Corbit Studio

By: Mary K. Witkowski, Bridgeport City Historian

Corbit Studio, Photograph property of Bridgeport History Center, Bridgeport Public Library

Lewis Corbit Sr. and later his son Lewis Jr. were responsible for documenting almost a century of Bridgeport history.

Lewis grew up in South Britain, Connecticut, where he worked as a young man in the Spaulding Bicycle shop. He moved to Dover, New Jersey and opened a photography business.

In 1906, Lewis H. Corbit moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut. After opening up photo studios in two other locations, he finally settled on 2 Elm Street. Lewis H. Corbit continued running his photo studio with his family.

This 1934 photograph shows Lewis Corbit, Jr. on the right and the eldest son Lawson Corbit center. The photo studio at 2 Elm Street was crammed with photographs and equipment. Many Bridgeport residents got their picture taken at Corbit’s Studio.

Corbit’s Studio was a presence in Downtown Bridgeport for most of the 20th Century.
Source: Bridgeport History Center, newspaper clipping file,Corbit

Mary Witkowski

Mary K. Witkowski is the former Bridgeport City Historian and the Department Head of the Bridgeport History Center, Emeritus. She is the author of Bridgeport at Work, and the co-author with Bruce Williams of Bridgeport on the Sound. Mary has had a newspaper column in the Bridgeport News, a blog for the Connecticut Post, and a weekly spot on WICC. She continues to be involved in many community based activities and initiatives on local history and historic preservation.