William H. Rau

Early life

Rau was born in Philadelphia in 1855, the son of German and Swiss immigrants Peter and Mary Witschi Rau. and William picked up the trade while still young. At the age of 13, he started doing photographic work for his future father-in-law, William Bell, who was a medical and survey photographer for the federal government. He was less successful in capturing the transit itself, however, after his tent caught fire, and cloudy skies obscured most of the transit. None of Rau's photographs of the transit were sharp enough to be of use to scientists. The expedition spent 45 days in the desert at one point, and Rau recalled being constantly threatened, harassed, and robbed by locals. The expedition ascended Mount Sinai, but was unable to capture any photographs due to poor lighting. In 1885, he left Wilson's company and set up his own studio in Philadelphia, initially located on Chestnut Street, which he later moved to South Camac Street.

Works

Rau's photographs span a wide range of topics in places around the world. Cities photographed by Rau include New York City, Paris, Moscow, Cairo, Tokyo, Naples, Nablus, St. Pierre, Martinique, Butte, Montana, and his native Philadelphia. Individuals who posed for portraits for Rau include Theodore Roosevelt, Admiral George Dewey, poet Edwin Markham, Apache chief Geronimo, and Sioux chiefs Luke Little Hawk and Lone Elk. Rau's panoramic subjects include Niagara Falls and Hemlock Lake, and the cities of Rochester and Buffalo in New York and Easton in Pennsylvania.

In an 1884 article, Rau stated that he preferred cameras with Euryscope lenses and cherry or mahogany cases, oxalate-developed plates, and a Loring finder (for capturing moving subjects). His photographs were typically sold as stereo cards or lantern slides, the latter of which Rau described as the most "pleasurable" branch of photography. For his railroad company panoramics, he used a modified Moessard camera with a Ross portable symmetrical lens, orthochromatic film, the Getty Museum, and the Library Company of Philadelphia.

Gallery

Events

People and places

Panoramics