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Niki Butcher's art breathes new life into a nearly forgotten art form.

The iconic black-and-white landscape photography of Clyde Butcher is well known, but the hand-colored photos created by his wife, Niki, aren’t as familiar to most people. For a short time, visitors to Southwest Florida have a rare chance to experience the couple’s artistry in a brand-new way, as 36 of their photos are being shown side by side. The debut exhibit, “Historic Florida Architecture and American Landscape," is on display at the Southwest Florida Museum of History in downtown Fort Myers through the end of October.

The Southwest Florida-based artists draw inspiration from their home state as well as from natural and cultural wonders across the country. Among the photos by Clyde Butcher are a dozen landscapes from his “America the Beautiful" collection, including photos taken in Yosemite National Park in California and Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

Niki Butcher brings to the exhibit more than a dozen hand-colored black-and-white photos of Florida architecture in a style popularized in the 1920s and ‘30s. Before color photography was invented, painting black-and-white photos was a popular artistic technique. After seeing historic buildings being torn down, Niki felt compelled to photographically record some of Florida’s unique architecture.

The exhibit will include videos showing their work and methods, as well as an exclusive display of one of Clyde’s trademark Deardorff cameras. Niki’s art tools will be displayed so museum patrons can understand the hand-coloring process. “I delight in the idea that I’ve revived a photographic technique that once was popular, but now is nearly forgotten," she said.

The Southwest Florida Museum of History is located at 2031 Jackson St., in downtown Fort Myers. For more information about the museum, visit www.swflmuseumofhistory.com.

Last modified on Oct 01, 2009

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