The Jacksonville Historical Society

The Jacksonville Family Album

This award-winning book is still available!

The Jacksonville Family Album: 150 Years of the Art of Photography is perhaps the most beautiful book ever written about Jacksonville. This lavish large-format book was written and designed by Dr. Wayne Wood, author of Jacksonville's Architerctural Heritage, The Great Fire of 1901, and numerous other popular books on Jacksonville history. With hundreds of amazing photographs dating from 1855 to the present, this massive 432-page volume is a must for art book collectors and for anyone interested in Jacksonville.

Published by the Jacksonville Historical Society in 2005, the first edition quickly sold out, and the book is now in its second printing. The book was written with the assistance of Carole L. Fader and Emily Retherford Lisska, who also worked with Wood on a previous book, The Great Fire of 1901.

The St. Johns River Wharfs at the foot of Hogan Street

The Jacksonville Family Album is an ambitious effort to explore the photographic heritage of this city. The 584 photos included were selected from over 40,000 that were reviewed for this project. In addition to images from the Jacksonville Historical Society’s vast archive, remarkable photos from rich local collections and archives across the country have been obtained to illustrate the story of Jacksonville.

Bay Street, ca. 1875

Presented in their historical context, these photographs reveal the texture and appearance of Jacksonville in every era from the Civil War to the present. While examining the historic importance of these images, this book also savors their virtuosity as works of art. From extraordinary portraits to quiet interior scenes, these pictures celebrate the inspired photographers who captured these images. From photos of children playing in a field to spectacular panoramic scenes, this book is filled with masterpieces of the photographic creativity.

Lincoln Beachy lands his bi-plane at Pablo Beach, 1911

Governor Broward and the big fish

"Old Ironsides" Docked in Jacksonville

"Mayport Huckleberries"

Spanish-American War Peace Jubilee
in Riverside Park, 1898

May Mann Jennings, the Governor's daughter

The Presidential motorcade stops at the Windsor Hotel

The Jacksonville Family Album is a monumental work that will be treasured by individuals and families who are part of this city. It is a striking collection of images of life in Florida that will also be important to historians and researchers. Anyone interested in photography as an art form will be captivated by this book, which is an amazing work of art itself.

Most of the photos in this book have never been published before. They provide a rare insight into the people and beauty of a great American city.

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The alligator hunters, ca. 1879

Henry Shockley, Mayor of Pablo Beach

The Blue Angels soar over Jacksonville Beach

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(Although this book is completed, old photos of all varieties are still welcomed for submission to the JHS Archives at any time.)