Best of Lafayette

This is a publication of over 200 of the very best photographs of early Lafayette gleaned from thousands of images in the archives of the Tippecanoe County Historical Association. Large, high-resolution reproductions are utilized to ensure that this photographic history is not only "looked at" but thoroughly "read" as well. Each photo is a story in itself. Caption and text by noted authors Paula Woods and Fern Martin explain the facts, but reading the photo generates many questions beyond these facts. In reading a photo, it is important to place the image in the context of the times. Lafayette was a much different city a hundred years ago; it looked different and even smelled different. The people, too, were different, and, while we are sharing their lives momentarily through these photos, they are not necessarily early versions of ourselves. Street scenes, lifestyles, and group ensembles need to be examined for detail - sometimes even with a magnifying glass - to reveal a more accurate tale of life.