Pet parades, prostitutes, and pretty pictures: Wallace museum gets ready for spring gala

WALLACE — “Where else are you going to find an old church full of pictures of prostitutes?”

The probable answer to Jeremy Watterson’s question: Only Wallace. 

The Barnard-Stockbridge Museum held its annual Spring Fling Gala on Sunday, unveiling a new collection of photography exhibits from the famed Barnard-Stockbridge Collection. 

The museum maintains several exhibits that stay on display, but this year, in addition to the galleries of the “Ladies Upstairs” and several historic mining collections, the museum is diving into Wallace’s long-standing love of pet parades. 

“Each group — Slippery Gulch, the veterans and the city — all had pet parades,” museum director Tammy Copelan said. “I don’t know why. I think it could’ve been a good way to get the kids involved.” 

The high-resolution renderings of the historical photos show children from the first half of the 20th century, all dressed up with their pets — some of which were dressed themselves. 

“It’s fun because it has morphed into what we see every year with our annual Paw Parade,” Copelan said. 

The Ladies Upstairs is another major exhibit for the museum. Nellie Stockbridge — who was not a fan of sex work herself — was meticulous in documenting and providing portraits for many of the ladies who called Wallace’s Red Light District home. 

Also returning this year are the vintage cameras and backdrops used by photographers Nellie Stockbridge and T.N. Barnard in their Wallace studio from the 1890s to the mid-1960s. 

Stockbridge also took a select series of panoramic shots during her time in Wallace. These photos are on display with a panoramic camera, similar to the one that he used, which is on loan from the private Virginia-based Shrewsbury Collection.

Watterson, who recently joined the museum’s board of directors, was excited to attend his first gala in his new role. 

“Every year, this is one of the best events,” Watterson said. “This collection is so vast and contains so much history, it’s invaluable. The 'then and now' aspect of so many of these photos, especially of Wallace, shows how much it has and hasn’t changed — especially when you see some of the buildings that are now missing.” 

Along with the big reveal of their new galleries, Copelan said she was excited to announce the museum’s website is being redesigned by local web developer Gravis Tech. The refreshed site will be up and running later this year. 

She also said that Carl Rowe, owner of the historic —  and famously haunted — Jameson Hotel, will be opening the hotel for tours beginning in June of this year. 

The Barnard-Stockbridge Collection contains over 200,000 photos. These photos give viewers access to the life and times of Shoshone County’s bygone eras.  

In 2019, the museum secured the collection from the University of Idaho, where the collection had been curated and housed since 1965. 

Located at the former Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Wallace at 312 Fourth St., the Spring Fling Gala is the museum’s official opening for the season. 

The museum is open daily, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

  These cameras, used by Nellie Stockbridge and T.N. Barnard in their Wallace studio, are on display at the Barnard-Stockbridge Museum. Stockbridge can be seen pictured in the background.