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The Ypsilanti State Normal School photograph album contains 20 photographs of teachers and students associated with Ypsilanti State Normal School (now known as Eastern Michigan University).

The Ypsilanti State Normal School photograph album contains 20 photographs of teachers and students associated with Ypsilanti State Normal School (now known as Eastern Michigan University).

The album (15 x 11.5 cm) has black leather covers with “Cartes De Visite” gilt-stamped on the front and a metal locking clasp. An “Index to Portraits” appears towards the front, though it does not match the current arrangement of photographs. A total of 18 cartes de visite and 2 tintypes are present.

The first image in the album is a view of two buildings captioned “Ypsilanti State Normal in 1876 when Mr. & Mrs. M. J. Erwin attended.” Subsequent photographs consist entirely of individual and group studio portraits, all of which include handwritten captions identifying people and in some cases occupations, dates, and locations. Persons pictured include Ypsilanti State Normal School teachers, administrators, and students as well as individuals associated with the McKibbin and Erwin families of Commerce and Southfield, Oakland County, Michigan. Portraits of superintendent Joseph Estabrook, geography instructor Anna Cutcheon, science instructor J. A. McLouth, and preceptress Ruth Hoppin are all included towards the front of the album.

The signature of “John McKibbin” appears on the album’s first page. A man identified as John McKibbin also appears in three photographs, one of which includes an additional caption in differently colored ink that reads “My Brother.” The additional caption was likely written by McKibbin’s sister Mary C. McKibbin Erwin, whose portrait is also included alongside one of her husband Matthew J. Erwin. All three individuals attended Ypsilanti State Normal School together.

The Yetter family photograph album contains 20 studio portraits including members of the Yetter family of Pennsylvania.

The Yetter family photograph album contains 20 studio portraits including members of the Yetter family of Pennsylvania. The album (10 x 13.5 cm) is in relatively poor condition and has a missing album cover. Image formats include carte de visites and tintypes, and most of the album pages contain handwritten captions stating names of subjects. Identified individuals include Jerry Yetter, Emily Smith, Emily Yetter, Sam Engle, Lib Engle, Walter Yetter, Hannah Price, Glen Manchester, Jennie Augustine, Charles Yetter, Ruben Yetter, and Ida Yetter. Sam Engle appears dressed in the uniform of the 3rd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery Regiment. Also present is a single loose carte de visite studio portrait by Charles Eisenmann of the German circus performer dwarf siblings Augusta and Herman Rice which was likely produced during the late 1880s.

The Yacht Vergana photograph album contains approximately 190 photographs related to the lifestyle and friends of a New York-based yacht owner.

The Yacht Vergana photograph album contains approximately 190 photographs related to the lifestyle and friends of a New York-based yacht owner. The album (18 x 26 cm) is fully bound in brown leather. Images of interest include views taken in and around Long Island Sound, including the torpedo boat Ericsson at the Greenport dock; shell races at Poughkeepsie, with spectators aboard the steamboat Chester W. Chapin; Luna Park on Coney Island; various sailing and steam vessels on Long Island Sound; Prospect Park in Brooklyn; the racing yacht Flint's Arrow; a group of nurses from the Flower Free Hospital on a shipboard outing; buildings in Greenport; Sir Thomas Lipton's yacht, Erin; cadets at West Point; the steamboat Orient and her crew; the yacht Vergana; Long Island Railroad snow plows; and an automobile race at the Riverhead Fair (according to laid-in caption). Other photographs include beach scenes, fishing boats, family and friends onboard the Vergana and other vessels, and unidentified street views possibly taken on Long Island. A number of photographs include manuscript captions.

The World War I surgeon's photograph album, Base Hospital 29, contains approximately 90 photographs and 4 ephemeral items documenting a U.S. Army surgeon's training in the United States and service overseas during World War I.

The World War I surgeon's photograph album, Base Hospital 29, contains approximately 90 photographs and 4 ephemeral items documenting a U.S. Army surgeon's training in the United States and service overseas during World War I. The album (18 x 29 cm) was possibly compiled by Lieutenant H. O. Wernicke. Nine photographs show military personnel and barracks at the Medical Officer Training Center at Fort Riley, Kansas, in 1918. Following a voyage to Liverpool on July 6 1918 aboard the RMS Empress of Russia, subsequent photographs depict Base Hospital 29 in Tottenham, London, including medical staff, facilities, wards, an operating theater, and casualties. One photograph shows medical staff and patients singing from songbooks while a nurse plays the piano and a patient sits up in bed playing the violin. A possible transfer to France is indicated by 6 postcard views of a town and hospital with the caption, "Base Hospital 9 at Chateauroux."

Ephemeral items include a seating chart for the Candlewick Ward Club dinner held Monday, July 29 1918 attended by U.S. service members as well as a fold-out schematic of the RMS Olympic.

The World's Columbian Exposition photograph album contains approximately 284 images related to the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 held in Chicago, Illinois.

The World's Columbian Exposition photograph album contains approximately 284 images related to the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 held in Chicago, Illinois.

The album (29 x 40 cm) has black cloth and leather covers bound by two metal rods. The original covers were replaced in March 2012 by conservator James W. Craven. Most of the album's 70 pages contain 4 photographs per page. Images include photographs of exteriors and interiors of various exhibition buildings, large crowds of people, numerous sculptures and statues, various historic and modern marine vessels, and bird's-eye views of the fair complex. Also of note are several photographs showing attendees in wheelchairs, images of various ethnic group exhibit buildings (including the Japanese Bazaar, Persian Palace, Irish Village, Oahomey Village of Benin, Egyptian Temple of Luksor, Alaskan Indian Village, and NY Iroquois Exhibit), and a group portrait of women sculptors including Helen F. Mears and Jean Pond Miner.

The Wisconsin and Minnesota friendship photograph album contains approximately 245 photographs documenting a friend group of young women.

The Wisconsin and Minnesota friendship photograph album contains approximately 245 photographs documenting a friend group of young women.

The album (18 x 29.5 cm) has black cloth covers and black paper pages. Contents generally progress chronologically starting from the 1910s while the friend group appears to be in college before documenting their lives once they get married and start having families. Numerous images have witty captions, likely referencing inside jokes. Photographs primarily consist of individual and group portraits showing the women partaking in various activities including striking comical poses together, attending costume and fraternity parties, holding picnics, and going on various other adventures. Also present are views of the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menominee, Wisconsin, Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and Loring Park in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Halfway through the album begins to document members of the friend group getting married and starting families of their own, with photographs mainly depicting young children, homes, and group vacations including a trip to Salt Lake City, Utah. The last few pages also include images of a World War I-era soldier and nurses with facemasks (possibly indicating involvement with treating Spanish influenza victims).

Photographs showing instances of blackface and other racially insensitive costumes are present.

The William Tipton sample photograph album contains 121 photographs taken by William H. Tipton at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania from circa 1884 to 1889. The images are group shots of former Civil War regiments, veterans, prominent politicians, and others, mainly taken at the Gettysburg battlefield and newly-erected monuments.

The William Tipton sample photograph album contains 121 photographs, originally mounted in an album. For preservation purposes, the photographs were removed from the album and mounted on archival cardstock (34 x 43 cm). Each photograph has been assigned a number corresponding to the original page number. Most pages displayed only one large photograph, but several had multiple smaller images, each of which has been assigned a letter following the page number. In six instances, photographs were originally mounted over other photographs, suggesting that the album was revised over time. Five of these photographs have a large "X" drawn through the image. These images are labeled as "under" + page number. In addition, four loose photographs were tucked between pages, and they are labeled with the page numbers they were between.

The album has a quarter-bound, black leather cover, and the leather spine is missing. The gilt title, though partially illegible, presumambly once read "Photographs, Gettysburg Groups."

The photographs were taken by William H. Tipton on the Gettysburg Battlefield from 1884 to 1889. Some of the pages are stamped with "W.H. Tipton, The Battlefield Photographer, Gettysburg, Pa." The majority of images have captions, either hand-written on the album page or directly on the photographic print, identifying groups and individuals. This album was one of several sample albums showing photographs available for purchase at W.H. Tipton's photo gallery. Original prices are included next to many of the images.

All of the photos in the album are group shots of men, women, and children, ranging from five to over one hundred people. In the majority of images, the men are wearing suits and have ribbons pinned to their chest; however, in some images, the men are dressed in military uniforms. The majority of images are of a particular regiment posing with their unit's monument, often taken at the dedication ceremony. The regiments represented are from many Union states including Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin, with Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New York regiments appearing most frequently. Although the majority of the images are of veterans and politicians from the Union side of the Civil War, some images include Confederate veterans. The 25th anniversary of the battle was commemorated with a three day reunion in July, 1888 that featured both Union and Confederate veterans. Photos 53-59B depict this reunion on the battlefield and feature Confederate Generals Wade Hampton and James Longstreet, in addition to Union generals, including Warner Miller, Daniel Butterfield, John Hartranft, Joseph Carr, Henry Slocum, Joshua Chamberlain, and Daniel Sickles. Sickles rests on crutches, as he lost his leg while fighting at Gettysburg.

Many of images were taken in either wooded areas or fields, with farms occasionally noticeable in the background. In photo 71, Pennsylvania College (now Gettysburg College) and its observatory are visible in the background.

Politicians appearing in photos include President Grover Cleveland and Vice President Thomas A. Hendricks (57A), and Vice President Hannibal Hamlin (85). The photos also depict governors and former governors, including Ebenezer J. Ormsbee (Vermont), Elihu E. Jackson (Maryland), Joshua L. Chamberlain (Maine), Joseph R. Bodwell (Maine), James A. Beaver (Pennsylvania), Robert E. Pattison (Pennsylvania), Robert S. Green (New Jersey), Joseph B. Foraker (Ohio), Jeremiah M. Rusk (Wisconsin), Cyrus G. Luce (Michigan), Samuel J. Tilden (New York), John F. Hartranft (Pennsylvania), Wade Hampton (South Carolina), and Lucius Fairchild (Wisconsin). Many of these governors were former generals.

Fraternal organizations are also depicted in the album. Photo 36 is a group shot of the Improved Order of Red Men, specifically the Tonguwa Tribe; members of The Grand Army of the Republic appear in photo 38, and individual members may be present in other images as well.

As there were no African American units or "Colored Troops" at the Battle of Gettysburg, there are very few African Americans appearing in these photos. Photo Under 48 depicts an African American soldier standing next to a group of white soldiers. Photo 46 depicts a group of identified teachers, Native American students, and parents from the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The majority of Native Americans in this photo are wearing western clothing, with two men wearing traditional Native American dress.

The William N. Palmer photograph album contains 78 photographs of William Niles Palmer and friends taken in Massachusetts and Rhode Island from 1915 to 1916.

The William N. Palmer photograph album contains 78 photographs of William Niles Palmer and friends taken in Massachusetts and Rhode Island from 1915 to 1916. The album (16.5 x 11.5 cm) dates to about one year prior to Palmer’s enlistment in the U.S. Army during World War I. During this period Palmer went by Niles W. Palmer; "Niles W. Palmer/Company F 14th Regiment U.S. Railway Engineers/American Expeditionary Forces" is stamped on the front of the red album cover.

The album begins with images taken in Providence, Rhode Island. A group of young people, including Palmer, are documented travelling by train to or from East Douglas, Massachusetts. Members of the group are shown cutting trees, canoeing, shooting, camping, and picnicking among other recreational activities. Four images show the site of a freight train wreck in East Douglas, Massachusetts. Also of note is a humorous double-exposed photograph of Palmer appearing to be inside of a glass bottle. The album concludes with photographs taken in Rumford, Rhode Island. Each photograph in the album includes a typewritten caption indicating individuals, location, and content. Other specific locations that are represented include Arcade Woods, Bad Luck Pond, and Buttonwoods Beach. The most frequently named individuals include Alan W. Watson, Norman S. Watson, William J. Story, Ruth P. Smith, Selma C. Sandbeck, and Edith V. Sandbeck. The captions frequently refer to the group as, "ADOTs." The meaning behind this acronymic reference has not been identified.

The William H. Sherzer Hawaii photograph album contains approximately 320 images documenting a cross-country car camping trip beginning at Michigan State Normal College professor William H. Sherzer's home in Ypsilanti, Michigan, to California, and then by ship to Hawaii.

The William H. Sherzer Hawaii photograph album contains approximately 320 images documenting a cross-country car camping trip beginning at Michigan State Normal College professor William H. Sherzer's home in Ypsilanti, Michigan, to California, and then by ship to Hawaii. The album (29 x 20 cm) has woven grass covers, black paper pages, and includes numerous handwritten captions. Photographs of the American Southwest and California include views of natural features and rock formations in New Mexico, Arizona (including cliff dwellings near Roosevelt), and the Mojave Desert; the Grand Canyon; and Lick Observatory. The traveling party appear to have had their vehicle shipped to Hawaii along with them. Hawaii-related images include views of buildings and streets in Waikiki and Honolulu; the interior of a cottage; rice harvesting; scenic views of Kauai, Waimea, Mo'okini Heiau, Puna, Kohala, and the lava fields of volcanic regions; the steamships Wilhelmina and Matsonia; and a photograph of Elizabeth Lahilahi Webb outside the Bishop Museum in Honolulu. Additional images include scenes from a trip to Alexandria, Arlington, and Mount Vernon in Virginia as well as Washington, D.C., mainly consisting of views of tourist attractions as well as a visit to Sherzer's sister Dr. Jane Sherzer.

The Wilbur Wright Airfield photograph album contains 250 images taken by Corporal J. O. McDonnell that mainly document military activities at Wilbur Wright Airfield in Ohio during World War I.

The album (18 x 28.5 cm) is string-bound and has black leather covers with "Photographs" stamped in gold on the front and black paper pages. Images are sequentially numbered in white pencil. Contents primarily cover a range of aviation training activities and other operational aspects of Wilbur Wright Airfield. Various training aircraft are documented in detail; the majority were Curtiss JN-4s, known as “Jennys,” but the base also had some DeHaviland DH-4s. Numerous views of planes are included, showing them on the ground, in the air, and operating in all seasonal conditions. Several crash landings are also documented, with most of the wrecks appearing to be “nose-overs” (planes flipping forward upon landing) rather than high-speed crashes into the ground.

In addition to pilot training, Cpl. McDonnell also documented aspects of daily life at the base including hangars, mechanics shops, fabrication areas, and barracks. Photographs include shots of military personnel working on planes, lounging in barracks, and searching for wreckage. Also present are photographs of visitors to the base (including actress Pearl White and possibly other cast members of Pearl of the Army), the New York Times airplane, experimental plane designs (such as a dual engine biplane and innovative wing shapes), and two images showcasing the newly developed Brock Automatic Aeroplane Camera designed for aerial surveillance. Cpl. McDonnell himself may possibly appear in photograph no. 69 posing with a young woman in front of an airplane.

Other locations besides Wilbur Wright Airfield are represented in the album, including storefront views and street scenes in Mineola, New York, which may possibly have been McDonnell’s hometown. Also present are four portraits of Theodore Roosevelt giving a speech in 1917 at a racetrack in Mineola, seven images of Washington, D.C., landmarks (including four directional views taken from the top of the Washington Monument), a view of the Tijuana Fair, the Horton Plaza fountain at the Panama-California Exposition in San Diego, and six aerial photographs showing an unidentified coastal city (likely San Diego) and several ships.

Other photographs produced by Cpl. McDonnell for official U.S. Army purposes differ from those found in this album in terms of their size, content, quality of composition, and attention to staging. It is likely that he took photographs for official (and sometimes classified) purposes in his role as base photographer while also taking his own personal snapshots, the latter of which are what appears to be compiled in this album.