Gladys Jeffcoat Collection

Gladys Marie Prevatt Jeffcoat (1925-2012) began her photographic career back in the 1940s. Born and raised in Plant City, Jeffcoat’s fascination with photography started as a teenager. She convinced Myrtle Young, who ran the Hollywood Studio on Reynolds St., to hire her for $1.00 a week and quickly progressed in her education of the photography business. By 1945, Jeffcoat decided to open her own studio, purchasing Kramer Photo Services from Ray Kramer. In 1946, Gladys passed her exam and became one of the few female photographers accepted into the Florida Photographers Association (formed in 1933). New license in hand, Gladys went on to make Arcade Studio a success, becoming the first camera shop and Eastman-Kodak dealership in Plant City. While raising a family, Jeffcoat continued to work intermittently over the following decades.

Jeffcoat served as an official photographer for the Florida Strawberry Festival and The Courier, captured numerous weddings and social events, and photographed the school annuals for Plant City High School, Turkey Creek High School, and Pinecrest High School. She retired in 1990 and left the business to her son Harry Jeffcoat. In 2008, Gladys worked out a contract with the Photo Archives to donate her photographic material and camera collection.