MANNING BROTHERS HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLECTION
Manning Brothers Commercial Photographers was established in 1906 by twin brothers William and John Manning of Ann Arbor, Michigan who formed the present company, opening their first studio at 96 Miami, (now Broadway) between John R and Witherell. After a fire destroyed their studio in 1913, the brothers moved the company to the Trowbridge Building at 22-24 Witherell. The company experienced several additional moves during the following years; first to the Lincoln Building at 333 State Street in downtown Detroit, to Highland Park in 1946 and then to Madison Heights in 1981.
The company was family owned and operated. William passed the business on to his son Edward who encouraged his own son Bud to join the company while still in high school. When Edward retired in 1979, Bud bought his father's share of the business.
In 1989, Bud Manning, not having a family member successor, sold Manning Brothers Commercial Photographers to Charles A. Forbes, a developer who has demonstrated his personal dedication to the preservation of historic structures in the City of Detroit. Eager to perpetuate the Manning Brothers traditions, Forbes and Bud Manning relocated the historic company back to downtown Detroit in February 1990.
As a company, Manning boasts a proud history of uninterrupted operation. Even through the darkest days of the Great Depression, Manning Brothers continued to photograph and document the changes occurring in Detroit without laying anyone off. Work schedules were shifted and minimized but the company pressed on.
The sequential numbering system for negatives begun by the Manning twins is still in use today. The Collection, which now surpasses 250,000 imagines, includes everything from Detroit's treasured architectural "skyscrapers" to "Mom and Pop" grocery stores. Virtually every office building, theatre, private club, store and major industry in the City of Detroit is captured in the Manning photos -- and all in the beauty of black and white. No business was too big or too small for the Manning cameras.
Today, the Manning Brothers Historic Photographic Collection is located at 2111 Woodward Avenue, Suite #910, Detroit, Michigan. Several of the photographs are available for on-line purchase. However, if you’re in the Detroit area we invite you to call (313) 961-6451 to make an appointment to view and purchase these beautiful historic photographs.
The company was family owned and operated. William passed the business on to his son Edward who encouraged his own son Bud to join the company while still in high school. When Edward retired in 1979, Bud bought his father's share of the business.
In 1989, Bud Manning, not having a family member successor, sold Manning Brothers Commercial Photographers to Charles A. Forbes, a developer who has demonstrated his personal dedication to the preservation of historic structures in the City of Detroit. Eager to perpetuate the Manning Brothers traditions, Forbes and Bud Manning relocated the historic company back to downtown Detroit in February 1990.
As a company, Manning boasts a proud history of uninterrupted operation. Even through the darkest days of the Great Depression, Manning Brothers continued to photograph and document the changes occurring in Detroit without laying anyone off. Work schedules were shifted and minimized but the company pressed on.
The sequential numbering system for negatives begun by the Manning twins is still in use today. The Collection, which now surpasses 250,000 imagines, includes everything from Detroit's treasured architectural "skyscrapers" to "Mom and Pop" grocery stores. Virtually every office building, theatre, private club, store and major industry in the City of Detroit is captured in the Manning photos -- and all in the beauty of black and white. No business was too big or too small for the Manning cameras.
Today, the Manning Brothers Historic Photographic Collection is located at 2111 Woodward Avenue, Suite #910, Detroit, Michigan. Several of the photographs are available for on-line purchase. However, if you’re in the Detroit area we invite you to call (313) 961-6451 to make an appointment to view and purchase these beautiful historic photographs.
