Susanville’s Thompson’s Photography Studio

Courtesy of Frances Wier
Thompson Studio, 1921. Courtesy of Frances Wier

It has been awhile since I wrote about the professional photographers of the area who left a valuable historical record behind.

In September 1912, Peter Julian “Jack” Thompson announced he was going to relocate his photography studio from Loyalton, which had been in operation there for ten years, to Susanville. However, due to some delays he did not open for business here until February 1913.

Thompson was one of my favorite photographers, Herman Brince was another. His composition was well thought out, so no wonder after twenty years in the business, he had won numerous awards.

Thompson moved to Susanville at the right time, with all rapid development going on Lassen County. One of his best commercial pieces was a photograph portfolio of the entire operations of the Red River Lumber Company.

Business was so good that on September 1, 1919 Thompson entered into a contract with Henry Kroeger to construct a combination photography studio and residence at 60 South Lassen Street, for an undisclosed amount. On October 15, 1919 the cornerstone was laid, complete with a time capsule. That is correct, and there are several buildings in Susanville with time capsules.

However, the good times did not last, On October 6, 1920, Thompson committed suicide. He had been despondent over the financial burden of the new building, coupled with some health issues.  The business was carried on by his widow, Delia. She married another photographer, Ed Grimes, who died suddenly in 1925.  Delia, widowed a second time, still continued with the trade, though she limited her work to portraits. On March 3, 1932, Thompson Studio officially closed its doors, and she sold the building to Dr. G.R. Fortson.

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3 thoughts on “Susanville’s Thompson’s Photography Studio”

  1. Guess what? I have the Thompson portfolio of photographs of the Red River Lumber Co… From the grandson of R. Pray.

  2. R. Pray was the General Manager of the Red River Lumber Co. since the beginning of Westwood and before that time , in Minnesota. He finally left the company in 1923. My photo album has about 50+ 7.5×9.5 inch photographs of the entire operation of the company, all taken 1915, just 2 years after they got established in Westwood. Not to be confused with another known album done in the ’20’s by Eastman. The Thompson album is very, very obscure.

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