This image, which periodically resurfaces on social media, is sometimes mistakenly claimed to be an old photograph of Ajijic.
Q. Old photograph of Ajijic? Answer: No!
In fact, the photograph is a cropped section of a photo of Jamay, Jalisco, taken by Dwight Rodgers Furness in about 1907. Furness was the son of the founder of the Hotel Ribera Castellanos, a lakeside resort with many literary connections, located close to Jamay.
Furness became a significant figure in photographic history when he was asked to head the pioneering USA Aerial Photography School that George Eastman established as a joint venture between the United States Army Signal Corps and the Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, New York, in 1918.
Here is a color-tinted version of Furness’ original photo of Jamay; this version was published by Alba y Fernández of Guadalajara in an extensive series of similar, colorized postcard images which proved to be very popular among collectors and tourists.
Dwight Rodgers Furness. c. 1907. Jamay. (Published by Alba y Fernández, Guadalajara). Fig 6.9 of Lake Chapala: a postcard history.
Surprisingly little is known about the publishing firm of Alba y Fernández, beyond two street addresses (calle Alhondiga 272, used in advertisements from 1909 to 1910, and calle San Diego 267, used from 1910 to 1911) and the post box address (Apartado 213, Guadalajara) used on the correspondence side of their cards. If you know more about this company, please get in touch!
My 2022 book Lake Chapala: A Postcard History uses reproductions of more than 150 vintage postcards to tell the incredible story of how Lake Chapala became an international tourist and retirement center. See Hotel Ribera Castellanos and Lake Chapala Agricultural and Improvement Company for a multi-page account of the historic hotel.
Comments, corrections and additional material are welcome, whether via the comments feature or email.
Tony Burton’s books include “Lake Chapala: A Postcard History” (2022), “Foreign Footprints in Ajijic” (2022), “If Walls Could Talk: Chapala’s historic buildings and their former occupants” (2020), (available in translation as “Si Las Paredes Hablaran”), “Mexican Kaleidoscope” (2016), and “Lake Chapala Through the Ages” (2008).