According to an article in the Cañon City Record on September 25, 1895, Royal Hubbell was the only baby photographer in Cañon City. An ad printed in the Cañon City Times in 1901 furthered his claim that he was the perfect photographer for mothers to bring their babies to for a photo.
The ads Hubbell posted claimed he also excelled at views, portraits, enlarging, copying, and color work and the only successful flash photographer in Colorado. He was good at creating sensational ads with titles such as “Murder! Murder!!” when promoting cheap prices on photos.
Hubell was born in Indiana in 1860. He opened a studio in Cañon City in 1896 which is listed in the city directory at 714 Main Street until 1901. He died in 1932 and is buried Volusia County, Florida.
May is National Photography Month! The museum will be highlighting early local photographers in upcoming blogs. Follow the links for more blogs.
The information presented in this article is compiled using research conducted by the Royal Gorge Regional Museum and History Center.