Jim “Cookie” Lanthier smiles at his desk at Tupper Arts on Monday with stacks of the thousands of negatives and photos in front of him that comprise the Kathleen Bigrow collection, which Lanthier inherited and subsequently donated to Tupper Arts. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

TUPPER LAKE — Is it possible to fit more than 50 years of town history on a 96-by-30 inch table?

Not entirely. But Jim “Cookie” Lanthier seems to be coming as close as anyone to doing so.

With pictures stacked in orderly piles around a desk in a side office in the basement of Tupper Arts, Lanthier has been working through the prolific collection of negatives and photographs taken by Kathleen Bigrow (1920-2014) — an iconic Tupper Lake and Adirondacks photojournalist.

Her collection, which Lanthier inherited in 2014 and donated to Tupper Arts, chronicled decades of life in Tupper Lake and the Adirondacks, the big moments and the everyday little ones. Lanthier has hosted four “Bigrow shows” previously at Tupper Arts, since 2019. All have seen robust turnout as they harken back to the childhood days for many Tupper Lakers, while offering an interesting and often novel glimpse into the past for visitors and residents alike.

Lanthier — himself an avid and locally well-known photographer who’s often the first, and sometimes only, photojournalist on the scene of a fire, police pursuit or other rapidly-developing important local event — is in the midst of preparing for the art center’s fifth Bigrow show. It’s slated for sometime in May at Tupper Arts, though exact dates and times are to be announced.

This show will have a specific focus on Bigrow’s involvement and contributions to the Fourth Estate. Bigrow was a longtime staff reporter and photojournalist for both the Enterprise for about 25 years and the Tupper Lake Free Press. Her work also appeared in the Syracuse Post Standard and Syracuse Herald American.

“It was said locally that if an event in Tupper Lake wasn’t covered by Bigrow, ‘it probably never happened,'” Lanthier said in a release on the upcoming show.

Getting ready for it has been no small undertaking. Lanthier has spent countless hours at Tupper Arts this year sorting through the collection for the upcoming show, as well as continuing to digitalize Bigrow’s collection for its perpetual preservation. He uses several high-end pieces of digital imaging equipment, such as negative and flatbed scanners, as well as a newly-purchased Epson photo printer to produce enlarged high-resolution “crisp” physical prints for gallery exhibitions.

Lanthier is also heavily involved with the Tupper Lake History Museum. Between the museum and arts center, Lanthier said it’s a lot of volunteer work, but in a small town like Tupper Lake, he’s cognizant of the fact that if it wasn’t for volunteerism, there’d realistically be no way to preserve the community’s history, at least at this scale — and it’s something he loves doing.

Lanthier said one of the most cherished compliments he sometimes receives from Tupper Lakers is that his work, photojournalism and videography — much of which he uploads to his Facebook page “Jim Cookie Lanthier” and Youtube channel @Jameslanthierjr12986 — is that it’s reminiscent of Bigrow’s work and dedication.

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This article is part of a series that will be leading up to the May show, the date(s) and time(s) of which will be announced when they are made available.