When Willis A. Leiter established his photography studio in Lorain in 1901, he found a thriving community on the shore of Lake Erie. He captured the spirit of the times through his photographs of ship launchings, steel production, community events, and charming views of people and places. The Leiter Studio, known for its quality portraiture, embraced the golden age of postcards (1905–1915) and published thousands of real photo postcards of Lorain and the surrounding areas. Many of these postcards survive today, and they provide a unique retrospective view of Lorain during a simpler era.
Bill Jackson and Paula Shorf are longtime collectors of Leiter real photo postcards. They joined together with Lorain historians Albert Doane and Matthew Weisman, and Bruce Leiter Waterhouse Jr., a great-grandson of the photographer, to create this visual feast of early Lorain history, all through the lens of Willis Leiter.