The Man Behind One of My Favorite Toledo Photographs

This is one of my all-time favorite photographs of Toledo’s newsboys. Look at that long line of caps, coats, and curious faces stretching down the sidewalk. Some boys stand solemnly for the camera; others can barely contain a grin. More than a century later, those individual personalities still come through.

Behind the camera was William V. Van Loo (1856–1913), whose own story reflects the ambition and energy of the city he photographed.

Born in Cleveland, Van Loo moved to Toledo with his family in 1864. He left school at fourteen and worked as a salesman before joining Yost Brothers, a sign and landscape company. There, he developed his sketching and drawing skills and later studied portraiture with Professor Thompson of the Philadelphia Art School.

Van Loo began his photography career in 1873 and trained in Chicago. In 1876, he returned to Toledo and purchased a struggling photography studio. He turned it into a remarkable success: by 1882, his gallery produced an average of 400 prints a day and became Toledo's largest studio.

His studio stood at 183 Summit Street. In 1888, he partnered with fellow photographer Frederick J. Trost to form Van Loo and Trost. Beyond his photography work, Van Loo was also active in Toledo’s Masonic community.

But it’s photographs like this one that make me appreciate his legacy most. The studio’s production figures tell us how successful he was. These faces remind us why his work still matters.