Glenalvin J. Goodridge
1829 – November 14, 1867) was an American photographer from York, Pennsylvania. He was among the first African-American photographers. In 1863, Goodridge was convicted of a rape charge and spent a year in prison until receiving a gubernatorial pardon the next year.
Also recorded as Glenalvin Goodridge
Glenalvin J. Goodridge
Anne Gray · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Died
- 1867
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- photographer
- Languages
- English
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1829 – November 14, 1867) was an American photographer from York, Pennsylvania. He was among the first African-American photographers. In 1863, Goodridge was convicted of a rape charge and spent a year in prison until receiving a gubernatorial pardon the next year.
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Glenalvin J. Goodridge (1829–1867) was an American photographer. The photographer worked in New York City. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
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In this article
Early life and career
Early life and career
He then moved to Minneapolis where he died of tuberculosis in 1867. In 2021, many of Goodridge's daguerreotypes joined the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Goodridge was born in York, Pennsylvania, the first son of William C. Goodridge, an ex-slave. He married his wife, Rhoda Cornelia Grey, on June 10, 1851, and their son Glen J. Goodridge was born in 1860. From 1847 to 1851, Goodridge was primarily a teacher at the "Colored High School" in York, a role he continued part-time thereafter. Nationally known abolitionist Frances Harper taught at the same school beginning in 1864. With his brothers, Wallace Goodridge and William O. Goodridge, he operated a photo studio in York, and later in East Saginaw, Michigan. The Saginaw studio was closed by Wallace in 1922. • Illustration — Goodridge's wife, who remarried, and son Glen are buried in Lebanon Cemetery, in North York.
Incarceration and later years
Incarceration and later years
From 1863 to 1864, Goodridge was incarcerated in the Eastern State Penitentiary after being convicted on a charge of rape. Following a campaign by his father, Pennsylvania governor Andrew G. Curtin pardoned Goodridge. While incarcerated, he contracted tuberculosis, which led to his death in Minneapolis on November 14, 1867. Goodridge is buried at the Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery.
Legacy
In 2018, a reproduction of the photo studio he operated with his brothers, Wallace and William O., opened within the Goodridge Freedom Center in York, Pennsylvania. In 2021, many of his daguerreotypes were acquired for the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
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- “Glenalvin Goodridge”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
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Cited by Wikipedia
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These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Jezierski, John V. 'Dangerous Opportunity': Glenalvin J. Goodridge and Early Photography in York, Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania History. Penn State University Press. 64. 2, History of Photography in Pennsylvania. Spring 1997.
- 2.Oxford University Press. The Goodridge Brothers: Lumbering's Photographic Historians. Forest & Conservation History. 24. 3. 151. July 1, 1980. 10.2307/4004520.
- 3.Mingus, Scott. Black history month: Eli Grey, Civil War-era barber in York. York Daily Record. February 3, 2015.
- 4.Smithsonian American Art Museum Acquires Extraordinary Early Photography Collection. Fine Books & Collections. August 19, 2021.
- 5.Bacon, Margaret Hope. "One Great Bundle of Humanity": Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825–1911). The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. 113. 1. 23–24. 1989. 20092281.
- 6.Jezierski, John Vincent. Enterprising Images: The Goodridge Brothers, African American Photographers, 1847-1922. Wayne State University Press. 2000. 978-0-8143-2451-6.
- 7.The Library Company of Phil. Library Company of Philadelphia: 2001 Annual Report. 978-1-4223-7313-2.
- 8.McClure, Jim. What York County, Pa.'s Glenalvin Goodridge faced in the Eastern State pen before his pardon. York Daily Record.
- 9.Jezierski, John V. "Dangerous Opportunity": Glenalvin J. Goodridge and Early Photography in York, Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies. 64. 2. 310–332. 1997. 27773993.
- 10.William Goodridge. Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery. May 23, 2005.
- 11.McClure, Jim. Glenalvin Goodridge: 7 things to know about this pioneering African-American photographer. York Daily Record. October 12, 2018.
- 12.D'Souza, Aruna. Smithsonian Acquires Rare Photographs From the First African American Studios. The New York Times. 17 August 2021.
- 13.Parker, Randy. Smithsonian agrees: This Black photographer from York is a national treasure. York Daily Record. August 18, 2021.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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