Work Crew in Front of Courthouse
Glass negatives are understandably prone to breakage. The most severely shattered are lost, but ones with less severe breakage can be pieced together on a scanner bed.

A cadre of workers hams it up in this wintertime scene in front of Lincoln’s old Courthouse and Post Office, which was built in the 1870’s. Photographer John Johnson peeks out back center, indicating that someone, possibly an assistant, snapped the shutter. Johnson’s primary job was as a janitor at the new U. S. Courthouse and Post Office north (left) of the old building. That photography was more than a hobby to Johnson is suggested both by the quality of his photographs and by the quantity of his images discovered so far—approximately 500 glass plate negatives have been found in various collections.