Stoddard, Seneca Ray, 1844-1917

Seneca Ray Stoddard was an American landscape photographer, publisher, and conservationist active in the Adirondack Region of New York State.

From the description of Seneca Ray Stoddard collection, 1848-1916. (New York State Historical Documents). WorldCat record id: 155514215

Seneca Ray Stoddard (1844-1917) was an American landscape photographer, naturalist, writer, poet and cartographer. Born in Saratoga County, New York, he taught himself painting (one his first jobs was painting scenes in passenger cars) and photography. He eventually published several guide books to areas in and around the Adirondacks; two important works were The Adirondacks: Illustrated, published in 1873 and revised and reprinted several times up through 1914, and the first tourist map of the Adirondacks, published in 1874. His work publicizing the beauties of upstate New York helped influence the creation of the Adirondack Park in the late 1880s.

In addition to his work in New York, Stoddard travelled widely both in the United States (Alaska, Florida, the southwest) and internationally (Italy, Switzerland, France, and Scandinavia). His experiences in these journeys resulted in several lecture tours and travel books, including The Cruise of the Friesland and The Midnight Sun .

From the guide to the Seneca Ray Stoddard Photographs, 1882-1890, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)