Darius Kinsey

Who was Darius Kinsey?

Darius Kinsey was a photographer active in western Washington State from 1890 to 1940. He is best known for his large-format images of loggers and phases of the region's lumber industry. He also photographed locomotives and landscapes and did studio work.

Kinsey, born in Maryville, Missouri, moved to Snoqualmie, Washington, where he took up photography in 1890.

He worked as an itinerant photographer for several years, until marrying Tabitha Pritts in 1896. The following year, they set up a photo studio in Sedro-Woolley, Washington.

In 1906, the couple moved to Seattle. Darius gave up studio work and focused instead on the lumber industry and scenic photography. Tabitha developed the negatives and made the prints, which were sent back to the logging camps and sold to the loggers.

After falling from a stump in 1940, Darius was forced to give up his career. He died in 1945 and is buried with his wife in Nooksack, Washington.

The major collection of his work is held by the Whatcom Museum of History and Art. The University of Washington Libraries also has a collection of his work.