Now On Display In The Key Bank Gallery 

Best Friends, Antique Images of Animals and Their People On display at the Museum from Jan. 11th - April 15th, The White River Valley Museum invites you to enter the sentimental world of animals and their people during the Victorian era with the photographic exhibit "Best Friends: Antique Images of Animals and Their People," on display January 11 through April 15. Documented in the earliest books, paintings and even hieroglyphs, the relationship between people and their furry four-legged family members is one that seems to have been cherished since the dawn of time. It's no wonder, then, that people and their pets were popular subjects during the rise of photography during the Victorian era. "The love of animals connects eras," said Museum Director Patricia Cosgrove. "You may look at a Victorian photograph and marvel at the long skirts, gloves, and waistcoats, but the expressions of pure happiness because the family dog is in the picture resonate with you." Cosgrove criscrossed King County to find 40 images used in the "Best Friends" exhibit. They range from a formal shipboard portrait of a sailing crew and their Newfoundland dog to a pinafored little girl at a tea party attended by her cats. Each picture is partnered with poetry or folk wisdom. If you're wondering where the idea for the exhibit came from, just ask Cosgrove's office mate, Gidget. Trained as a service dog, the loyal border collie delivers mail to museum staff by name.