The Country School of Photography

By Jennie Shurtleff

John W. Doscher was an internationally renowned photographer who lived in South Woodstock and founded a prestigious photography school. He trained both professional commercial photographers and passionate amateurs, offering them a unique opportunity to learn from a master of the craft. Recognized as the "world’s leading pictorialist" by the American Annual of Photography for 1944-45, Doscher accumulated numerous accolades, including serving as a director of the Photographic Society of America and being named a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain.

View of the Country School of Photography in South Woodstock. The white building in the center contained the school’s ten classrooms.

Doscher was born in 1906, the son of Frederick and Marguerite Shepart Doscher. He originally made his living by raising gold fish – 50-80 million of them a year – which were sold to chain stores and  exported to England. He started taking photographs of the fish, and soon realized that he had not only a love of photography, but a talent for it.

Doscher quickly gained recognition, exhibiting his work in salons and later serving as a salon judge, college lecturer, and president of the New York Camera Club. In 1946, he established the Country School of Photography on Tory Hill in South Woodstock, at what had previously been known as the “old Ballard place.” His school attracted photographers from across the globe, eventually welcoming approximately 4,000 students from 26 countries. Many students found lodging in local inns and homes, providing an economic boost to South Woodstock.

Above: Four of the ten rooms that made up the Country School of Photography, which was owned by John W. Doscher.

Vermont Standard, December 28, 1951.

A major setback occurred in 1951 when a devastating fire destroyed the school’s main building and many valuable photographic works, including Doscher’s own. However, he swiftly recovered, reopening the school the following January. He expanded the facility with additional buildings and state-of-the-art darkrooms designed for developing, printing, and dye-transfer color printing. The darkrooms were equipped with the most advanced professional tools of the time, including enlargers ranging from 35mm to eight by ten inches.

Doscher was a firm believer in both technical precision and artistic expression. He emphasized the importance of mastering prescribed techniques and procedures while ensuring creative excellence. A promotional brochure for the school highlighted his philosophy: “In photography, content and quality go hand in hand. Neither is complete without the other. A marvelous subject is often ruined by poor technique, and a poor subject cannot often be saved by the best technique. Here you learn the art, the craft, and the science of photography.”

The brochure also praised Doscher’s “fast and practical methods” for teaching, including his use of sensitometry and densitometry to produce brilliant, high-quality photographs. He developed a unique color control system utilizing a subtractive process, allowing students to both understand the theory and execute techniques effectively. He assured students that his methods would enable them to “see results the morning after the pictures are taken.” His instruction encouraged photographers to dramatize, emphasize, and use color with the same skill and intentionality as an artist using paint.

Bill Emmons, who grew up in the Woodstock area, attended the Country School of Photography around 1969 or 1970. He first enrolled in a short, one-week session that offered a general overview for amateur photographers, and later returned for an extended, semester-long professional course. The classes were taught by John Doscher, or "Mr. D.," as he was affectionately called by his students. Mr. D. offered a mix of lectures, hands-on practice, and critiques where he analyzed each student's work, focusing on elements like composition and exposure. Bill recalled that Doscher’s critiques were not only professional and insightful but also delivered with kindness and respect. When Doscher saw something truly exceptional in a photograph, he would praise it by calling it an "hors d’oeuvre."

Though not as well-known as her husband, Barbara Doscher played an essential role at the school. Barbara, a talented photographer in her own right, had studied at the Country School of Photography, where she met John Doscher, whom she later married. She was responsible for developing the film for the beginner classes and took on various other tasks that helped keep the school running smoothly.

While John Doscher’s personal body of work remains part of his legacy, a significant aspect of his impact lies in the photographers he mentored—and the ripple effect of their teachings. Bill Emmons shared that after completing Doscher's professional course, he and his friend Steve MacAusland, also a former student at the school, embarked on an extended canoe trip to the James Bay region of Quebec. While there, they befriended members of the Cree community whose lives were being affected by the James Bay Project, which involved the construction of a series of hydroelectric power stations. Aware of the environmental impact and the Cree people’s deep connection to the land, Bill and Steve taught several of their new friends how to take photographs and provided them with cameras and darkroom equipment, enabling them to document their community’s traditional ways long after the two photographers had left.

The Country School of Photography, with its cutting-edge curriculum, personalized instruction from a world-class expert, and its picturesque setting, quickly became a premier institution for aspiring photographers. The school played a pivotal role in shaping Woodstock’s reputation, transforming the town into one of the most photographed places in the country. Eager photographers flocked to the school, refining their craft and further establishing Woodstock as both a sought-after destination for artists and a popular vacation spot.