The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-04-04

EDITORS NOIE-This rowing rspnrtsr
for The Times goes where he pIssse..
when he pieaseS. In search of odd stories
about this and that.
SAN ANTONIO, April 4.-Noah
H. Rose was born in Texas, and he
has never been out of Texas, except
across the border into Mexico a
few times. He's 81 now.
st did sit on the bank of the Red
River once and look across into
Oklahoma" he says. But 1 never
got over there. I'm just an old
hiubilly. Don't know nothin'. Never
saw nothin'."
He was born poor and he's still
poor. He went to work in a print
shop when he was Is, at 50 month.
He can still set type.
IT wanted to take fiddle lessons
so bad I was crazy" he says, but
we couldn't afford it. When 1 grew
up I did take lessons for four
months, and now play in the
church choir"
When Noah Rose was II he won
a box camera by selling the
Youths Companion. He still has
the first negative he ever snapped
"a shot of his sister, taken 45
years ago. From then until today
he has been a photographer.
LIE married young. 1t lasted
"A three months, and he has
never tried 1t again. His two sis
ters and a brother-in-law live with
him now.
For Is years he ran a studio at
Del Rio, down on the Rio Grande.
Without really being conscious that
he was making a collection, he be-
gan gathering old prints and Mega
tives of Southwest lore-Indians.
outlaws, peace officers, hangings,
buildings, graves, statesmen, battle
scenes.
Today Noah Rose has the great
est collection of historic Southwest
photographs in the world. There
is hardly name or place you can
think of that he doesn't have. His
collection is recognized as supreme
by museums, libraries and uniyer-
sites.
1t ought to be worth a million
dollars. He can hardly pay the
rent with it.
EIFTEEN years ago Rose came to
l. San Antonio. He didn't have a
studio any more. He was hard up.
So at last he decided to CONNER
cialize his collection.
He has been living off it, after a
fashion, for 10 years now. Last year
was his best year so far. He took
in $780, He has no other income.
He rents little implanted house
in the west end of San Antonio, way
out where the streets aren't paved
or even graded. Two rooms he has
fixed up as a darkroom and work
shop. He sleeps in one of them. A
few pictures are tackled up.
He has 1900 negatives in all.
His most valuable picture, he feels,
is of John Wesley Hardin, taken in
life. The only one known to exist.
People in the East don't hear much
of Hardin. but he really was tops.
Billy the Kid" was sissy compared
with him.
II
MOST of Roses business what
1V1 little there isl comes from in
dividuals making Southwestern coll
lections. He sells some to libra
ries, too, and book publishers. He
has a nice letter from Zane Grey,
who used some of his photos.
His favorite customer is a Maj.
Sanford of Washington. The ma
ior dropped in one Christmas a
couple of years ago. Rose was sick
in bed. The rent was due Taxes
due. Last money gone for medi-
cine. Not cent in the house. 1t
sounds like movie, but it isn't. The
major ordered $186 worth of pic
lures, and left $50 Christmas pres
ent besides. And Rose had never
seen him before.
With all the pictures around,
Rose has none of himself. He's
pretty good-looking man, too.
Bald, with rim of grayish hair
fluffing out like a ledge all around
his head. He wears tortoise-shell
glasses.
He won't let strangers come to the
house if he can help it. Doesn't
want them to see how poor he is. Z
just hunted him up in the city di-
rectory and walked in. Once there,
you're welcome. He never gives his
address to anybody He rents a
postofffice box, so nobody will know
where he lives. The box is 463.
He gets terribly discouraged. Peo-
pie who can afford to pay try to
chisel him down on his prices. And
him making $500 year.