Topping a tree with dynamite for use as a spar tree at a loading operation, Washington, 1920 (KINSEY 2752)

Darius Kinsey was a renowned American photographer, best known for his images of the logging industry in the Pacific Northwest in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Missouri in 1869, Kinsey moved to Seattle in 1893 and began working as a photographer. He soon developed an interest in documenting the logging industry, which was a major economic force in the region at the time. Kinsey's photographs of lumber camps, sawmills and logging operations were highly detailed and often captured the dangerous and physically demanding nature of the work. He also documented the massive trees being felled, often several hundred years old and several metres in diameter. Kinsey's photographs were widely used by the logging industry to promote their products and services, and also became popular with historians and environmentalists. His work was exhibited at the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle and the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. Despite his success, Kinsey struggled financially throughout his career and was forced to sell his photographic plates to support himself. He died in 1945, but his legacy lives on through his photographs, which continue to be studied and admired for their historical and artistic value.