Creator: Collier, Joseph
By Rob Carrigan, robcarrigan1@#gmail.com
Perhaps it it is not that long of a way from blacksmith to pioneer master photographer 100 years ago in the style of great Scot Joseph Collier of Central City and Denver, Colorado.
Becoming a blacksmith mostly takes a lot of practice of the basics of smithing. Most users on Reddit agree that starting out requires minimal equipment, and you can even improvise an anvil from a piece of railroad track or a forklift tine if needed.
Core Forging Techniques
- Drawing out: Hammering metal to make it longer and thinner.
- Upsetting: Hammering the end of heated metal to make it thicker and shorter.
- Bending and twisting: Shaping hot stock over the anvil horn or using tongs to create curves and twists.
- Punching and slitting: Piercing holes or splitting hot metal without drilling.
- Forge welding:Heating separate pieces of metal until they bond together under hammer blows.
Knowledge and Soft Skills:
Metallurgy: Understanding how different types of metal (like iron and steel) behave at various temperatures and how to heat-treat or quench them.
Fire management: Controlling and maintaining the precise temperature of the forge.
Physical stamina: Enduring intense heat and heavy, repetitive physical labor.
Precision and timing: Working quickly while the metal is at the correct temperature—knowing when to "strike while the iron is hot"
Truth is, Pioneer Photography was not that different than Blacksmithing.
"Joseph Collier took up photography in Scotland, though it wasn’t until his move to Colorado that his fame took off. He lived in Central City and was well known at the time. In 1873, he presented stereographic images of Colorado to the wife of President Ulysses S. Grant and First Lady of the United States, Julia Grant.
Newspapers of the day called his work "some of the finest specimens of stereoscopic views" ever seen.
"Joseph Collier was one of the early Great American Photographers and he started off his career running a photography business in North Street, Fraserburgh (Scotland) in 1860.
"Joseph Collier was born in New Deer (Scotland) in 1826 and as a young man he was working as a blacksmith when he injured his back and had to take time off. During his recuperation he read some books on photography, became hooked and totally absorbed by the subject and made a life changing decision, he wasn’t going back to the smithy - because he was going to be a photographer!"
He started off in premises in North Street in Fraserburgh in 1860, when the Broch already had two very good photographic businesses ran by Alexander Gray and James Shivas.
"Joseph’s talent showed through and he did a roaring trade for a few years before moving to larger premises in Peterhead. He still made arrangements to come to the Broch on special occasions and worked along with John Trail, who gave him space to use as a studio, and would display his photographs in the shop window."
"After a few years in Peterhead he moved to larger premises in Inverness and then in 1871 he made the life changing decision to move his family and career to America. His friends in Inverness gave him a rifle as a going away present," writes Billy Watson in 2026
Joseph arrived in Central City, Colorado, and at the invitation of his cousin, D. C. Collier, the owner of the Daily Central City Register he initially established his first photography studio in the back room of his cousin's newspaper office.
"He had only been there a few weeks when he made his first photographic trip to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado with his huge cumbersome wet plate camera and camp wagon and began documenting the Great American Landscape, one of the first photographic pioneers to do so, and certainly the first in Colorado," writes Watson.
"Joseph’s work soon became highly regarded for capturing the rugged landscapes and pioneer life of Colorado during a period of rapid westward expansion."
His lens took a candid look at 19th-century life, capturing images of mining operations, ranches, hunting parties, and social gatherings.
In 1873, he presented stereographic images of Colorado to the wife of President Ulysses S. Grant and First Lady of the United States, Julia Grant. Newspapers of the day called his work "some of the finest specimens of stereoscopic views" ever seen.
He settled in Denver where he became known for his technical skill, managing his own studio and training others, like his long-time assistant Amelia Norder who became a famous photographer in her own right.
Collier’s photographs are an important historical record of Colorado's development. Many of his works, including albumen silver prints, are held in prestigious collections such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Getty Museum, and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art.
"Joseph Collier died at the age of 75 on the 23rd of December 1911, in Denver Colorado - a Great American Photographer, the ex-Broch blacksmith had came a long way since first changing his career and opening a studio in North Street in Fraserburgh in 1860," says Watson.
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