Augustus E. Martin (1872 – 1961)

Augustus E. Martin, the son of German immigrants, lived in Lenox Dale, the working class section of Lenox. Augustus took up photography as a teenager, using the glass plate method of the day. Martin’s photographs mainly date from 1890 to 1915, coinciding with Lenox’s golden age as a resort. He sometimes photographed grand mansions, but most of his photos are of ordinary life in the Dale: families, animals, and multiple self-portraits.

Augustus Martin

Little girl, dog, & puppies in a field ca. 1890 – 1915.
Man asleep in bedroom ca. 1890 – 1915.
Augustus Martin standing on hilltop overlooking Woods Pond. Woods Pond is part of the Housatonic River. The first Lenox Train Station (burned in 1902) is on the left. ca. 1890 – 1902.
6 people at a church function ca. 1890-1915.
3 boys sitting on grass ca. 1890-1915.
Blantyre: Thomas Proctor in greenhouse ca. 1903- 1915. Proctor was the superintendent at Blantyre, a great estate built in 1902.
Blantyre: gardener in greenhouse ca. 1903-1915. The Blantyre estate, built in 1902, overlooked Lenox Dale.
Old man on porch ca. 1890-1915.
Family group - all women – outdoors ca. 1890-1915.

While photography was Martin’s passion, he made a living as a mechanic, paper hanger, and painter. He owned a barber shop, which he leased out in good times, and worked there himself in bad times. He married Ritta Bull, a local girl; they had no children. In later years, they kept a garden, raised chickens, and even offered room and board to travelers, advertising “excellent meals: heart of the Berkshires: $14” in the 1930s.

Augustus Martin’s wife Ritta Bull Martin (1885-1965).

Banjo player ca. 1890-1915.
Camping out - family group ca. 1890-1915.
Man walking down Crystal St. ca. 1890 – 1915.
Boiler room Niagara Mill ca. 1903-1915. The Niagara Mill, built in 1903, was a paper mill. Local kids would sneak in to feel the vibration of the water wheel.
Children's group with instruments and flags ca. 1890-1915.
Seated girl with basket of flowers: studio portrait ca. 1890 – 1915.
Portrait of rooster & man's hand ca. 1890 – 1915.
House exterior with figures from porch to roof ca. 1890 – 1915.
Woman standing by dining-room sideboard ca. 1890 – 1915.

The Dale

Lenox Dale is in east Lenox, next to the Housatonic River. Initially named Lenox Furnace, the village supported iron works, glass factories, and multiple mills during the 19th century. When the iron and glass factories closed in the 1870s, Lenox Furnace was renamed Lenox Dale, and former industrial workers found positions on the great estates. In 1900, nearly half of the Dale’s residents were immigrants; the largest group was Breton French, followed by Irish, Germans, and Italians. Wealthy Gilded Age Lenox depended on this “other” Lenox to support its extravagant lifestyle.

Lenox Dale from Willow Hill, 1902.
Lenox Dale from Willow Hill, 1902.

Young school mistress at her desk March, 1901.
School mistress with her class seated at their desks March, 1901.
Young man holding coffee pot ca. 1890-1915.
2 young couples lying in the grass in front of house ca. 1890-1915. Aug Martin is on far right.
Family group on porch ca. 1890-1915.
Old man on porch ca. 1890-1915.
Slaughter house: cow on rack ca. 1890-1915.
Young girl - garden & barn in background ca. 1890-1915.

The Collection

Augustus Martin died in 1961, his wife in 1965. There are few surviving photos from his later years; the glass plate method he used was eclipsed by the Kodak Brownie camera. In the 1960s, two local historians, Robert Liston and Edward Cahalan, gathered material from Lenox Dale that is now archived at the Lenox Historical Society. Nearly 200 Martin glass plates were given to the Lenox Library Association. Thanks to the work of Amy Lafave, this collection is available through the Digital Commonwealth project at lenoxlib.org.

Family group - all women – outdoors ca. 1890-1915.
Couple in carriage ca. 1890-1915.
Big Pete & Harry Joyner ca. 1890-1915. Big Pete (on left), whose real name was Celestine Prevost, was one of the many French immigrants in Lenox Dale. (Photo courtesy Lenox Historical Society).
Eldorado Bar ca.1903. The El Dorado, a Dale favorite, had the longest bar in the county. Owner “Bat” Lawson is on left, with bartender Jim Shields on right.
Mother & 3 young children ca. 1890-1915.
Little girl with kitten: studio portrait ca. 1890-1915.
2 children outside of house in winter ca. 1890-1915.