By David L. Bristow, Nebraska State Historical Society
John Nelson did not find much gold in Colorado, but Nebraskans are fortunate he found photography.
Born in Sweden in 1864, Nelson immigrated to Nebraska with his parents when he was 17. As a young adult, he homesteaded in Wheeler County, but later sold out and headed west to Colorado to prospect for gold. During his travels, he became interested in photography, opening his own studio when he returned home.
Nelson was a prominent resident of Ericson, Nebraska, until his death in 1942. In addition to his photography business, he served as county surveyor for more than 30 years and retained a strong interest in agriculture. A year before his death, the Wheeler County Independent reported he was advising a local high school agriculture class on the finer points of judging calves.
As a professional photographer, Nelson advertised his studio portraiture, but most of his hundreds of photos in the Nebraska State Historical Society collection were taken in the field. Local businesses hired him to take promotional photos, and he photographed local events and scenes to sell as picture postcards. In 1928, for example, he offered “20 Kodak views of the Wheeler County Fair, including views of the grounds, the Indians, and the bucking broncos” for one dollar.
Nelson’s photos also record changing technology in central Nebraska, with early photos of auto mechanics and the local telephone exchange. In 1924, the Norfolk Daily News reported that Nelson listened to broadcasts from Norfolk’s WJAG on a radio receiver that he made by mounting a tube and dials on an old derby hat.
In 1932, when Prohibition was still the law of the land, Nelson promoted his photography in the Ericson Journal in an article formatted as if were a radio broadcast with Nelson reading his customers’ letters on the air. After a series of brief letters praising the quality of his work, he threw in a bit of self-deprecating humor:
“And here is one from my friend R. C. M., Chapman, Nebraska: Dear Friend John, what have you been drinking?
You got my pictures numbered so much different from the negatives … I don’t know just when you will get your money. Well, I will forgive you this time, but don’t let it happen again, or I will be after coming up there.”
Nelson replied, “This is serious. No, I don’t mean to make mistakes in filling orders, that is easily fixed. But as to my bootlegger, I hope to goodness, he don’t give me any bad booze. What times! It is so hard to get good stuff and when you get it you can’t quite trust it. I feel like swearing off.”
Having a sense of humor, Nelson was remembered as “a man of kindly and genial disposition.” That disposition helped him earn the trust of his neighbors and allowed him to compile a vivid visual record of life in his community.
Visit NSHS’s website at history.nebraska.gov.