Felix Pinard was Sarasota’s first known photographer. He was also a pioneer. His pictures show life here more than 100 years ago.
We don’t know much about Pinard. He was born on the island of Haiti in 1845. He was 41 when he came to Sarasota, in 1886.
Pinard married Helen Drew. They had two children, Josephine and Francis.
Look closely at the photos. What are the Pinards wearing? How are their clothes different from what we wear today in Sarasota?
The Pinards built a home on Gulf Stream Avenue. What were early houses made of?
Pinard took pictures of other early settlers.
The couple in the garden are probably Lewis Colson and his wife, Irene. Colson had been born into slavery. As a free man, he came to Sarasota. He and others mapped the town.
Lewis and Irene Colson helped build Sarasota’s first black community and the Bethlehem Baptist Church.
Photography wasn’t easy in Pinard’s time. He had a big camera. It was slow. People had to stay still. Otherwise the picture would be too blurry.
Families asked Pinard to photograph their children. What are the Vincent boys holding? And the little girl? Do you imagine their house was quiet or noisy?
People liked photos. They were proud of their new town.
Photos remind us how people lived. Why do you think they rode in wagons pulled by animals?
See the picture of the woman and baby in their yard? Look to the right. Under that little roof is a well, a hole dug deep in the ground. The family pulled water from the well with a bucket.
Pinard also took pictures of people at work.
These three linemen are standing on the first telephone pole in Sarasota.
Pinard took pictures of people at play, too.
They rode bicycles.
They fished.
How do you and your family relax?
Felix Pinary died in 1903. That was before Sarasota grew big. Thanks to him, we know about the area’s earliest days. He’s buried in Rosemary Cemetery, in the heart of Sarasota. Rosemary Cemetery, in the heart of Sarasota.
Want to learn more about Sarasota history?
http://www.sarasotahistoryalive.com/history/articles/black-settler-helped-sarasota-grow/
Want to see more photos by Felix Pinard? Visit the Florida
Memory photo collection website, part of the State Library and Archives of
Florida.