Exploring H. H. Bennett's Historic Studio

Original bottles stored in H. H.
Bennett's darkroom for use
in developing glass-plate negatives.

Visitors enter the 1875 studio through the workroom where Bennett manufactured the stereo cards he sold by the thousands. Surrounded by original furnishings, tools and hand-operated equipment that kept the manufacturing operation going year-round, school groups can view the darkroom where Bennett developed his glass-plate negatives and made his finished prints. A few steps away is the "operating room," illuminated by a skylight that provided a source of natural light for Bennett's portrait photography. Beyond the portrait room stands the sales room, which Bennett stocked with mounted photographs, stereo cards, and a variety of souvenirs and Native American crafts for sale to tourists who — thanks in large part to Bennett — began to discover the beauty of the Wisconsin Dells in growing numbers.