A stash of photographs taken more than 100 years ago has been found by a workman carrying out renovations at a hotel - and gives a fascinating glimpse into family life and booming industry in Utah in the early 1900s.
A paper bag containing more than 300 negatives was found above a ceiling panel in the restaurant of the Peery Hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah at the weekend as it was being decorated.
An antiques expert has revealed the images were taken by the studio of C.R. Savage, a prominent landscape and portrait photographer who documented the growth of railroads and industry across the West.
Found: Negatives for more than 300 photographs were found in a bag hidden in the ceiling
Envelopes baring the name of his Salt Lake City studio were found with the negatives, but historian Ken Sanders said the photographs were likely taken by Savage's son Ralph due to their dates.
The images show figures scattered through mining towns and at depots as trains pass through. One picture shows a man at a desk with a calendar hanging behind him reading '1904'. He suggested to they could be members of the Peery family, who were scions in mining and railroads before constructing the Peery Hotel.
A lifetime ago: The images were taken in the early 1900s and depict railways and mining towns
Find: The photos were taken by the studio of C.R. Savage, who was known for capturing the West
Glimpse into history: Savage was known for documenting the growth of railway lines across the U.S.
Although the photographs appear to be more than 100 years old, the hotel was completed in 1910.
'It certainly documents a prominent Utah family's rise to success and seems to document their interest in railroads in particular,' Sanders, an appraiser for Antiques Roadshow on PBS, said.
Savage was famous in the 1900s for photographing the first transcontinental railroad.
Sanders added that the discovery was 'historically priceless'.
'I have no idea how the haven't been discovered before now,' one hotel employee said. 'It's a tremendous find. We'd really like to get them developed and learn a little more about the people.'
Family: A historian speculated the people in the pictures (left) might be the Peery family, who made their money in mining before constructing the hotel where the photos, by C.R. Savage (right), were found
Clue: Envelopes for Savage's Salt Lake City studio were also found among the negatives in the bag
Scene: The photographs were found at the Peery Hotel, pictured, while undergoing renovations
The hotel's owners plan to frame and hang the photos on the walls.
Charles Roscoe Savage was born in Britain and joined the Mormon Church in his teens, before emigrating to the United States in his early 20s in 1955. In 1860 he traveled to Salt Lake City with his family and later established a photography studio and began capturing landscapes and the progression of railway lines.
He passed away in 1909 - a year before the Peery Hotel was completed
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2219175/Peery-Hotel-Stash-100-year-old-photos-Utah-hotel-renovations.html#ixzz29hzdxgtd
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