Conversations with the Curator: Norma Collmar’s Glass Plate Negatives

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Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society

Left side of image is old paper overlaid on old newspaper with text describing the event. Right side of image is two photographs by Norma Collmar that we will be discussing in the program.

Each month, tune in to explore some of our favorite artifacts, delve into the overarching themes of our galleries, or get a sneak peek into the planning and design of an upcoming exhibit.

On March 26, 2025, join our Curator of Exhibitions for an exploration of the 19th century photography of Easton native, Norma (McFall) Collmar. Norma McFall was born July 23, 1863, in Martin’s Creek, Pennsylvania, the only child of Isaac and Louisa Young McFall. Norma graduated from South Easton High School in 1881 at age 16. Around 1888, she continued her education and graduated from the Boston Conservatory of Music. Upon her return to Easton, she became the first Supervisor of Music in Easton Public Schools.

On June 16, 1894, Norma McFall married Dr. Charles Collmar, an Easton physician. Mrs. Collmar, an amateur photographer and instructor, took many pictures of Easton and vicinity in the 1890s and 1900s. After her death on February 17, 1925, all the negatives of her photographs, which were in the form of large glass plates, were donated to the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society by her daughter. A portion of her work can be seen in the Decorative Arts Gallery of the Sigal Museum.

Registration is not required for this program. Please visit the provided website for the Zoom link.