Looking Back’s theme for 2025 featured Thurston County area photographers, artists, and their subjects. William J. Yeager, an early settler, opened his photographic studio in about 1865, and worked with various business partners including John Vivian Yantis. No existing photographs by him have been identified. This pencil and charcoal portrait is by an unknown artist.
Unknown artist, 1860s, courtesy of State Capital Museum collection, Washington State Historical Society, catalog C2018.0.154
Text © Deborah Ross and The Olympian 2025