Breckenridge Ranch Scene, 1926

The artistic abilities of Breckenridge photographer, Basil Clemons (1887-1964), are evident in this 1926 photograph of a rancher and his horse. Notice how Clemons has composed this view so that his subjects are reflected in the pool of water. In the distance one can see oil derricks and automobiles encroaching on the pastoral setting.

This is just one of over 18,000 images in the Basil Clemons Photograph Collection that documents the oil boom town of Breckenridge and its environs from 1919 to 1948. Other subjects of his lens include the circus, fairs, Wild West shows, store interiors, street scenes, ranches, sporting events, fires, floods, and the oil field.

Basil Clemons Photograph Collection, Special Collections, The University of Texas at Arlington