Historic Photos of Oklahoma
In this NewsOK.com video segment called Reading Minds, I interview Oklahoma historian and author Larry Johnson about his new book, Historic Photos of Oklahoma.
Johnson’s book is a fascinating collection that covers the time period roughly from 1870 to 1970, and it reveals parts of Oklahoma’s past that are likely unfamiliar to many modern eyes.
In the interview Johnson talks about some of his favorite photos in the book, including images that show massive virgin forests in the state, cinematic outlaws and bank robbers, and dramatic dust storms on the plains.
Johnson’s previous work, 2007’s Historic Photos of Oklahoma City, is an equally interesting collection that showcases some of the earliest known photos of the city in the 1880s through to images of Civil Rights marches in the 1960s.
Some of my favorite images in both books show amazing Oklahoma buildings that have since been lost to fires or the wrecking ball, like the Criterion Theatre at 118 W. Main in Oklahoma City with its glowing glass facade and the Romanesque 1906 Oklahoma County Courthouse.
Johnson maintains the historic Oklahoma Collection in a beautiful room on the second floor of the Metropolitan Library System’s Downtown Library, and the walls of the library are also filled with historic photographs of the city and state. Johnson also curates the Oklahoma Images project, which is an extensive online collection of historic photos and essays.
Johnson’s books are available at local bookstores like Full Circle and Edmond’s Best of Books, as well as Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Amazon.com.
