First News Winter 2001

The Aultman Years:
Trinidad Icon Leaves Behind Legacy
 

Glenn reading the Sunday funnies

     Glenn went to work in the studio at an early age, although he often said his father wouldn't trust him to do much outside the darkroom for many years. "That was okay with me, though. I was pretty shy around people so I was happier in the darkroom." He became a skilled technician, who abandoned the timer fairly early on because he knew instinctively just how long it took to develop prints. "Little by little, dad let me start doing more studio work. At first, he'd get everything set up, pose the folks just how he wanted them, then let me take the shot. Eventually, I got more jobs, especially if it was someone dad didn't like, or want to deal with." Back then, seemed like every family in town made it by the studio at least once for a portrait. In fact, the Aultmans made a living and paid the bills as portrait photographers, so it's ironic that today, the most valuable images come from their private collection. It's their images of Trinidad's development and numerous lifestyle shots that have created such strong interest locally. However, their portrait photography reflects the incredible ethnic diversity of the coal mining town and are often used in Colorado Historical Society exhibits. Over time, the Aultmans' "body of work" has been recognized as Trinidad's cultural treasure.
 

Glenn attended business school for a year after graduating from Trinidad High School, but no other profession seemed as interesting to him as working in the photography studio.

By 1925, he was working full time alongside his father. It wasn't always a comfortable partnership, and the two men had their share of disagreements over how to run the business. "I convinced dad to buy a carbon arc light so we didn't have to depend totally on the skylight. I think probably the only reason he finally gave in was that we could keep the studio open later, and not have to close once the sun went down." Although, on other issues, Glenn's father wouldn't listen. "When we relocated the studio from West Main, Dad hauled hundreds of glass plates (negatives) to the dump. He said people wouldn't want prints off those old things, so why keep them?" Luckily, there were thousands more which were saved. In the 1970s, Glenn sold his collection of glass plates to the Colorado Historical Society, which has preserved the valuable negatives.

     When O.E. Aultman died, Glenn took over sole possession of the Aultman Studios. He continued to make prints, and take photographs - using the old props with the vintage camera his father used at the turn of the century. Aultman's work was known throughout Colorado and beyond, so many people made a special trip to Trinidad just to be photographed in the historic studio. It holds the distinction as the oldest continuous photography studio in Colorado. Currently, the Aultman collection is cataloged and available to the public at the Colorado Historical Society in Denver for future generations to enjoy.

The First National Bank felt fortunate to be a close friend and neighbor of Glenn's for so many years. The Aultmans' photographic works were featured in several bank projects. During 1992, both Glenn and O.E. Aultman were subjects of the annual collectors' series calendar, "Images of Trinidad Past - The Aultman Years." And again in 2000, the Aultman collection of images dominated First National's 125th anniversary book.

Glenn Aultman, 1985 photo by Myron Wood.