Roland Reed Photography Exhibition opens at Miramont Castle
STORY AND PHOTOS COURTESY OF MANTIOU SPRINGS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The Manitou Springs Historical Society (MSHS), owner of Miramont Castle, is proud to announce the opening of the Roland Reed Photography Exhibition. The Society was fortunate enough to obtain 11 original photogravure prints from Reed's estate. A portion of the photographs is a collection that Reed handpicked and reproduced using the photogravure process to be sold to museums, schools and similar institutions.
Roland Reed was a friend of Marcellus and Lillian Douglass. The Douglass family relocated to Manitou Springs in 1900, proprietors of the Douglass Plumbing Shop. The Douglasses, with roots in California, met and became friends with Mr. Reed. Reed would stay with them during his travels and considered Manitou Springs one of his favorite vacation spots. While staying with the Douglasses in late 1934, Roland Reed died of a tragic accident and was buried in an unmarked grave in the Douglass Plot in Evergreen Cemetery.
The bulk of the Reed estate was left to a cousin, and the balance was left to Paul Douglass, son of Marcellus and Lillian. Mr. Douglass lived in the family home in Manitou Springs most of his life. The photography collection remained in his possession until his death. At that point, Cherie Mitchie, Paul's granddaughter, was the beneficiary of it.
In 1982, Ms. Mitchie donated most of her collection to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. The collection included original glass plates, negatives and painted photographs. The Museum provided Ms. Mitchie with copies of the donated photographs with explicit instructions that they were not to be reproduced without proper permissions.
The MSHS received an extensive collection of the Douglass family assets donated by Ms. Mitchie. After Ms. Mitchie's passing, Debra Steddom also donated assets from the Douglass estate, including additional historic photography. These photographs were of poor quality, and per the permission restrictions, the Society worked closely with the Museum of Nature and Science, which has the original negatives, glass plates, etc., to produce the Reed Exhibition. The museum provided high-resolution digital images that have been printed using an archival piezography process. The photographs have been extensively researched to provide as much interpretive information as possible, including the names of the participants and locations.
The exhibition includes 11 photogravures and 24 piezography prints. During the curation process, one of Reed's original photographs, entitled "Tribute to the Dead," was omitted to conform to the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act. The exhibition is currently on display and scheduled through Sept. 1. The official opening during First Friday Art Walk on Aug. 1. The opening will be free and open to the public from 5-8 p.m.
Reproductions of the photogravure prints are available in Miramont Castle's gift shop.
