At left, a portrait of Charles Warren Eaton. At right, a photograph of the Third River taken by Charles Warren Eaton.
BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Bloomfield internet travelers are in for a treat. A considerable number of vintage photographs of the township from the negatives of renowned American painter Charles Warren Eaton, 1857-1937, a former 63 Monroe Place resident, have been digitally processed and downloaded into the website, CharlesWarrenEaton.org, under the heading “Bloomfield.” The transformation was accomplished by Rich Rockwell, Historical Society of Bloomfield member and township councilman.
The negatives were part of a cache Rockwell discovered while preparing for the Bloomfield 2012 bicentennial. Many of the negatives documented Eaton’s annual European sojourns; some he made into paintings. Rockwell has already digitized and downloaded those negatives, but not those of Bloomfield until now, because he believes he has the experience to digitally repair their damage.
“I thought the Bloomfield negatives were valuable, because they were of things that don’t exist anymore,” he said recently at the HSB museum. “Also, because of the way Eaton composed the pictures.”
Many of the photographs are landscapes, showing the Morris Canal, the Third River and bygone mill ponds. There are also images of Eaton’s home, studio, property and his elegantly dressed sister, Charlotte Shaw, and niece, Grace Shaw. Yet despite Eaton’s interest in the Morris Canal, Rockwell could not fathom why he took no photographs of the inclined plane, located near Brookside Park and used to transport canal boats, removed from the water, up toward what is now St. Valentine’s Roman Catholic Church. Rockwell also scratched his head about the Collins House. It is located at what was the base of the inclined plane and Rockwell is part of an effort to restore the structure. But again, although Eaton was out and about with his camera, he did not take any photographs of the Collins House. Visitors to the site will discover that a willow grove grew behind what is now the McDonald’s on Broad Street.
The website introduces 37 photographs of Eaton’s Monroe Place home, 26 of various mills and 22 of the Third River. The site also has 41 images of the Morris Canal, most of which were already on the website.
Rockwell said the photographs of mills were of Davey’s Mill, which made binder’s board for bookbinders and steam trunks; the Diamond Paper Mill, which made tissue for glass cleaning; Oakes Mill, a wool mill; and the Peloubet Sawmill, which made boxes for shipping their piano organs.
The HSB also recently received, from an Eaton biographer, Charles Clark, photocopies of letters Eaton wrote, as a young painter beginning to exhibit, to a fellow artist, Leonard Ochtman, 1854-1984. Clark also donated a ledger, in Eaton’s handwriting, documenting his painting sales. Some of the prices paid for his work were considerable, considering the time.
“We’re going to have to build a Charles Warren Eaton Annex,” Rockwell said. “I’m glad to have everything since he lived in Bloomfield.”
Rockwell also wanted residents to know that every third Saturday of the month, he will lead a walking tour of the historical district, which centers around the First Presbyterian Church.
“The tours are very popular,” he said. “We already have a waiting list for the one in February and they are free.”
It is approximately a three-mile walk, taking three hours and starting at 9:30 a.m.
“It’s a collaborative effort between the HSB, the Bloomfield Historic Preservation Commission and the MeetUp group, ‘Let’s Walk,’” Rockwell said.
To join the walk, visit Let’s walk!!MontclairNJMeetUp.
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