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Baraboo's Ringling Brothers founded the "Greatest Show on Earth" and wintered their world-famous circus in Baraboo each year.

 

H.H. Bennett Studio


Details

The historic 1875 studio in which H. H. Bennett established his legacy offers a window to the life and times of the pioneering photographer. Visitors enter the studio — now restored to its appearance in 1908, the year of Bennett's death — through the workroom where he manufactured the stereo cards he sold by the thousands. From there, surrounded by original furnishings, tools and hand-operated equipment that kept the manufacturing operation going year-round, visitors can view the darkroom where Bennett developed his glass-plate negatives and made his finished prints. A few steps away is the "operating room," illuminated by a skylight that provided a source of natural light for Bennett's portrait photography. And while he is most well known for his breathtaking landscape photographs, Bennett produced many fine portraits in this room, including several of the native Ho-Chunk people with whom he established both personal and professional relationships. Beyond the portrait room stands the sales room, which Bennett stocked with mounted photographs, stereo cards, and a variety of souvenirs and Native American crafts for sale to tourists who — thanks in large part to Bennett — began to discover the beauty of the Wisconsin Dells in growing numbers.


Address

215 Broadway
Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965


Contact Information

Voice: 608-253-3523
Email: hhbennett@wisconsinhistory.org

Amenities and Services All Interests
Directions from Nearest Town/Intersection

From I-90/94, take exit 87 and proceed eastbound on Highway 23 directly to the H.H. Bennett Studio.

Disabled Access
Hours of Operation

Closed Nov 2009 through April 2010. Open daily 10am-4pm May 1 through Oct 31, 2010.


History & Heritage
Type
Wisconsin History / Native American Heritage

Museums & Galleries
Type
Photography