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Collection

Electric Railway Engineer Photograph Album, ca. 1882-1918

approximately 235 photographs and 1 booklet in 1 album

The Electric railway engineer photograph album consists of approximately 235 photographs and 1 booklet documenting the professional and personal life of an unidentified railway engineer specializing in electric rail line infrastructure.

The Electric railway engineer photograph album consists of approximately 235 photographs and 1 booklet documenting the professional and personal life of an unidentified railway engineer specializing in electric rail line infrastructure.

The album (25.5 x 30.5 cm) has dark green cloth covers with “Photographs” stamped on the front cover. All of the album pages are loose and fairly brittle, but the images are in generally good condition.

The first page contains sixteen signatures from participants in the 30th reunion of the Union College class of 1885. Subsequent photographs include several views of Union College campus, aspects of student life (including dorm room interiors and a group of portraits showing crossdressing men captioned “Minstrels"), and formal portraits of members of the Kappa Alpha Society in the mid-1880s, presumably including some of the attendees at the reunion whose signatures are represented.

The unidentified presumed compiler of the album can be seen in several photographs. He appears to have been an engineer specializing in infrastructure projects for electric-powered rail systems and was active in the early stages of when railroads in the United States were moving towards electrification. Many of the smaller circular photographs found throughout in the album were likely produced by a Kodak No. 2 camera, while larger format prints and cyanotypes are also present.

Contents are arranged chronologically starting with the compiler's student days before focusing on various professional assignments and elements of his personal life. During the ten years following his graduation from Union College the compiler apparently participated in several railroad development projects, mainly in what would become Washington State but also in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Idaho. Photographs from this period of his life include views of survey camps along the Columbia River and other regional waterways, interior and exterior views of the compiler’s home in Tacoma, portraits of his growing family, and snapshots of Klickitat people (including a group portrait of three women picking hops). By 1896 the compiler and his family appear to have moved back east, settling in New Rochelle, New York. Photographs from this period include documentation of projects on intercity lines on Staten Island and other nearby boroughs, a project in upstate New York, and numerous images of friends and family. The Albany and Hudson Railway and Power Company’s new electric train line to various towns between Hudson and Albany required establishing power sources along the route. As a small group of photographs in this album show, this necessitated constructing a dam at Stuyvesant Falls on the Kinderhook Creek which would provide electric power to the rail line and various local businesses. The final pages of the album document the construction of Hudson Park Dock in New Rochelle as well as leisure activities such as the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup auto races and a naval review in Oyster Bay.

A total of 18 loose photographs are included towards the back of the album. Images include a group portrait of Union College students from the 1880s, a studio portrait of a young woman and infant taken in the mid-1890s in Tacoma, and a double exposure of a woman standing next to an automobile in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1918. Also present is a printed pamphlet replete with numerous halftone reproduction images titled “Letter from Mayor Clarke to the Voters of New Rochelle with Pictures of Improvements Under His Administration” which highlights several civic infrastructure projects (including the Hudson Park Dock) undertaken during the tenure of mayor Henry Clarke.

Collection

European vacation photograph album, ca. 1910

1 volume

The European vacation photograph album contains 74 photographs taken throughout Europe ca. 1910. A majority of the photos show various rooms and interior views of an apartment in Rome. Other specific locations include Oxford (England), Subiaco (Italy), Canterbury (England), Füssen (Germany), Weesen (Switzerland), and Glarus (Switzerland).

The European vacation photograph album contains 74 photographs taken throughout Europe ca. 1910. A majority of the photos show various rooms and interior views of an apartment in Rome. Other specific locations include Oxford (England), Subiaco (Italy), Canterbury (England), Fussen (Germany), Weesen (Switzerland), and Glarus (Switzerland).

The first 50 photos housed in the album consist primarily of interior views of the apartment. Handwritten notes provide general descriptions of the view (e.g. "looking from salon through little room where the books are into the salottino"). One specific piece of furniture mentioned is a credenza; which, according to the note, came from the British Embassy. Also included are images of a garden terrace (covered in snow), rooftop cityscape views of Rome, and three individuals (man, woman, and maid). The woman, likely the creator of the album, is referred to as Mable and the maid as Livie. In addition, there is one photo of the Holywell Ford House at Magdalen College, Oxford.

The remaining 24 photos are loose and housed in an envelope. These images show scenes of traveling and sightseeing throughout Europe. Specific sites include the House of Agnes in Canterbury, Sacro Speco in Subiaco, and downtown views of Weesen and Füssen. Of particular note is a photo of a pile of empty fiaschi. The handwritten notation on the back reads "This is our pile of empty wine flasks. I don't belong to the WCTU."

The album is 20.5 x 15 cm with black cloth covers.

Collection

Family and Travel Photograph Album, 1890s?

approximately 120 photographs in 1 album

The Family and travel photograph album contains approximately 120 commercial and amateur photographs primarily showing a couple and their two young children.

The Family and travel photograph album contains approximately 120 commercial and amateur photographs primarily showing a couple and their two young children.

The album (18.5 x 28 cm) features photographs of the unidentified couple and an their children at home, visiting friends, and on trips to the shore. Also included are photographs of stately homes and several childrens' parties, with one group of children holding hoops and sticks. Commercial photographs include a view of Washington, D.C. from the Capitol dome; the U.S. Capitol building; the Statue of Liberty; the former Treasury building on Wall Street in New York City; the Brooklyn Bridge; Carpenters' Hall; the S.S. Teutonic; and a nearly completed Philadelphia City Hall.

Collection

Galveston, Texas photograph album, ca. 1908

1 volume

The Galveston, Texas photograph album contains 33 photographs, the majority of which depict Galveston, Texas ca. 1908.

The Galveston, Texas photograph album contains 33 photographs, the majority of which depict Galveston, Texas ca. 1908. Included are cyanotypes, albumen prints, and postcard photo prints. Photographs consist of a railroad crossing tower, railroad station, trestle bridge, freight and passenger steamers, downtown street views, family photographs, grandstands, earth embankments, buildings under construction, and Galveston's seawall and grade raising project. Amusement/water parks shown include Electric Park (Galveston, Texas), Chutes Park (Galveston, Texas), and Lake Cliff Park (Dallas, Texas).

The album is 19 x 14.5 cm with brown paper covers. A cyanotype of an unidentified building is pasted to the front cover.

Collection

Gloversville, New York photograph album, ca. 1905

1 volume

The Gloversville, New York photograph album contains 100 photographs taken in Gloversville, New York, and the surrounding area ca. 1905.

The Gloversville, New York photograph album contains 100 photographs taken in Gloversville, New York, and the surrounding area ca. 1905. The first portion of the album consists of natural landscape and scenic cyanotypes. Also included are photographs of a flood, street-railroad cars, city street views, a photographer's studio, children, a farm, dogs, a drugstore, and a soda fountain. The last few pages of the album contain 60 small portraits.

The album is 20 x 14.5 cm with black cloth covers.

Collection

Grenfell, Saskatchewan snapshot photograph album, ca. 1890-ca. 1910

1 volume

The Grenfell, Saskatchewan snapshot album (22.25 x 15.25 cm) contains 26 unidentified snapshot photographs and 1 index sheet. The contents are of landscapes, First Nations people and their campsites, village buildings, livestock, townspeople, and a locomotive.

The Grenfell, Saskatchewan snapshot album (22.25 x 15.25 cm) contains 26 snapshots and 1 index sheet. The title printed on the front cover reads "Scenes by the Way." The contents are of landscapes, First Nations people and their campsites, village buildings, livestock, townspeople, and a locomotive. A note written on the inside front cover indicates that this was a Christmas gift to a cousin, and a note below this includes information about the Grenfell railroad station. An index of captions is loose in an envelope within the album. The identified subjects in the album are referred to by their first names.

Collection

Haverhill, Mass. photograph album, ca. 1900-1910

1 volume

The Haverhill, Mass. photograph album (15 x 19 cm) contains 92 amateur photoprints (cyanotypes and gelatin silver prints) mainly consisting of photos taken at a home on North Street, Haverhill, Massachusetts as well as family photos, pet pictures and winter scenes taken around Haverhill, Captain's Pond in Salem, New Hampshire, and other locations around southern New Hampshire.

The Haverhill, Mass. photograph album (15 x 19 cm) contains 92 amateur photoprints (cyanotypes and gelatin silver prints), including photos taken at a home on North Street, Haverhill, Massachusetts, "camp" at Captain's Pond in Salem, New Hampshire, and scenes from several other locations in southern New Hampshire. There are numerous photographs of exterior and interior views of houses, pets and farm animals (cats, dogs, geese, cows and horses) as well as a number of winter scenes, candid shots of women swimming and family groups, including images of a women's outdoor tea party and a child with a dog.

The album has a pebbled black leather cover and is housed in a light grey wrapper with a blue cloth spine.

Collection

Midwest Family Photograph Album, 1900s-1920s

approximately 275 photographs in 1 volume

The Midwest family photograph album contains approximately 275 photographs related to the life and family of an unidentified World War I serviceman likely from Indiana.

The Midwest family photograph album contains approximately 275 photographs related to the life and family of an unidentified World War I serviceman likely from Indiana. The album (26 x 18.5 cm) has black cloth covers with "Photographs" embossed in gold on the front. Images of interest include views related to an unidentified high school including classrooms, the basketball team, young women sewing in a classroom, the sophmore quartet, physics class, and a band at practice; views of soldiers in uniform shown beside army tents and barracks; the Waters Concert Band from Elkhart, Indiana; a woman holding a House of David flag; and many posed group and individual portraits, mostly taken on a farm or in other rural areas. One portrait photograph shows a young woman holding a camera bearing the caption on the verso: Mabel Devor. Several photographs show a man in a naval uniform aboard a ship, including a group portrait of a naval crew. A picture postcard of a young man's studio portrait is addressed to Mabel Devor, Salamonia, Indiana.

Collection

Mildred Drury photograph album, ca. 1910

1 volume

The Mildred Drury photograph album contains 175 photographs of young men and women taken while traveling throughout Europe and the United States ca. 1910.

The Mildred Drury photograph album contains 175 photographs of young men and women taken while traveling throughout Europe and the United States ca. 1910. The images consist primarily of informal snapshots of family, friends, and travel. There are no captions or notations beyond an inscription on the front inside cover which reads, "Mildred W Drury."

The first pages of the album include photographs taken in New York City. On a few of these pages, Columbia University's Low Memorial Library can be seen. On page 15, a woman sculpting a bust and a sculptor's studio are shown. The next few pages show various views from the grounds of Château de Versailles. In particular, Hameau de la Reine can be seen in the background on page 20. Also taken in France, photographs on pages 68 through 70 show views from the Eiffel Tower. On page 21 are photographs of Ely Cathedral. The next series of photographs were likely taken in the Netherlands. Images show canals, canal boats, towpaths, and traditional dress and architecture of the region. Following, are five pages of the Alps, traveling through the mountains, and hotels. Photographs on pages 48 through 52 were taken in Italy and show Amalfi, Amalfi Drive (Strada Statale 163), Piazza San Marco, gondolas, and women doing laundry. The last portion of the album includes photographs likely taken in the United States. These photographs show family gatherings, snowshoeing, golfing, and canoeing.

The album is 20.25 x 14.75 cm with green cloth covers.

Collection

Smith College, Hampton, Va., area and Connecticut photographs, 1890-1896

1 volume

The Smith College, Hampton, Va., area and Connecticut photographs consist of approximately 300 photographs in 1 album and 1 folder. Images include photographs of Smith College as well as scenes from Connecticut and southeastern Virginia.

The Smith College, Hampton, Va., area and Connecticut photographs consist of approximately 300 photographs in 1 album and 1 folder. Images include photographs of Smith College as well as scenes from Connecticut and southeastern Virginia. Smith College photographs include dorm room interiors, women on campus, and a college basketball game. Connecticut scenes show a Connecticut River ferry, women boating and swimming in Bantam Lake, and St. Margaret's School in Waterbury, Connecticut. Also depicted are buildings at Hampton Institute in Virginia, a variety of boats and warships, likely on the Chesapeake Bay, winter fishing, "oyster canoes" (skipjacks) and men unloading crabs at the factory. Other Virginia photographs show buildings in pre-restoration Williamsburg and rural life, possibly in the Williamsburg area, with rundown shacks, African Americans, ox-drawn carts, and a group of African American school children. Views from unidentified locales include rural scenes, streams and country roads, beaches, dwellings, family life photos with children in a variety of settings, posed Grecian tableaux, and a studio portrait of a man dressed in Native American clothing holding a la crosse ball and stick. Additional photographs include Jamestown church ruins, Deerfield Memorial Hall with several interior views, 7 photographs of interior rooms in an unidentified house, and canal views, possibly of the Dismal Swamp Canal.

Identified individuals include: Grace Collins Lathrop, Sue Boss, Sue Gardner, Alice Bishop, Fanny Coit, Emma Kelsey, Arthur Eggleston, Percy Eggleston, Henrietta Spear, Nellie Spear, Theodate Pope, Ethel Fiefield, and Mary Lewis.

The album is half bound in burgundy leather and is stored in a three part wrap with green cloth spine