Glenalvin Goodridge Explained

Birth Date:c. 1829
Birth Place:York, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Death Place:Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Resting Place:Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery
Occupation:Photographer, teacher
Father:William C. Goodridge

Glenalvin J. Goodridge (c. 1829 – November 14, 1867) was an American photographer from York, Pennsylvania. He was among the first African-American photographers in the United States. In 1863, Goodridge was convicted of a rape charge and spent a year in prison until receiving a gubernatorial pardon the next year. He then moved to Minneapolis where he died of tuberculosis in 1867. In 2021, many of Goodridge's daguerreotypes joined the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Early life and career

Goodridge was born in York, Pennsylvania, the first son of William C. Goodridge,[1] an ex-slave.[2] He married his wife, Rhoda Cornelia Grey, on June 10, 1851,[3] [4] and their son Glen J. Goodridge was born in 1860.

From 1847 to 1851, Goodridge was primarily a teacher at the "Colored High School" in York, a role he continued part-time thereafter. Nationally known abolitionist Frances Harper taught at the same school beginning in 1864.[5]

With his brothers, Wallace Goodridge and William O. Goodridge, he operated a photo studio in York, and later in East Saginaw, Michigan.[6] The Saginaw studio was closed by Wallace in 1922.

Incarceration and later years

From 1863 to 1864, Goodridge was incarcerated in the Eastern State Penitentiary after being convicted on a charge of rape. Following a campaign by his father,[7] Pennsylvania governor Andrew G. Curtin pardoned Goodridge.[8] While incarcerated, he contracted tuberculosis, which led to his death in Minneapolis on November 14, 1867.[9] [8] Goodridge is buried at the Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery.[10]

Legacy

In 2018, a reproduction of the photo studio he operated with his brothers, Wallace and William O., opened within the Goodridge Freedom Center in York, Pennsylvania.[11] In 2021, many of his daguerreotypes were acquired for the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.[12] [13]

Notes and References

  1. 'Dangerous Opportunity': Glenalvin J. Goodridge and Early Photography in York, Pennsylvania . Spring 1997 . Pennsylvania History . 64 . 2, History of Photography in Pennsylvania . John V. . Jezierski . Penn State University Press . August 21, 2021 .
  2. The Goodridge Brothers: Lumbering's Photographic Historians . 10.2307/4004520 . Oxford University Press . July 1, 1980 . Forest & Conservation History . 24 . 3 . August 22, 2021 . subscription . 151 . 4004520 . 238477568 .
  3. Web site: Black history month: Eli Grey, Civil War-era barber in York . February 3, 2015 . York Daily Record . Scott . Mingus . August 21, 2021 . Glenalvin Goodridge had married 16-year-old Rhoda Cornelia Grey .
  4. Smithsonian American Art Museum Acquires Extraordinary Early Photography Collection . August 19, 2021 . Fine Books & Collections . August 21, 2021 . Mrs. Glenalvin Goodridge (Rhoda), 1859, sixth-plate ambrotype .
  5. Bacon. Margaret Hope. 1989. "One Great Bundle of Humanity": Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825 - 1911). The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. 113. 1. 23 - 24. 20092281.
  6. Book: Jezierski . John Vincent . Enterprising Images: The Goodridge Brothers, African American Photographers, 1847-1922 . 2000 . Wayne State University Press . 978-0-8143-2451-6 . en.
  7. Book: Library Company of Philadelphia: 2001 Annual Report . The Library Company of Phil . 978-1-4223-7313-2 . en.
  8. Web site: McClure . Jim . What York County, Pa.'s Glenalvin Goodridge faced in the Eastern State pen before his pardon . York Daily Record.
  9. Jezierski . John V. . "Dangerous Opportunity": Glenalvin J. Goodridge and Early Photography in York, Pennsylvania . Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies . 310–332 . 1997. 64 . 2 . 27773993 .
  10. Web site: William Goodridge . May 23, 2005 . Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery . August 21, 2021 . He was buried in the southwest corner of Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery next to his son, Glenalvin Goodridge .
  11. Web site: McClure . Jim . Glenalvin Goodridge: 7 things to know about this pioneering African-American photographer . York Daily Record . October 12, 2018 . August 22, 2021 . limited .
  12. Web site: D'Souza . Aruna . Smithsonian Acquires Rare Photographs From the First African American Studios . The New York Times . 17 August 2021. registration.
  13. News: Smithsonian agrees: This Black photographer from York is a national treasure . August 18, 2021 . York Daily Record . Randy . Parker . August 20, 2021 . limited .

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