Walcott Photography Studio - History
Walcott Photography Studio
The first Walcott Studio was operated by Frank B. Walcott in Berlin, Wisconsin in the eighteen hundreds. In 1951, Merton (Mert) & Frances Walcott purchased a photography studio from Pratt and Emko, above Topp's Dry Goods Store in downtown Columbus, Wisconsin. Before that, it was Miller Studio.
Mert's first studio was in the middle of the Anzio Beachhead during WWII. Following the war, he attended the New York Institute of Photography and apprenticed for over five years with Ed Block Studio in Beaver Dam before founding the present Walcott Studio.
In 1956, Merton and Frances Walcott purchased the Whitney House from Mrs. Albrecht. The photography studio is attached to a home built in 1868 by Eli Whitney. He was the founder of the Columbus Canning Company and builder of the Whitney Hotel in downtown Columbus. The original architecture was Italianate and later modified to Victorian. The current photography studio was designed by Mert as handicap accessible and built onto the side of the house.
Merton &
Frances Walcott
Mert Walcott later earned the Master of Photography and Photographic Craftsman Degrees. He was a national retouching and print judge and helped found the Photographic Artists Degree Program for the Professional Photographers of America. Frances Walcott was one of the top oil color artists in the state.
In 1976, John Walcott, with his wife Suzanne, purchased the studio. Because of the quality of photo studio lighting seen in the many old photos they restore for clients, a "north light" photo studio was added adjacent to the camera room in 1982. An outdoor portrait park (backlot) also provides many popular settings.
Today, Walcott Studio continues its long tradition of building family histories, creating new traditions and preserving treasured memories. With sixty years of family portraits on file, Walcott Studio is committed to helping you create those new traditions, which will become the next generation's heirlooms.
