Women's History Month: Katherine E. McClellan

[Historic Saranac Lake Collection.]

It's Museum Monday, so we want to use a recent addition to the collection to tell a story about a Saranac Lake woman! This 1899 calendar and undated advertisement were created by Katherine E. McClellan. McClellan was an accomplished photographer and began her career in Saranac Lake after she moved to the area when her sister was diagnosed with tuberculosis.

In Saranac Lake she produced and sold photos of the Adirondack landscape, operating out of her Highland Park studio on the corner of Park Avenue and Old Military Road (see ad). She later became the official photographer of Smith College, her alma mater.

McClellan was connected with John Brown farm, as she produced and sold artistic booklets of John Brown's grave, but she had another unusual connection to the men killed at Harper's Ferry. Click over to our wiki to read the strange story, and learn more about her photographic career and see examples of her work!

Stay tuned for more posts in honor of Women's History Month all month long!