The countdown is on to the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, and the Indiana Historical Society (IHS) is marking the occasion with four historic panoramic images, now available to the public online at images.indianahistory.org (search “Indianapolis 500”).

The panoramic images date back to the inaugural running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on May 30, 1911. Taken by Charles F. Bretzman, the race’s first official photographer, two of the surviving panoramic images feature the action on the track, including the starting lineup of 40 cars and drivers. Another of Bretzman’s black and white images captured the flavor of the day, focusing on some of the 80,000 spectators who were onhand to witness history.

“He ranked with the best of the best, and just got lost in the shuffle somehow, so it’s wonderful that this body of work is there for people to appreciate,” said Bretzman’s granddaughter Margaret Dexter. “I’m just thrilled that they’re being unearthed and being given their due as mother would say, ‘to really realize what a wonderful eye he had.'”

Bretzman went on to serve as race photographer for several more years, capturing balloon and automobile races through 1913. The Indianapolis-based photographer also made a name for himself in portrait photography, and his images of Carl G. Fisher, IMS co-founder, Paul V. McNutt, former Indiana governor, and Charles W. Fairbanks, former U.S. vice president under Theodore Roosevelt, are among those included in IHS’s digital image collections.

Researchers who want to view a selection of Bretzman’s work in person can do so at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, located at 450 W. Ohio St. in downtown Indianapolis. The History Center’s William Henry Smith Memorial Library is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays.

Researchers specifically interested in panoramic images will find IHS’s digital offerings have doubled since this time last year. In 2015, IHS received a grant that allowed the organization to scan 686 panoramic photos from its archives, and there are now more than 1,000 available online. Completed in April 2016, the project was supported by the the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), administered by the Indiana State Library. Project results will also be included in Indiana Memory and the Digital Public Library of America.

For more information about IHS’s panoramic digital offerings, or to learn how to donate items, call (317) 232-1882 or visit IHS at www.indianahistory.org.

SOURCE: Indiana Historical Society