Robert C. Strom collection of T. N. Barnard photographs and postcards, 1896-1926

Robert Charles Strom was born on September 11, 1927, to Clarence and Myrtle Strom in Kellogg, Idaho. Strom attended the University of Idaho College of Law and was very active on campus. He was a member of the Scabbard and Blade, Pershing Rifle, Alpha Phi Omega, Pi Gamma Mu, and Bench and Bar. Strom completed his undergraduate degree in 1949 and his graduate degree in 1952. He met Shirley Longeteig while at U of I, and they married in 1952. Strom continued to be active on campus, often giving talks at the University of Idaho. He practiced law for over 50 years, served on the Idaho Constitutional Revision Commission, and was general counsel for the Nez Perce Tribe. Strom also served as president of the University of Idaho Library Associates and on the University of Idaho Library Board. He died on March 18, 2008, at 80 years old. The Shirley Longeteig Strom and Robert C. Strom Library Endowment continues to support University of Idaho Special Collections and Archives today.

Thomas Nathan Barnard was a photographer who moved to Wallace, Idaho, in 1889 to open a photo studio. Barnard had previously owned photo studios in Murray and Wardner, taking advantage of the mining frenzy in the area. Shortly after, in 1890, the studio was destroyed in a fire, and only a small number of his negatives survived. Most of the photographs taken in the early years included landscapes, placer workings, townscapes, and panoramic views of Wallace and Murray, Idaho, taken on 5 x 7 and 8 x 10 dry-plate negatives. Barnard made most of his living from his landscape photographs, which were sold to the general public, and commissioned portraits.

Barnard also had interests in mining and politics, and he soon needed help running the studio. In 1898, Nellie Jane Stockbridge left her home in central Illinois to accept Thomas Barnard's offer of employment in his Wallace, Idaho, photo studio. Stockbridge was a dedicated photographer and businesswoman. In 1907, she purchased a quarter share of the business. She eventually assumed full ownership when Barnard became the mayor of Wallace. Barnard passed away in 1916.