About H. H. Bennett
H. H. Bennett Henry Hamilton Bennett (1843-1908) returned from the Civil War in 1864 with
an injury to his hand that prevented him from pursuing
his intended career as a carpenter. Purchasing a tintype studio in Wisconsin Dells (then Kilbourn City), he took his first stereographic landscape photographs of the rugged Wisconsin River dells in 1868 and, in 1875, opened his portrait
photography studio.
Bennett developed a passion for landscape photography because, in
his words, "It
is easier to pose nature and less trouble to please." His stereoscopic
views of the river dells attracted visitors from across
the country, and made Wisconsin Dells one of the most
popular tourism destinations in the 19th-century Midwest.
He further capitalized on the tourism boom by taking souvenir photos
of tourists on board the steamboats that ferried visitors up and down
the river on sightseeing excursions.
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