Collections

The Florence Gould photograph album primarily contains pictures taken during the Gould family's stay at "Pinelands," their summer home in Topsfield, Massachusetts, in September 1896. The photographs show room interiors, members of the Gould family, and the house and its surroundings. Pictures from May 1897 and April 1902 show the Gould family and scenes in and around a home in the Maplewood neighborhood of Malden, Massachusetts.

The Florence Gould photograph album (22cm x 17cm) contains 110 photographs of the Gould family, mostly taken at "Pinelands," the family's summer home in Topsfield, Massachusetts, in September 1896. Much smaller groups of photographs were taken at the Gould family's home in the Maplewood neighborhood of Malden, Massachusetts, in May 1897, and at an unidentified location on April 19, 1902. The three pictures from 1902 are cyanotypes, and the remaining photographs are primarily silver gelatin prints. Florence Gould presented the album to her brother, George L. Gould, and his family at Christmas in 1896.

The largest group of photographs pertains to the family's life at Pinelands in September 1896, including exterior views of the house and grounds and candid and posed group photographs taken on the home's porch. Various members of the Gould family, particularly Rosamond and Bertram Gould, appear in the pictures, as do some of the family's pets, and at least three photographs show people sleeping. Rosamond Gould is the subject of many photographs, which show her playing with a doll, sitting with her sister Miriam in their shared bedroom at Pinelands, and riding bikes with her brother Bertram near their Maplewood home. The photographer also accompanied Bertram and others on an excursion to a golf course in Topsfield. Members of the family are also pictured riding in a horse-drawn carriage in the mid-1890s and preparing to embark for Topsfield in April 1902. The album also includes many interior views of the Gould family's homes in Topsfield and Malden, including shots of sitting rooms, dining areas, staircases, and bedrooms. One vanity's mirror reflects another mirror sitting across the room, which in turn reflects the first mirror.

This collection is made up of letters that Sheldon T. Viele wrote to his wife and mother while traveling from New York to Rotterdam in August 1888.

This collection is made up of 5 letters (10 pages) that Sheldon T. Viele wrote to his wife (4 items) and mother (1 item) while traveling from New York to Rotterdam between August 2, 1888, and August 9, 1888. He and other members of the Holland Society sailed for Europe on the Netherlands-American Steam Navigation Company ship Amsterdam. Viele wrote about the weather, other travelers, and his activities, including writing and singing songs with his compansions. He he compared the accommodations and service favorably to his experiences on Cunard ships and commented on meals and dinner arrangements; in one letter, he drew a map of the dining saloon (August 2, 1888). Other passengers included a correspondent from the New York Herald. By the date of Viele's final letter, dated August 9, 1888, the Amsterdam had reached the English coast.