Photos from the Key West Museum offer a rare glimpse into life in the Keys at a pivotal moment in their history

A new treasure trove of photographs from a crucial period in the development of the Florida Keys is now seen for the first time at the Custom House Museum in Key West.

The photos were taken by a man named AV Rabenau around 1909-1911 – just as the overseas railway that connected the Keys to the mainland was nearing completion. The Key West Art & Historical Society acquired the glass plate negatives from a private collector last year and are now showing prints of the images.

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The images are of remarkable quality, although the photographer remains a mystery. Curator Cori Convertito said she searched photo archives and academics, as well as genealogy sites, to no avail.

The images include portraits of workers and residents of Pigeon Key, the island around the Old Seven Mile Bridge that served as the headquarters for the construction of the railroad. And there are pictures of people in Key West – a young girl reading a book on a porch, two men sitting on a tree branch.

Convertito said that while there are many images of the construction of the railroad, few of them focus on the people involved.

“We hear about the railroad and everyone is talking about nuts and bolts,” she said. “They never talk about people.

But in addition to engineers and laborers, the construction of the overseas railway required teachers, bakers, and doctors.

“Without these people, this railway would not exist,” Convertito said. “Food is important. Well-being is important.”

The exhibit is open until September 12 at the Custom House Company Museum in Key West.