A remarkable collection of nearly 24,000 photographs taken by pioneering female photographer Lora Webb Nichols is generating international attention more than six decades after her death. Nancy Anderson, who devoted decades to preserving Nichols' extensive photographic archive and home, has helped bring this unique female perspective of the American West to global prominence at a time when the region was establishing its gritty, predominantly male-dominated legend.
When 19-year-old Nancy Anderson arrived in Wyoming from Virginia with plans to become a teacher at the Beer Mug Ranch north of Hanna, she never imagined the lifelong friendship that would shape her future. Anderson quickly befriended Encampment rancher and businesswoman Lora Webb Nichols, famous for her photography, and eventually met her future husband, living happily in Coyote Canyon for 52 years. Throughout this time, Nichols remained like family to Anderson, who was even present when her friend passed away in 1962.
However, Anderson didn't truly understand the depth of her friend's talent until after Nichols' death, when she began studying the thousands of photographs and corresponding diary entries her friend had meticulously maintained. Nichols had written daily for 65 years, starting at age 13 and continuing until her final day, creating an unprecedented record of life in the American West from a woman's perspective.
What makes Nichols' work particularly extraordinary is its candid, unposed nature. Unlike most photographers of her era who created stiffly posed studio setups with subjects wearing their finest clothes, Nichols captured real people in their everyday attire, living authentic lives. Her photographs offer intimate glimpses of women, documenting their quiet strength, moments of tenderness, and vulnerability during a time when few thought to record women's history at all.
Nichols received her first camera as a life-changing 16th birthday gift from her fiancé and first husband, Bert Oldman, who had come to Encampment during the copper boom. The Kodak camera, hand-delivered to her door, became an instant passion and integral part of her daily life. Although she divorced Oldman a decade later, citing his frequent neglect of family responsibilities, she never abandoned her camera. From 1899 until her death in 1962, Nichols created approximately 23,500 photographs documenting the bustling life around her.
The women captured in Nichols' photographs are haunting and compelling figures. One striking image shows her friend Nora Fleming nursing her baby in the sun, with apparent mischief in her eyes as she gazes at the photographer. Another depicts Mary Anderson bending to comb out hair nearly as long as she is tall, preparing to arrange it in a tight bun away from public view. Whimsical moments also emerge, such as her friend Lizzie leaning on a crutch while a pet cat perches on her hip, delicately nibbling a treat against the stark backdrop of cut timber and empty landscape.
Anderson describes the collection as "absolutely breathtaking" and an "endless source for interpreting Wyoming during her time frame." The archive includes 65 years of diary entries, almost 24,000 images, letters, and objects, creating a comprehensive historical record. In the 1990s, Anderson and her late husband Victor led efforts to preserve Nichols' work after discovering that the chemicals used to develop the early photographs could eventually destroy them.
A fortuitous encounter brought Professor Nicole Jean Hill from Humboldt State University to the project. While serving as an artist in residence at the Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts, Hill visited Encampment simply because she loved the town's name. At the Grand Encampment Museum, she discovered the claim of a 24,000-photo collection by a single pioneer photographer, and a woman at that. Initially skeptical, as the largest pioneer photography collection she knew of was Solomon Butcher's 3,000 negatives from central Nebraska, Hill was intrigued enough to investigate further.
Hill's involvement proved transformative, helping convert the collection to a more accessible digital format and arranging for the original negatives to be housed at the University of Wyoming's American Heritage Archive. Her work has since included writing books featuring Nichols' images alongside diary excerpts, contributing to the growing international recognition of this remarkable collection.
Anderson continues her preservation efforts by working to restore Nichols' home, which she purchased in 1962 after her friend's death. The goal is to create a space that honors Wyoming's pioneer photographer and allows visitors to step back into Lora's time and atmosphere. One possibility under consideration is establishing an artist residency program, though Anderson acknowledges this would be challenging for a small Wyoming town without extensive resources.
The home, which Nichols called "Heap-o-Livin'," remains largely unchanged from the turn of the century, featuring original woodwork, fireplace, and staircase. This marvelous Queen Anne eclectic Victorian house, located in what was once Encampment's elite neighborhood, boasts a wide front porch with pillars. Anderson's favorite features are the staircase and fireplace, which she calls "the glories of the house." While indoor plumbing and a remodeled kitchen have been added, the ornate clawfoot iron tub and diamond-shaped windows remain original.
The international buzz surrounding Nichols' work has attracted researchers from across the globe. European scholars have taken particular note of this female photographer who created compelling artistic images revealing the authentic American West. A researcher from Paris has spent time in Encampment creating 50 hours of film footage, including interviews with local residents. This prize-winning couple specializes in historic documentaries in Europe, generating excitement about their major project featuring Nichols.
Additionally, a historian from Poland has created an exhibit in her country featuring Nichols' work, with some group members actually traveling to Poland to present before the film community there. Hill's recent book featuring Nichols' work has received glowing international reviews, further cementing the collection's global significance.
The growing recognition has even brought unexpected visitors to Anderson's door in Encampment, with strangers hoping to see where Nichols lived and worked. Anderson welcomes this interest, noting that she'll "have to keep the floor mopped" but would gladly accommodate visitors through arranged trips to the museum and photography locations Nichols favored, including her favorite photography rock, which still exists in the area.
Nichols' favorite quote, according to Anderson, was "All that holds Wyoming together is baling wire and capable women," and Anderson believes her friend perfectly embodied this sentiment. The preservation of Nichols' home and work represents not just historical conservation but also the potential for a rich new vein of tourism in Encampment, offering visitors insight into an authentic female perspective of the American West that has remained largely hidden until now.
