Julius Born

Our county is indeed fortunate that Julius Born, an early photographer, was here to take many pictures of the World War I and II participants. Although we don’t have names for many of the digitized images, some from glass negatives, they do provide an insight into the fervor of the times.

Photographer Julius Born took thousands of photographs of the people, land and community in Hemphill county located in the Texas panhandle. "In thousands of portrait photographs taken during the first half of the twentieth century, Born forever documented our past, our heritage, our humanity. In his images of cowboys and businessmen, well-composed ladies, and fidgety children, Born shows us the pioneers and early residents who made Canadian what it is today. For decades, Born operated his photography studio from the back of his variety store. It was here where all types of people stepped into his curious world of cameras and backdrops, costumes and mood lighting. Over the years, thousands sought out this self-taught photographer and curiosity shop owner to record their most important moments."  The portraits are so compelling that it's hard to stop looking!