The
historical society is very pleased to have acquired the photographs
of Barclay Combs (1918–1980). Combs was an avid photographer,
documenting much of El Fornio and county environs during his lifetime.
A ball turret gunner in WWII, the lifelong bachelor's work was primarily
commercial but he did find the time to investigate his penchant for
black and white photography and prints. Working out of his Janus Studios,
where nearly every brochure and printed item in the county was designed
during the late 1940s until the 1960s, Combs documented the region
more than any other photographer of his time. [see his "A
Mission Rivisioned."]
While
never achieving the acclaim of his contemporary Ansel Adams, Mr. Combs
is ironically known for the color photograph he took appearing on
the cover of the August, 1976, cover of National
Geographic. Indeed, Barclay Combs is officially known as the "Ansel
Adams of El Fornio, California"™
