Shipler, James William, 1849-1937

James William Shipler (1849-1937) was a photographer and he was among the first non-Mormon photographers to set up a gallery in Salt Lake City.

James William Shipler (1849-1937) was a photographer and he was among the first non-Mormon photographers to set up a gallery in Salt Lake City.

James William Shipler was born in 1849 in Mercer, Pennsylvania. In 1872, he journeyed to Denver where he established his first photograph studio. William soon moved to the Great Falls of Montana in 1889 where he opened another studio. Due to poor business in Montana, William made the decision to move to Salt Lake City in 1890. Through following the latest trends in photography, he was able to broaden his horizons, reaching places in Utah which other photographers had not. William was among the first non-Mormon photographers to set up a gallery in Salt Lake City. In 1909, his son Harry joined his studio and later in 1914, William turned his business over to his son. During his twenty four year career, he documented several events in Utah's history. James William Shipler died in 1937 at the age of eighty-eight; eulogized as the "dean of Salt Lake photographers."