Train entering Cowee Tunnel Just Below Dillsboro, N.C.

Abstract

George Dexter Sherrill (1879–1931) was a commercial photographer in the first decades of the 20th century. Born in Dillsboro, North Carolina, Sherrill was related through marriage to glass-plate photographer, A.L. Ensley, a noted area portrait photographer. While still a child, Sherrill learned the mechanics of photography from Ensley and, later, put his skills to use. In 1902 Sherrill opened Sherrill’s Art Studio in Waynesville, where he produced images reproduced on postcards, did photo-finishing, and sold Eastman Kodak photo supplies. His work focused on local landmarks and genre scenes, rather than mountain landscapes that were so popular at the time. Except for a short time in the early 1920s when Sherrill opened a studio in Asheville, he lived and worked in his studio in Waynesville until his death in 1931