Indianapolis: The Bass Photo Company Collection

When the Bass Photo Company began its operation, Indiana had been a state for less than a hundred years, photography was less than seventy-five years old, and Indianapolis's centennial was more than a decade away. The capital city was growing rapidly, and new businesses and institutions were forming to meet the needs of the population as it moved into the twentieth century. The Bass Photo Company photographed the local automobile industry, the rise of new office buildings, and activity along the commercial hub of Washington, Illinois, Meridian, and Market streets. This book contains 183 photos selected from the vast Bass Photo Company Collection. The assorted images depict Indianapolis in good times and bad and provide a visual link to the city's past. Many of the images are so vivid that one can almost hear the clang of a trolley, the click of horse hooves, the roar of engines, and the din in the streets filled with bustling pedestrians. Included in the volume are nostalgic images of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, leisure activities, individual portraits, street scenes, Monument Circle, a parade of returning World War I soldiers, the Indianapolis Home Show, transportation, and architecture.

Paperback. 205 pages. 2008, Indiana Historical Society Press. By Susan Sutton.