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Sarasota Photos - Joseph Steinmetz

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with True Sarasota Real Estate


Joseph Steinmetz, born in PA in 1905, became a well-known photographer of Philadelphia's elite and high society events. Later, when he bought a home in Sarasota, he created a vast portfolio of Florida scenes.

"[Sarasota] was so radically different from Philadelphia," Steinmetz told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune in 1982, "the gorgeous sunsets, the palm trees and tropical flowers."

His photography of Florida appeared in the Saturday Evening PostLife, Look, Time, and Town and Country. He also worked extensively for the Ringling Circus. His photographs show a fresh and innocent Sarasota and Florida: a happy family builds a sandcastle on a sunny beach; a housewife welcomes friends to her Tupperware party; models in swimsuits pose with the flamingos at Sarasota Jungle Gardens; crowds watch and wave as the Ringling Circus train leaves town.

Today, everyone can tour a gallery of this renowned photographer's work, with no admission fee. Steinmetz's grandson, Brett Arquette, recently gave his grandfather's collection of nearly 5,000 photos to the State Library and Archives of Florida. Nearly half of those photos, about 2,500, are now available online at www.FloridaMemory.com. It's a photo gallery that you could take days to fully explore. The collection covers more than four decades of Steinmetz's work in Florida, from the 1940s through the 1980s.

You, too, can be a part of Sarasota's rich history and heritage. It's a favored destination for vacation homes and retirement real estate, and it's a popular spot for real estate investors, too. If you're interested in buying a home in Sarasota, call us at True Sarasota Real Estate (941) 918-1956. As Exclusive Buyer Agents, we have helped home buyers and real estate investors all over the world discover and purchase the very best real estate in Sarasota, Florida.

Comments (3)

John McCormack, CRS
Albuquerque Homes Realty - Albuquerque, NM
Honesty, Integrity, Results, Experienced. HIRE Me!

William a good story on the history of Srasota Photos - Joseph Steinmetz.  Very nice photo too!

May 14, 2012 02:30 AM
Joni Bailey
101 Main St. Realty - Huntsville, TX
Your Huntsville / Lake Livingston Area REALTORĀ®

Great information..... But beware of using other peoples photographs in your blogs without express written permission as you can be in violation of copyright laws.

May 14, 2012 02:58 AM
William True
True Sarasota Real Estate - Sarasota, FL
Sarasota Real Estate

John and Joni --- thank you for the feedback!  We definitely want to promote the linked site www.FloridaMemory.com as the place to go for the wonderful Steinmetz photos.

May 15, 2012 12:24 AM