Glenalvin Goodridge
Bornc. 1829
York, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedNovember 14, 1867(1867-11-14) (aged 37–38)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Resting placeMinneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery
Occupation(s)Photographer, teacher
Spouse
Rhoda Cornelia Grey
​
(m. 1851)​
Parent

Glenalvin J. Goodridge (c. 1829 – November 14, 1867) was an American photographer from York, Pennsylvania. He was among the first African-American photographers in the United States.[1]: 313  In 1863, Goodridge was convicted of a rape charge and spent a year in prison until receiving a gubernatorial pardon the next year. He then moved to Minneapolis where he died of tuberculosis in 1867. In 2021, many of Goodridge's daguerreotypes joined the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Early life and career

Goodridge was born in York, Pennsylvania, the first son of William C. Goodridge,[1]: 310  an ex-slave.[2] He married his wife, Rhoda Cornelia Grey, on June 10, 1851,[1]: 316 [3][4] and their son Glen J. Goodridge was born in 1860.

From 1847 to 1851, Goodridge was primarily a teacher at the "Colored High School" in York, a role he continued part-time thereafter.[1]: 314  Nationally known abolitionist Frances Harper taught at the same school beginning in 1864.[5][6]

With his brothers, Wallace Goodridge and William O. Goodridge, he operated a photo studio in York, and later in East Saginaw, Michigan.[5][7] The Saginaw studio was closed by Wallace in 1922.[5]

Goodridge's wife, who remarried, and son Glen are buried in Lebanon Cemetery, in North York.

Incarceration and later years

From 1863 to 1864, Goodridge was incarcerated in the Eastern State Penitentiary after being convicted on a charge of rape.[5] Following a campaign by his father,[8] Pennsylvania governor Andrew G. Curtin pardoned Goodridge.[9] While incarcerated, he contracted tuberculosis, which led to his death in Minneapolis on November 14, 1867.[10][9][5] Goodridge is buried at the Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery.[11]

Legacy

In 2018, a reproduction of the photo studio he operated with his brothers, Wallace and William O., opened within the Goodridge Freedom Center in York, Pennsylvania.[5] In 2021, many of his daguerreotypes were acquired for the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.[12][13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Jezierski, John V. (Spring 1997). "'Dangerous Opportunity': Glenalvin J. Goodridge and Early Photography in York, Pennsylvania". Pennsylvania History. Penn State University Press. 64 (2, History of Photography in Pennsylvania). Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  2. ^ "The Goodridge Brothers: Lumbering's Photographic Historians". Forest & Conservation History. Oxford University Press. 24 (3): 151. July 1, 1980. doi:10.2307/4004520. JSTOR 4004520. S2CID 238477568. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  3. ^ Mingus, Scott (February 3, 2015). "Black history month: Eli Grey, Civil War-era barber in York". York Daily Record. Retrieved August 21, 2021. Glenalvin Goodridge had married 16-year-old Rhoda Cornelia Grey
  4. ^ "Smithsonian American Art Museum Acquires Extraordinary Early Photography Collection". Fine Books & Collections. August 19, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2021. Mrs. Glenalvin Goodridge (Rhoda), 1859, sixth-plate ambrotype
  5. ^ a b c d e f McClure, Jim (October 12, 2018). "Glenalvin Goodridge: 7 things to know about this pioneering African-American photographer". York Daily Record. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  6. ^ Bacon, Margaret Hope (1989). ""One Great Bundle of Humanity": Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825–1911)". The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. 113 (1): 23–24. JSTOR 20092281.
  7. ^ Jezierski, John Vincent (2000). Enterprising Images: The Goodridge Brothers, African American Photographers, 1847-1922. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8143-2451-6.
  8. ^ Library Company of Philadelphia: 2001 Annual Report. The Library Company of Phil. ISBN 978-1-4223-7313-2.
  9. ^ a b McClure, Jim. "What York County, Pa.'s Glenalvin Goodridge faced in the Eastern State pen before his pardon". York Daily Record.
  10. ^ Jezierski, John V. (1997). ""Dangerous Opportunity": Glenalvin J. Goodridge and Early Photography in York, Pennsylvania". Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies. 64 (2): 310–332. JSTOR 27773993.
  11. ^ "William Goodridge". Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery. May 23, 2005. Retrieved August 21, 2021. He was buried in the southwest corner of Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery next to his son, Glenalvin Goodridge
  12. ^ D'Souza, Aruna (17 August 2021). "Smithsonian Acquires Rare Photographs From the First African American Studios". The New York Times.
  13. ^ Parker, Randy (August 18, 2021). "Smithsonian agrees: This Black photographer from York is a national treasure". York Daily Record. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
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