Lehi People
Collection of early Lehi portraits available in online library
Staff Writer | Lehi Historical Society
Upon the imminent closure of Broadbent’s Store in 2017, owner Betty Broadbent Anderson began clearing out and giving awayall kinds of items and memorabilia. Part of that effort landed at the Lehi Historical Society and can now be viewed online at LehiHistory.com.
Among the items Anderson donated to the historical society was a beautiful collection of portrait photographs. These photos include individuals, family settings, generational pictures and more. “It’s a treasure trove of Lehi history,” said Lara Bangerter, the Lehi Historical Society director.
There are 264 photos in the collection. Most have beenidentified. The collection is organized alphabetically, as it came to the historical society, with photos including last names beginning with A-B in a folder, C in a folder, D-F in a folder and so on.
Even more exciting is that the entire collection has been digitized and is now available in the historical society’s online library. To access the library:• Go to LehiHistory.com.• Click the green button, “Online Library.” • In the Search field, type “Broadbent Photography Studios.”• Click the yellow line, “Broadbent Photography Studios.”• Click on the photo folder you would like to view.• Click on the photos you would like to view.
“There are all kinds of familiar Lehi names in the collection as well as names we’ve never heard,” said Bangerter. “There were also photos with no identification other than they were in the ‘A’ folder.”
For many years there was a photography studio upstairs atBroadbent’s Store. The photos from this collection are believed to have come from Thomsen’s Studio. Karl J. Thomsen operated his photography studio above Broadbent’s Store from 1910 to the early 1920s, and up until 1945, he photographed many of the group and individual photos in the Lehi High School yearbooks.
In the 1990s, a relative of Thomsen returned many photos to Broadbent’s Store, said Anderson. “Somehow, this relative came to have this box of photos. She wasn’t interested in them but knew they originated with the store, so she brought them back.” Many of these photos were ultimately donated to the Hutchings Museum.
Although likely from the same collection, the box of photos the historical society has was given in 2017 and was found while Anderson was cleaning out the store for closure. “I naturally figured they would love them at the historical society, so I took them there,” said Anderson.
For more information about the Lehi Historical Society or the Broadbent Photography Studios Collection, call 801-768-1570, email lehihistory@gmail.com or visit us at 99 W. Main STE 100, Tuesday through Thursday from noon-5 p.m.
The Lehi Historical Society is made possible by generous grants from Lehi City, PARC and the John and Danaca Hadfield Family and by donations from citizens like you. All proceeds help to collect, preserve, protect and share Lehi’s history.
