Upper Michigan Vacation Photograph Album, 1899-1901
approximately 125 photographs and 1 program in 1 volume
approximately 125 photographs and 1 program in 1 volume
The Upper Michigan vacation photograph album contains approximately 125 photographs and 1 program related to summer vacations in northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. The album (25.2 x 21 cm) is half bound in burgundy leather with black cloth boards. Photographs of interest include views of tent camping on the shores of Brevort Lake in Mackinac County, with outdoor cooking, picnics, local Ojibwa guides operating a boat named the "John Boucher", fishing and boating, berry picking, and a group of Ojibwa Indians including "Chief Tail Feather" performing for the camera; snapshots of "Old Mr. Massey, the Blacksmith of Brevoort," inside his log cabin; and the exterior of the cabin of Frank Budney, trapper and guide, with snow shoes and a hand-made grinding wheel. Mackinac Island-related photos show the fort and Arch Rock. Also included are photographs taken on the Detroit River showing a revenue cutter (the USS Yantic) and a sailing ship loaded with lumber; there is one photograph of the railroad ferry Saint Marie, and one photograph of the locks at Sault Ste. Marie. Many photos have manuscript captions and are dated.
Also present is a laid in program from the 1890 Columbus (Ohio) High School Graduation ceremony.
approximately 125 photographs and 1 program in 1 volume
approximately 105 photographs in 1 volume
The Upstate New York and Maryland photograph album contains approximately 105 images showing scenes from Upstate New York and rural Maryland. The album (21 x 31 cm) has brown cloth covers, is disbound, and bears the signature "Ruth E. Wilcox" inside the front cover. New York-related images of interest include rural views of Brewerton and Onandaga; Owasco Lake; the interior of a blacksmith's shop with the smithy at work; and scenes from around Syracuse including Dorwin Springs Road, Furman Road, the aftermath of the Salinas Street fire, the illuminated interior of the Alhambra auditorium, home interiors, and numerous flower arrangements. Two photographs also show a man sitting in a horse-drawn wagon filled with flowers and outfitted with the lettering "Henry Burt, Florist."
Approximately 35 photographs show rural scenes from Maryland, including farmyard views, groups of African Americans including a farm family, as well as a group portrait of twelve African American men posed with baseball equipment.
approximately 260 photographs in 1 volume
The Vacation travel photograph album contains a mixture of approximately 260 commercial and amateur photographs documenting a series of vacations to California, a Lake Michigan cottage, Alaska, and Canada. The album (18 x 30 cm) has black cloth covers with two rivets. California-related photographs include views of beach scenes at Santa Catalina and La Jolla; the Theosophical Society Homestead and Temple on Point Loma; a cutler at work at his donkey-drawn cart; crates of fruit at a railroad station; passengers stretching their legs beside a stationary train; and Mount Lowe Railway and Observatory. Other Western photographs include views of pueblos and adobe buildings in New Mexico Territory.
A series of approximately 70 photographs taken in 1902 show a summer sojourn at Pine Knot Cottage, Macatewa, on Lake Michigan and includes interior and exterior cottage views, beach scenes, sailing a small boat on the lake, and views of the Hotel Ottawa. One whimsical snapshot shows a man standing on his head while being photographed by a man and woman holding a box camera. Images of a traveling party to Alaska include views of the group onboard a steamer and making stops in southeast Alaska; a street view of Wrangell; Tlingit totem poles in Wrangell and Fort Tongass; and commercial photographs of a Greek Church interior and Indian River Park in Sitka.
Additional photographs show Lake Agnes and the Canadian Rockies; Washington Park in Springfield, Illinois; Wall Street, Trinity Church Cemetery, and Grant's Tomb in New York City; Mission San Jose and Mission Concepcion in San Antonio, Texas; and bison and black bears, including a photograph of two men feeding a bear off the back of a wooden cart.
approximately 917 photographs in 4 volumes
Volume 1 (1942-1943)
This album (25.5 x 33 cm) has brown faux-leather covers and contains approximately 159 photographs as well as some postcards. Images include numerous snapshots of young men and women (including Vera) on a ranch in Green Mountain Falls, Colorado; coverage of visits to Pike's Peak, Denver as well as an unidentified tropical location; and photographs showing young men in military uniforms.
Volume 2 (1949)
This album (32 x 38 cm) has decorative dark blue faux-leather covers and white plastic ring binding and contains 50 photographs as well as some ephemera. Only five pages near the front of the album and two pages towards the back contain any photographs, most of which show American GIs (including Gene) in training camp settings primarily near the town of Friedburg, Germany, and engaging in social activities. Some but not all images have captions. Also present towards the back of the album are several loose images including real photo postcards showing travel scenes to European locations such as Paris, Naples, Rome, and Venice as well as a group portrait of a football team, a program dated December 2 1950 for a USAREUR football game between the 2nd RCT "Dragoons" and 16th Infantry Regiment "Rangers," and a souvenir from the Casa Blanca cocktail bar in Newark, New Jersey bearing Gene Foreman's signature.
Volume 3 (1949-1950)
This album (32 x 38 cm) has decorative black faux-leather covers and white plastic ring binding and contains approximately 580 photographs as well as some ephemera. Images include photographs (including football games) from the U.S. military base near Augsburg from 1949 to 1950; recreational visits to Augsburg, Berchtesgaden (including the Eagle's Nest), Garmisch, Bonn, Heidelberg, and Frankfurt am Main in Germany, Salzburg and Vienna in Austria, and locations in the Netherlands, France, and Italy; wounded American soldiers encountered during a visit to a hospital in Munich; and 24 views of the former concentration camp in Dachau. Other images of note include photographs of a wedding between Vera's friends Mary and John and sporadic images unrelated to post-war Europe that were taken during past vacations including trips to Colorado, Utah, and El Paso, Texas.
Volume 4 (1950-1951)
This album (34.5 x 28 cm) has red leather covers and red satin lining and contains approximately 125 photographs as well as some ephemera. The first page bears the inscription "Merry Christmas! Gene, 1951, Augsburg, Germany" as well as a photograph of Vera and Gene seated together at a table. Images include numerous snapshots of friends and soldiers engaged in social activities taken on the Augsburg military base as well as photographs (including real photo postcards) taken in other European locations such as Venice, Pisa, Florence, Cannes, Amiens, and Paris. Numerous individuals are identified through captions. Also present is a tissue with lipstick kisses and a tuft of blonde hair, while several photographs and ephemeral items are stored loose towards the back of the album.
The individual captioned as "me" in a number of photographs in Volume 3 appears to be Vera. She also appears regularly in the pictures of Volume 1 (also identified as "me" in captions) as well as Volume 4, but does not appear at all in Volume 2. Gene appears for the first time outside of Volume 2 in the final few pages of Volume 3, where he is initially introduced in a portrait with the caption "Gene Forman - Eibsee Hotel, June 1950"; this portrait is followed by a full page of photos of Gene. Given that Volume 2 seems to portray Gene's time in Friedburg and most of Volume 3 seems to represent Vera's personal experiences in Augsburg and traveling elsewhere in Europe, it appears that they may have been unacquainted prior to June 1950. By October 1950 the two appear to be acting as a couple, as documented in a travel bureau itinerary present at the end of Volume 3 that details a four-day program in Naples for "Miss Masuch and Mr. Forman." The couple also appears together in Volume 4, though in this instance the "me" captions refer to Gene and not Vera, suggesting that he was the primary creator of that album.
approximately 60 photographs in 1 album
The Vermont and Connecticut photograph album contains approximately 60 photographs primarily showing scenes from Brattleboro, Vermont, and New London, Connecticut. The album (23 x 25 cm) has black cloth boards and is tied with a white cord. Brattleboro-related images include views of the arrival of a train carrying Spanish American War veterans, parade floats in the Brattleboro Fair, the town hall, Main Street, and the former studio of photographer Caleb L. Howe at the corner of Main and Elliot Street with a sign reading "Howe Photographer." New London-related images include views of Ocean Beach and the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. Also included are photographs of the interior and exterior of a house at "35 Western Ave.", other waterfront scenes, steamboats, and a mill in Hinsdale, New Hapmshire. Of particular note are two photographs of an acrobat performing on an outdoor stage. Many of the photographs are faded, with details partially or wholly obscured.
1 volume
The Vernon Foley photograph album (17 x 19 cm) primarily contains photographs taken in and around California and the West Coast of the United States. Many images feature a group of travelling men, likely Bell telephone linemen. Images of note include: the Panama-Pacific Exhibition in San Francisco; a sleet storm in Portland Oregon; beaches in San Francisco; geysers at Calistoga, California; railroad travel; El Paso street scenes; a bullfight and Pancho Villa's train cars in Juarez, Mexico; hunting and camping scenes in Emigrant Gap, Wyoming, and Lake Fordyce, California; visiting with friends in Davis, California; and the burning of the Freeman Hotel in Auburn, California. One photograph shows a group of men wearing flu masks standing next to a truck with a Bell company logo; some captions refer to cutting wires during the sleet storm in Portland, and "trimming the right-of-way," and men are shown wearing leg shanks and climbing gaffs. Of note are scenes of the Armistice Day celebration in San Francisco, with many participants wearing flu masks. Most photographs are labeled with handwritten captions.
The album has black cloth covers and is tied with a black cord. Stored in three-part wrap with blue cloth spine.
approximately 114 photographs in 1 album, 1 diary, 1 VHS tape, assorted paper files
The Victor Leroy Rushfeldt, Jr., collection contains an assortment of materials including a diary, photograph album, paper files, and a VHS tape, all of which pertain to U.S. Army Air Corp pilot 1st Lt. Victory Leroy Rushfeldt, Jr.’s service in the 20th Combat Mapping Squadron during World War II.
The diary (15 x 8.5 cm) contains entries written by Rushfeldt, Jr., during the year of 1941. In the first entry on New Year’s Day, Rushfeldt, Jr., expressed a desire to join either the United States Army or Navy as a pilot and wondered “where I will be next New Years?” After failing his physical service exam with the Navy due to “crooked teeth,” he decided to first finish securing his private pilot’s license before sending applications to the Army Air Corps on January 31. On March 8 1941, Rushfeldt, Jr., attended a physical exam for flying cadets at Fort Snelling where again he was told that they would not “O.K. my teeth” but was instructed to send a plaster dental cast to Washington, D.C. On March 21, he traveled to Abilene, Texas, before heading for San Diego, California by car on March 25. After hitchhiking to Los Angeles on April 4 he subsequently sought job opportunities in the area while staying at the home of a local couple, including applying for a position at the Lockheed Aircraft Co. and interviewing with the Vega Airplane Co., the latter of whom he felt he could’ve obtained employment with “except for the fact that I will probably be drafted soon.” On April 20, Rushfeldt, Jr., began hitchhiking back to Albert Lea, noting stops in Nevada, Colorado, Nebraska, and Iowa before arriving home April 27. On August 12, he recorded having completed his U.S. Army Air Corps physical exam while on August 15 he took his flight test for “Stage C of the secondary C.P.T.” Towards the back of the diary there are several phone numbers and addresses listed for friends and acquaintances as well as a “Brief History of My Flying Course” listing the duration and type (dual or solo) of Rushfeldt, Jr.’s training flights in Albert Lea from October 8 1940 to February 20 1941. Also of note are numerous entries involving women that Rushfeldt, Jr., was dating.
The photograph album (26 x 34 cm) contains approximately 114 images and is string-bound with brown covers. The album begins with a series of photos showing various young women, American servicemen in uniform, and older adults interacting at what appears to be a wedding reception. Subsequent photographs of interest include a portrait of fellow pilot Jerry Smith holding a large camera; images of various aircraft; portraits of various officers identified by pen inscriptions including “Lt. Connely,” “Lt. Everhardt,” “FO Luther,” “Lt. Raymer,” “Lt. Gireau,” “Capt. Lake,” “Lt. Thye,” “Lt. Riddle,” “FO Stone,” “Charles Enoch,” “Lt. Smith,” “Lt. Glenn Jensen,” and numerous photos (including group portraits) of Victor Rushfeldt, Jr.; images of campsites, barracks, and other buildings possibly in Nadzab, New Guinea; several images documenting the wreck of an F-7B aircraft nicknamed “Idle Curiosity” which crash landed on the Biak Island airstrip while Rushfeldt, Jr., was onboard; and several photographs of indigenous Papuans (including pictures of nude women and women breastfeeding animals). Also present are twenty-one images showing painted illustrations on the sides of various aircraft, many of which were designed Cpl. Al G. Merkling. Numerous illustrations involve nude or scantily clad women posing suggestively. Nicknames of documented planes include “The Wango Wango Bird,” “Photo Queen,” “Cherokee Strip,” “TS Sympathy Remembrance,” “I’ll Be Around,” “American Beauty,” “Hangover Haven,” “Little Joe,” “Round Trip,” “Liberty Belle,” “Patched Up Piece,” “Ready Willing and Able,” “Idle Curiosity,” “Pappy’s Passion,” “Sweet Sixteen,” “St. Louis Blues,” “V…-Sure Pop,” “The Rip Snorter,” “Bourbon Boxcar,” “Ole’ Tomato,” “Mission Belle,” and “Tail Wind.”
The paper files include an envelope of informational materials from the “Reunion Project Office b-24/50th Anniversary” related to the planning of a 1989 reunion event; an overseas document file case containing three souvenir buttons from the first and second 20th Combat Mapping Squadron reunion events in 1982 and 1984, several empty letter envelopes addressed to Rushfeldt, Jr., a register of Rushfeldt, Jr.’s vaccinations and other medical data from December 28 1941 to Jan 27 1945, and an official notice from March 7 1943 declaring that Rushfeldt, Jr., qualified as “Marksman” with a .45 caliber pistol after achieving a score of 106; and a vertical file containing numerous materials related to 20th Combat Mapping Squadron reunions, events, newsletters, and other documents, including a draft of “A Pictorial History of the 20th Combat Mapping Squadron, 6th Photo Group that Served so Honorably in the Southwest Pacific Area During WW II” consisting of photocopies of images donated by former squadron members and compiled by Maj. Lawrence E. Thibault, Sr.
The VHS tape purportedly contains footage of the "Idle Curiosity" crash on the Biak Island airstrip. Rushfeldt, Jr., was aboard this aircraft at the time of the crash.
approximately 114 photographs in 1 album, 1 diary, 1 VHS tape, assorted paper files
27 photographs in 1 album
Views of Early St. Louis contains 27 photographs of scenes from St. Louis, Missouri, between 1840 and 1895 that were assembled by German American photographer Emil Boehl during the late-1890s, including several photographic reproductions of various works by other artists such as Daguerrean photographer Thomas M. Easterly.
The album (35 x 45 cm) has red leather covers with “Views of Early St. Louis” stamped in gold on the front. Of the 27 photographs included in this album, 15 are pasted-in while 12 were printed directly onto the album pages. Images vary in size, with some taking up nearly an entire album page.
The following list represents the album’s contents in order of appearance and includes image titles (with supplied titles appearing in brackets), additional captions, various forms of Emil Boehl’s photographer credits, image descriptions, and original sources for images known to have been photographically reproduced by Boehl:
approximately 195 photographs in 1 album
The Virginia, New York, and Massachusetts photograph album contains approximately 195 photographs depicting the travels and leisure activities of an unidentified Brooklyn-based family in various locations in Virginia, New York, and Massachusetts. The album (28 x 40 cm) has black cloth covers, with the front cover being detached. Images of interest include a series of photographs documenting an 1898 trip to Richmond, Virginia, including views of the Capitol, City Hall, St. John's Church, and other landmarks. Also present are 17 photographs showing Fort Monroe, Virginia, with an additional 11 images showing Old Point Comfort hotels, docks, a street view of Phoebus, Virginia, and waterfront views of the Hampton Roads region. New York-related photographs include views of carriage-driving and horseback riding at the Brooklyn Riding & Driving Club, and a summer home at Lake Mahopac, with views of people sailing, swimming, taking carriage rides on country roads, and women golfing. Massachusetts-related photographs include 12 images taken in Boston during 1899 including views of the Public Library and Faneuil Hall and three street views of Commonwealth Avenue.
approximately 195 photographs in 1 album
1 volume
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.
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.