch of the Day
Wonacott began to develop his next great idea: running a trout farm. By 1927, he was stocking the Union Lumber Company pond with trout from his own hatchery. Between the years 1930-32, he purchased land along what is now Highway 1, and opened the “U-Catch-Em Trout Farm.” For a fee, travelers could fish for trout, have it cooked for them in a café owned by Wonacott, and have their pictures taken. Camp sites were also available on the property. Even with his enthusiasm and knack for marketing the business never became self-sustaining.
Background: H.H. Wonacott, Catch of the Day. Bavo Collection, 1983-0027-0125
There are many people to be thanked and commended for the safekeeping of Henry Wonacott’s negatives. While the negatives spent time in garages, vaults, and even a front yard, the work eventually found a home at the Mendocino County Museum. The initial collection of 1,770 large-format film negatives were donated in 1983 by Louis and Jane Bavo, followed by 64 negatives some years later. John M. Parkins, the successor to Wonacott's Willits studio, was the first in a line of stewards to care for the 624 negatives donated in 1996 by John Schubert. Hal Ogle was the successor of the Laurel Street Studio, and his lineage became caretakers of remaining negatives. In 2000, Dawn Ferreira decided to share 170 images with the museum for its reference collection.
The preservation of this collection was complicated due to the fact that hundreds of images were nitrate negatives, highly unstable media that can deteriorate rapidly. Staff embarked on a twelve-year process to catalog, identify, and duplicate the images. This included the endeavors of past museum staff: Rebecca Snetselaar, Daniel Taylor, Mark Rawitsch, Bobby Yokum, and Sandy Metzler. Perhaps one of the greatest contributions to the collection was made by Anne Salsich, who researched the life and career of Henry Wonacott through interviews and correspondence. The collaborative efforts of the community have upheld the legacy of Wonacott, the Photographer in Your Town, and have provided current staff with the opportunity to share the collection today.
Background: H.H. Wonacott. Bavo Collection, 1983-0027-0193
This presentation was created by the Mendocino County Museum. View more Collection Spotlights and learn more about our institution by visiting www.mendocinocounty.org/museum.