Charles W. Miner

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Charles Winslow Miner (January 26, 1866 – May 22, 1912) was a well-known photographer from Fort Wayne, Indiana. He made his name with studio portraits and photographs of local landmarks in Allen County.

He was born in Columbia City, Indiana, to Simon P. and Melissa Miner. He became interested in photography early and trained with Levi Monroe "Roe" Jones, a respected local photographer. Miner traveled as a photographer when he was a teenager and even worked in Canada before moving to Fort Wayne around 1887.

In Fort Wayne, Miner first worked in the studio of Felix Schanz. In 1893 he started Miner and Dexter Studio with William G. Dexter, later buying out his partner and running his own studio. He moved his business several times and eventually set up in the West Wayne Street area, where he renamed the business Miner's Studio in 1909. His work included prominent portraits and photographs of Fort Wayne’s architecture, and his images helped promote the city’s business and growth.

Miner married Mary S. Criswell in 1905, and the couple had two daughters, Sarah and Mildred. He suffered a serious asthma attack in 1911 and died at his Fort Wayne home in 1912 at age 46. His wife Mary continued the studio with help from Estella Miner, a cousin, and John D. Albrecht. After Mary’s death in 1913, photographer Henry Yoshinobu Ozaki, who had worked for Miner, took over the business in 1917 and kept the studio at the same location for a few more years.

Miner’s photographs are held by the Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society and the Indiana Historical Society. The Indiana Historical Society even recreated the interior of Miner's Studio for a 1904-era exhibit.