From 1897 to 1963, L. L. McAllister worked as a professional photographer in Burlington, Vermont. Styling himself as a "Photo Artist" rather than a photographer, he took some of the most memorable Vermont photographs of the first half of the 20th century. His bread-and-butter was pictures of large groups of people, taken with his panoramic camera. This camera had a wide-angle lens, and he made it even wider by taking several shots side-by-side on the same print. The result was long, narrow pictures that captured almost the entire field of vision.

While group photographs paid the bills, McAllister often took his panoramic camera out on his own and took pictures of the local Vermont landscape, both city and field alike. These photographs stand as both a historical document and an artistic statement. The degree of vision allowed by the panoramic photographs gives the viewer a real sense of the place and time. The panoramic process didn't allow for much movement- McAllister chose subject matter that was very static, but he countered this stiffness with his quirky sense of style and choice of subject matter.

As an amateur (and quite amateurish) photographer who grew up in the same town McAllister worked in, his photographs are an influence when it comes to the kinds of stuff I post to this website, which is why my own attempts at panoramics can be found under the title The Legacy of McAllister.