Search

The Al Parker collection includes three envelopes of photographs, sheet music, and newspaper clippings as well as a scrapbook relating to the professional and personal life of Philadelphia-based photographer and photographic supplies salesman Alfred Parker.

The Al Parker collection includes three envelopes of photographs, sheet music, and newspaper clippings as well as a scrapbook relating to the professional and personal life of Philadelphia-based photographer and photographic supplies salesman Alfred Parker.

Envelope A (photographs): includes unmounted oval portraits of Parker’s children Eda and Ray from the early 1900s; studio portraits of Eda and his wife Alice from the 1910s, two of them from the Philadelphia studio of Gilbert and Bacon; an mounted school class photo (ca. 1890s?)

Envelope B (sheet music): includes three examples of World War I songs from the Eagle Publishing Company of Philadelphia with "music by Geo. L. Robertson and lyrics by Al. Parker."

Envelope C (letters, clippings, etc.): includes a letter appointing Dr. Ray Parker head of plastic surgery at a hospital in Johnstown, PA; a magazine article on “Flood Free Johnstown”; letters and clippings about Dr. Ray Parker; article on World War II factory workers; newspaper article on Theodore Roosevelt urging U.S. entry into World War I; and a note from Christmas 1926 from Parker’s grandson Donald addressed to “Ganco."

Scrapbook: The volume (37 x 28) is cloth-bound and has 66 pages total. Materials are not arranged in any chronological or thematic order and so unrelated items often appear together on the same page.

The album begins with photographs of Parker’s family members while the next few pages focus on scenes from his professional life, including a magazine cover from April 1900 and documentation of his break with Willis & Clements in 1910. Portraits of Parker at every stage of his life appear throughout the scrapbook, though not in any chronological order. The earliest is a tintype from the 1850s that shows him as a young boy with his brothers. Many portraits and casual snapshots of Parker's daughter Eda and son Ray from their early childhood into adulthood are included, while a collection of clippings reflects Parker’s pride in Ray's success as a doctor. His delight in playing the doting grandfather is clear from the drawings Parker made for Eda’s son Donald and in the notes that Donald wrote to Parker using the nickname “Ganco.”

A handful of portraits that were taken by Parker show that he was a capable studio photographer in addition to being a successful promoter of platinum photography products while working for Willis & Clements. Requests for his opinions from Eastman Kodak Company, Photo Era magazine, and the Photographers’ Association of New England testify to his recognized expertise. Numerous portraits of Parker in the company of other well-regarded photographers of the day confirm his acceptance in that professional circle.

Many ephemeral items also help illuminate the arc of Parker's career including programs from his minstrel show days; an advertisement for his Australian window blind company; the initial offer of employment from Willis and Clements; business cards from various stages of his career; and an ad for a new camera shutter he invented. Interspersed amongst these items are letters and photographs from various colleagues and employers along with miscellaneous poems, cartoons, programs, drawings, song lyrics, newspaper clippings, and so on.

The Tyler-Montgomery-Scott family album chronicles multiple generations of the Tyler, Montgomery, and Scott families of the Philadelphia area from the 1860s through the 1930s. It includes approximately 275 items including studio portrait photographs, informal snapshots, newspaper clippings, postcards, letters, and other ephemera.

The Tyler-Montgomery-Scott family album chronicles multiple generations of the Tyler, Montgomery, and Scott families of the Philadelphia area from the 1860s through the 1930s. It includes approximately 275 items including studio portrait photographs, informal snapshots, newspaper clippings, postcards, letters, and other ephemera.

The album (33 x 25.5 cm) is string-bound with grey cloth covers. Most photographs in the album have detailed handwritten captions identifying people, often with their middle or maiden names as well as the location and date. The presentation of the album is not strictly chronological, especially in the latter half. The early generations of Tylers are represented in photographic formats such as cartes-de-visite, tintypes and cabinet cards, while later generations are represented in snapshots and postcards. When the album reaches the mid-twentieth century, it begins to resemble the modern family album with various forms of ephemera (newspaper clippings, drawings, letters, Christmas cards, etc.) supplementing the photographs of family and friends.

The album begins with a portrait of Frederick Tyler, his daughter Sarah Sophia Cowen, granddaughter Kate “Gwen” Cowen Pratt, and great-granddaughter Kate Pratt. George F. and Louisa R. Tyler as well as their children (including Sidney F. and Helen Beach Tyler) are also featured in the initial section of the album, along with many extended family members, friends, nurses, and pets. Among the family friends pictured are painter Frederick Church, writer Bret Harte, Leonor Ruiz de Apodaca y Garcia-Tienza, Gen. William Buel Franklin, patent lawyer and historian Woodbury Lowery, and the Duke and Duchess of Arcos (Jose Ambrosio Brunetti and Virginia Woodbury Lowery Brunetti). Several interior views of rooms in George F. and Louisa R. Tyler’s home on 201 South 15th St. taken in 1896 are also present, including a photograph of the “Children’s play room” that features their granddaughter Hope Binney Tyler Montgomery holding a doll. Hope, her parents Mary W. and Sidney F. Tyler, her husband Robert “Bob” L. Montgomery, and their children Mary, Ives, and Alexander are well-represented in the album.

Of particular interest are a number of photographs in different sections of the album that depict Theodore Roosevelt and his family. Some of these images are formal studio portraits, while others are more candid snapshots of Roosevelt with other people. One snapshot shows the family at play on the grounds of Sagamore Hill in 1897. Two photos taken at the White House including Helen Beach Tyler, daughter of George F. and Louisa R. Tyler and second cousin to Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt, are labelled “taken by Ted Roosevelt,” possibly referring to President Roosevelt’s son Theodore Roosevelt III. Helen Beach Tyler may be the “Nellie” who was the recipient of a partial letter included in the album which describes conditions at a wartime hospital (most likely in Italy) in 1915. Only the first two pages of this letter are included, and there is no indication of the identity of the writer. Helen Beach Tyler may also have been the principal compiler of this album. Supporting this possibility is the presence of an interior view of a bedroom at 201 South 15th St. (George F. and Louisa R. Tyler’s home) captioned as “Mother’s bedroom,” a signed portrait of Englishman Lytton Sothern captioned “Given to me by Mr. Sothern June 1872. Mr. Edward Sothern & his son Lytton Sothern sat at our table on ‘Oceanic’ my first trip to Europe,” and a portrait of Sara Schott von Schottenstein, Baronin von Prittwitz-Gaffron, bearing the inscription “to her friend Helen Tyler 1880.”

Other items of interest include portraits of Col. August Cleveland Tyler; several portraits of Brig. Gen. Robert Ogden Tyler; a portrait of French pianist Antoine Marmontel captioned “Mr. Marmontel Professor au Conservatoire gave us music lessons in Paris 1873-74”; a group portrait of Helen Beach Tyler, Mary L. Tyler, Alice Seward, Kitty Seward, and Ida Vinton posing with a silhouette of Sidney F. Tyler; photographs of painted portraits of George F. Tyler and Hope Binney Tyler Montgomery; a series of photos taken at the Spanish Embassy in Mexico City, some of which include the Duke and Duchess of Arcos, Woodbury Lowery, and Archibald Lowery; portraits of the Prittwitz-Gaffron family in Germany; photos taken around the world in various locations including Egypt, India, Germany, and Italy; images taken during an exhibition of sculpture by Stella Elkins Tyler (wife of George Frederick Tyler, Jr.), as well as a program from the event; and photos showing the family of Helen Hope and Edgar Scott.

Glimpses of Loma Land contains 16 photographs related to the Theosophical community of Lomaland established in the year 1900 by Katherine Tingley in Point Loma, California.

Glimpses of Loma Land contains 16 photographs related to the Theosophical community of Lomaland established in the year 1900 by Katherine Tingley in Point Loma, California. The album (37 x 30 cm) is string-bound and has brown leather covers with the words "Glimpses of Loma Land" sylistically illustrated on the front. All of the photographs are supplied with manuscript captions that are often accompanied by elaborate illustrations and/or quotes from Tingley.

The first page bears the inscribed Theosophical motto "There is no Religion higher than truth", while an inscription on the second page reads: "The Universal Brotherhood Organized by Katherine Tingley for the benefit of the people of the earth and all creatures Among the various Departments are the Theosophical Society The Isis League of Music and Drama and the International Brotherhood League The international headquarters are at Point Loma California." The photographs begin on the third page. Images in order of appearance include a half-length portrait of Katherine Tingley in profile accompanied by an exalting inscription; the "Aryan Temple" built by Tingley in memory of "H. P. Blavatsky" and "W. Q. Judge"; a group portrait of some of Tingley's female students; a group of "Cuban boys of the Raja Yoga School" picking flowers to be used during a celebration of the arrival of 11 Cuban children described as having been previously "imprisoned at Ellis Island by the Gerry Society"; a group of American and Cuban girls "of the Raja Yoga School"; a man dressed as George Washington for "one of the character studies in the historical drama given by the Raja Yoga students"; a group portrait including "Emilio Bacardi - Mayor of Santiago de Cuba" (a personal acquaintance of Tingley's who took part in the inspection of Lomaland during the Cuban children controversy) and "Daniel Faiardo Ortiz - Editor of 'El Cubano Libre' - Santiago de Cuba" posing with students of Tingley at the "Loma Homestead"; a photograph of a Theosophical painting by Lomaland pupil A. Markell entitled "The Path"; three of the "Eleven Cuban Children" that have "become famous through the persecution of Katherine Tingley By the Gerry Society"; four Cuban girls at the Raja Yoga School "Receiving instructions in the Department of Silk Industry"; the Raja Yoga Chorus assembled for a performance; a daily calisthenics course; a group of "Comrades and Students Near One of the Ideal Homes"; the "Great Amphitheatre," the first of its kind in the United States; the "Egyptian Gate" which served as an "Entrance to the School of Antiquity"; the "Entrance to the caves of Loma Shore"; and a group portrait of several young girls at a dining table captioned "Tiny Lotus Buds - Some of the little Homemakers of the Raja Yoga School."

The King's Own Borderers photograph album is a 54 page, 23.4 x 15.5 cm embossed leather bound album containing portrait photographs of individuals and groups associated with the Stoney family and the British army's 25th Regiment of Foot known as The King's Own Borderers. The images are cartes de visite, with some larger albumen prints and tintypes interspersed. The album contains a wide variety of other visual materials including photographic prints of artwork, pen and ink drawings, calligraphy, newspaper clippings, printed cartoons, and greeting cards. The cover of the album is inscribed "G. Ormond Stoney/King's Own Borderers/5th July 1864." The album appears to have evolved over time in several different stages.

The King's Own Borderers photograph album is a 54 page, 23.4 x 15.5 cm embossed leather bound album containing portrait photographs of individuals and groups associated with the Stoney family and the British Army's 25th Regiment of Foot known as The King's Own Borderers. The images are largely cartes de visite, with albumen prints and tintypes interspersed. The cover of the album is inscribed "G. Ormond Stoney/King's Own Borderers/5th July 1864." The album contains a wide variety of other visual materials including photographic prints of artwork, pen and ink drawings, calligraphy, newspaper clippings, printed cartoons, and greeting cards. The album appears to have had at least three different stages of construction. The first as a traditional 1860s carte de visite photograph album kept by its namesake G. Ormond Stoney (hereafter referred to as Ormond) comprised of photographs of family members interspersed with related newspaper clippings.

The album appears to have been revised with significant additions in the 1870s-1880s, including more photographs of family members as well as commercial photographic prints. The majority of those represented were army officers, with Anglican priests and politicians; many being contemporaries and associates of Ormond's father, George Butler Stoney (1819-1899). Clipped autographs of many are included beneath the photos and appear to be from correspondence to George Butler Stoney.

Various clues to point to Ormond Stoney's sister Jane (Janie) Stoney Smith as a contributor to the album. Not only is she frequently represented in the album, but the album has several pictures of her husband Arthur Smith and his family--many more so than any other family that married into the Stoney family. Arthur and Janie married on September 19, 1867--the same date on the autograph posted under Arthur's picture. Arthur died in 1870 leaving Janie a pregnant widow with a young son, Herbert (see p.24 for his portrait), and an even younger daughter, Ethel Maud. Newspaper clippings around the portrait of Arthur on p.13 mention his death as well as the birth of Herbert and Ethel, though not of Florence, the youngest daughter. Although Jane's two daughters are not represented in the album, on page 44 it appears that at one point a photograph of both of her daughters was extant.

While Jane's younger sister Wilhelmina married Colin McKenzie Smith, another son of William Smith, she did not do so until 1889. The focus on Janie's husband Arthur and their children, suggests Jane rather than Wilhelmina as a significant contributor to the album.

George Ormond's wife Meylia has not been identified in the album and may not be present, however, her father, Sinclair Laing is represented. Laing appears to have been a correspondent with George Butler Stoney.

At some later date, likely in the late 19th century, decorative gold painted borders were added, along with chromolithograph stickers, known as "scraps." These include a series illustrating Robinson Crusoe. Unlike the earlier additions which point to Janie Smith, these later additions might have been the work of a child playing with what would have been a 30 year old album. The gold paint overlapping earlier items (see p. 28 for example) suggests a later date, as do the "scraps" made popular after 1880. The seemingly random nature of the placement of the "scraps" is quite the opposite of the carefully placed and planned addition probably done by Janie Smith.

Of the children represented in the album, three of them would be killed in World War One: Thomas Ramsay Stoney (1882-1918), George Butler Stoney (1877-1915), and Herbert Stoney Smith (1868-1915).

• Two group portraits of young men in military uniform, presumably with George Ormond present in both photographs (p.2, and back inside cover).
• A portrait of a dog that if viewed from another angle appears to be an individual with a disfigured face (p.7).
• A commercial carte de visite of a Zulu warrior identified as King Cetewayo (likely incorrect, the chief of the Matabele) (p.41).
• A portrait of Napoleon, Prince Imperial, in his military uniform ca. 1879 before he died in the service of the British Army during the Anglo-Zulu War (p.40).
• A print of Rosturk Castle in County Mayo, Ireland (p.47).
• A retouched portrait of a dog posed with a military hat, cane and pipe. (p.23).
• An 1873 program for an "evening reading" of two different farces, "Little Toddlekins," and "The Dead Shot," done to raise money for Mrs. Palmer, the retiring battalion nurse (p.53). On the outside of the program is a print of Portland House, a manor owned by members of the Stoney family.

The Paul A. Meunier photograph albums consist of three large volumes documenting the experiences of the U.S. Army 941st Engineering Aviation Topographical Battalion during World War II including basic training in the United States in 1942, assignments in Tunisia and Italy, and the journey home via the Pacific following the conclusion of the war.

The Paul A. Meunier photograph albums consist of three large volumes documenting the experiences of the U.S. Army 941st Engineering Aviation Topographical Battalion during World War II including basic training in the United States in 1942, assignments in Tunisia and Italy, and the journey home via the Pacific following the conclusion of the war.

All three albums in the collection are 46 x 57 cm in size and have black covers and black paper pages. Each album contains approximately 1,000 photographs. Being a professional artist, Meunier’s attention to detail and exactness is evidenced by the presence of faint framing lines an inch from page margins, with photos carefully arranged within the frames. Numerous captions are present in white ink and neatly printed in appropriate size. Since the three albums present in this collection are titled “Volume 3,” “Volume 4,” and “Volume 5,” it is presumed that Meunier likely produced at least five albums total. Both official photographs as well as personal snapshots taken by Meunier himself are included.

Album A ("Volume 3"): This album documents Meunier’s military service starting from June 1942 when he departed Cleveland for basic training, initial U.S. deployments, his assignment to Tunisia, and his unit’s journey across the Mediterranean Sea to Italy in December 1943. Many snapshot views of street scenes in Tunis and other places in North African Meunier explored while on leave as well as copies of official U.S. Army photographs recording visits to Tunis in 1943 by high-ranking U.S. officials (including Secretary of War Henry Stimson and Generals Eisenhower and Spaatz) are present.

Album B ("Volume 4"): This album documents the transfer of Meunier’s unit to San Severo, Italy. Images of particular interest show the unit working on the production of large-scale lithographically produced bird’s-eye view maps with designated bombing targets charted out. Visits while on leave to Naples, Capri, and Amalfi are also thoroughly represented. Also present is a hand-drawn map of the streets of San Severo and an annotated aerial view of Capri.

Album C ("Volume 5"): This album includes official photos of airborne fighter planes and bombers, aerial views of target sites, and artwork by a fellow soldier. Meunier’s snapshots show soldiers at work as well as on tourist visits to famous Italian sites such as Rome, Florence, Pisa, and Pompeii. Although materials are not arranged in strict chronological order, this volume covers a period of time from when Meunier’s company was headquartered in Bari in mid-1944 to his journey home by ship through the Panama Canal in mid-1945. Also present are a handful of views of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 1944.

The Weld-Grimké family album is a 12.5 x 16 cm bound cartes de visite photograph album with some tintypes and gem tintypes interspersed. The album has a brown leather cover with gilt clasps. The photographs all appear to date from the 1860s to the 1870s but there is no precise date for individual photographs listed. The album has a printed title page that reads "Photographs/Boston/Roberts Brothers." The album is 50 pages with each page containing a single slot for a photograph, though some pages have multiple photographs tucked into the same slot. The photographs are almost all studio portraiture. While some of the individuals in the album have been identified (including Theodore D. Weld) the vast majority are unidentified.

The Weld-Grimké Family Album is a 12.5 x 16 cm bound cartes de visite photograph album with some tintypes and gem tintypes interspersed. The album has a brown leather cover with gilt clasps. The photographs all appear to date from the 1860s to the 1870s but there is no precise date for individual photographs listed. The album has a printed title page that reads "Photographs/Boston/Roberts Brothers." The album is 50 pages with each page containing a single slot for a photograph, though some pages have multiple photographs tucked into the same slot. There are 52 photographs in the album, 46 of which are cartes de visite. There are also 6 tintypes, 2 of which are gem tintypes. The photographs are almost all studio portraiture of individuals ranging from infanthood to old age. One exception to this is a photograph of a satirical drawing of an unidentified individual playing some sort of instrument (loose photograph on page 49). Some of the individuals in the album have been tentatively identified with the majority unidentified. One photograph (on page 24) has been speculated to be a portrait of Charlotte Brown, an African-American servant of the Weld-Grimké family, but this has not been confirmed.

• Theodore Dwight Weld (page 1, page 20)
• William Hamilton (page 4)
• Sarah Weld Hamilton (page 5)
• Angelina G. Hamilton (page 6)
• William Hamilton Jr. (page 7)
• Llewellyn Haskell (page 9)
• Llewellyn Thomas Haskell (page 12)
• Louis Olcott Haskell (page 13)
• Elizabeth "Lizzie" Cram (page 21)
• William James Rolfe (page 22)
• Theodore Weld Parmele (page 27, page 34)
• Elizabeth Smith Miller (page 28)
• Ann Carroll Fitzhugh (page 29)
• George Walker Weld (page 30)
• Gerrit Smith Miller (page 35)
• Ruth C. Bodwell (page 36)
• Rena Louise Twiss (page 45)

• A photograph of a painting of the Empress Eugenie. (page 33)
• A portrait of Rebecca an escaped slave from New Orleans. (page 38)
• A photograph of a painting of Beatrice Cenci. (loose item on page 41)
• A portrait of actor Edwin Booth (page 40) brother of John Wilkes Booth.
• A photograph of a painting of "Little Samuel" based on the etching done by Samuel Cousins. (page 43)

In addition to this finding aid, the Clement Library has created a Photographer Index for the album, containing the names of all the photographers in the order that they appear in the album. This index also records any handwritten inscriptions that were found on the photographs.