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Collection

Traveling photographers collection, ca. 1850s-1900s

approximately 245 photographs

The Traveling photographers collection contains approximately 245 examples of photographs produced by various traveling photographers that operated in the United States primarily during the latter half of the 19th-century.

Works by approximately 145 different traveling photographers are present in this collection and include cartes de visite, cabinet cards, stereographs, tintypes, and a small number of larger format images. For many of these photographers there is only a single example of their work included in the collection. Locations of operation include a wide range of regions across the United States, with eastern states such as Pennsylvania being particularly well-represented. Most of these photographs are typical individual and group portraits of men, women, and children.

The collection has been divided into two volumes. Volume 1 contains cartes de visite and tintypes while Volume 2 contains cabinet cards, stereographs, and a few other images with larger mounts of varying sizes. Volume 1 also includes two clippings and one photocopied page from an article about traveling photographers written by Eaton S. Lothrop, Jr., for Popular Photography magazine as part of his "Time Exposure" column series.

While most of the people represented in this collection are unidentified, the following individuals are identified by accompanying inscriptions:
  • “Wm. Johnson” - taken by N. L. Stone (Vol 1)
  • “F. W. Huling” - taken by C. S. Roshon’s Mammoth Union Photograph Car (Vol 1)
  • “Jimmie McCool Taken in 1889” - taken by S. R. Miller’s Photograph Car (Vol 1)
  • “J. B. [or J. R.?] Enders” - taken by A. J. Miller, Keystone Traveling Gallery (Vol 1)
  • “Uncle John Grimes” - taken by H. F. Knoderer & Bro (Vol 1)
  • “J. P. Seip & Bro” - taken by Josiah Knecht (Vol 1)
  • “Angalina Seip” [Angelina Seip] - taken by Josiah Knecht (Vol 1)
  • “Julie Hamlin” - taken by Huested Bros. (Vol 1)
  • “Timo Moyer?” - taken by Geo. V. Knecht (Vol 1)
  • “Sam Rhenis Martin” and “Probably Sam Rhenis Martin’s Wife” - taken by Callahan’s Traveling Gallery (Vol 1)
  • “Mrs. R H Blodget 236 35th St. Denver Col. Formily Mary Neil” - taken by King & Co.’s Traveling Gallery (Vol 1)
  • “[?] Adaline Temple” - taken by F. J. Aiken (Vol 1)
  • “Presented to Mr. & Mrs. Silas Boyer” - taken by B. Breslow’s Empire Movable Photograph Gallery
  • “C. H. Holmes May 2nd 1881” - taken by J. B. Silvis (Vol 1)
  • “Lou House - Graham’s Baby” - taken by the Erik Borklund Photo Car (Vol 2)
  • “Olive Woodward” - taken by A. Couturier (Vol 2)
  • “Geo. H. Dunham” and “Fredd Harry Dunham” - taken by Currier & Parkinson (includes stamp depicting Landing of Columbus on verso) (Vol 2)
  • “Will Duning of Dresden” - taken by F. M. Foster (Vol 2)
  • “Pansy Lovewell” - taken by the Hutchings Rail-Road Photo-Car (Vol 2)
  • “Jabez Willes brother of Julia Willes Thrall” - taken by F. L. Hale (Vol 2)
  • “Charlie, Mary, & Bruce Blaney Claysville Washington Co Pa.” - taken by Gibson & Myres (Vol 2)
  • “Mrs. James J. Connelly #10 McConnellsburg PA” - taken by S. R. Miller’s Photograph Car (it is unclear if this inscription is related to the couple depicted) (Vol 2)
  • “Carrie and Mattie Ewan”- taken by the National Art Company’s Railroad Palace Photographic Studio (Vol 2)
  • “George & Sarah Kistler” - taken by Rollow’s Art Car (Vol 2)
  • “Leo Martin” and "Jim Martin" - both taken by the Pacific Photograph Car, Rockford, Washington (Vol 2)
  • “Arron Smith Children” - taken by the Pacific Photograph Car, Rockford, Washington (Vol 2)
  • “Miss. Kittie M. Newell July 22nd 1889” - taken by Abel J. Whalen’s Accommodation Photo. Car (Vol 2)
  • “Will Schnegg” - taken by H. C. Williams’ Floating Gallery (Vol 2)
  • “Jonas Heim” - taken by B. L. Wilson’s Traveling Gallery (“Christina Waltz Williamsport Pa.” likely a relative of the subject and former owner of the photograph) (Vol 2)
  • “April 1891 - Maggie Austin April 1891. A. M. Austin 43. E. G. ‘ ‘ 43 Mag ‘ ‘ 14 Edd ‘ ‘ 18 May ‘ ‘ 21.” - taken by W. H. Yant (Vol 2)
  • “Howard J. Martin about 1893” - taken by Boston and Albany R.R. Photo Car (Vol 2)
  • “Wash’s Daughter Pearl” - taken by F. M. Steele (Vol 2)
  • “The Boy Preacher, Age 14: John E. De Merritt” - taken by Winslow and Shobe (Vol 2)
  • “Maurice (Moe?) Boynton Alice Price } 2nd buggy” - taken by Carson Bros (Vol 2)
  • “Mrs. J. C. Boxley” - taken by Newton & Sprague Photo Car (Vol 2)

Other items of interest include 14 tintypes including a group portrait taken at the Algonquin Bon Ton Tent by W. H. Pearce and a miniature tintype produced by Douglass’ Travelling Car (Vol 1); several photographs with revenue stamps; and 10 cartes de visite by C. G. Blatt, including three items containing humorous poetry in their backstamps (Vol 1); a stereograph view of "the old Block House at Annapolis Royal" by the Palace R.R. Photograph Car Co. (Vol 2); a stereograph view of Bridgewater, Vermont (Vol 2); a stereograph view of the "Steam Packet 'Minnesota' at Hastings [Minnesota] (Vol 2); a portrait of a pet pug taken by Will. H. McMillan, R. R. Palace Photo Car that bears an inscribed caption reading: “For my dear ‘Missis’ from her Devoted ‘Brownie’” (Vol 2); a group portrait of a man and women taken by Keil & Matula with an inscribed caption reading “Czechlovakia Couple Fayetteville, TX” (Vol 2); several portraits of children that appear to show hidden mothers in the background; two studio portraits of unidentified individuals produced by Civil War veteran turned photographer Capt. J. B. Shane (Vol 2); a number of photographs that appear to be copies of earlier images, including a portrait of a man produced by the Hutchings Railroad Photo Car bearing an inscribed caption reading: “Copied from original” (Vol 2); and a possible self portrait of photographer Abel J. Whalen on a mount stamped "Whalen's 'Accommodation' Photo. Car."

The following lists contain names of photographers represented in the collection as well as the total number of images included for each photographer:

Volume 1: Cartes de visite
  • F. J. Aiken [2 images]
  • Aldhizer & Eutsler [2 images]
  • Atkinson’s Photographic Railroad Gallery [1 image]
  • L. K. Bair [1 image]
  • B. Billian [1 image]
  • C. G. Blatt [10 images]
  • A. F. Bonine [1 image]
  • E. A. Bonine [2 images]
  • J. K. Bottorf [1 image]
  • Bowdish's Traveling Gallery [1 image]
  • B. Breslow’s Empire Movable Photograph Gallery [2 images]
  • Brown & Huard [1 image]
  • Burchfield & Bottorf [1 image]
  • J. Bushong [1 image]
  • Callahan’s Travelling Gallery [3 images]
  • H. P. Carnes [1 image]
  • Coggeshall’s Excelsior Photographic Car (John Ingersoll Coggeshall) [2 images]
  • G. W. Dibert [1 image]
  • W. A. Dietrich [4 images]
  • Doran's Photographic Car [1 image]
  • Dougherty (Mammoth wagon) [2 images]
  • Dougherty & Cope (Mammoth wagon; J. L. Cope) [3 images]
  • J. W. Fothergill's Mammoth Photograph Car [1 image]
  • F. Z. Fritz [2 images]
  • William R. Godkin [1 image]
  • M. C. Goodell [4 images]
  • William Griffin [2 images]
  • Harry Gurlitz’s Photograph Car [1 image]
  • W. H. Heiss [2 images]
  • J. J. Hodge [2 images]
  • J. M. Horning & Co. [2 images]
  • Huested Bros. [1 image]
  • Johnson & Sullivan’s Portable Railroad Gallery [1 image]
  • King & Co.’s Traveling Gallery [1 image]
  • George V. Knecht [5 images]
  • Josiah Knecht [8 images]
  • H. F. Knoderer & Bro. [1 image]
  • C. L. Leonard [3 images]
  • J. Loveridge [1 image]
  • C. D. Luccock [1 image]
  • J. H. McGowan (U.P.R.R. Photographic Car) [1 image]
  • A. J. Miller [1 image]
  • S. R. Miller's Photograph Car [2 images]
  • William Nick [3 images]
  • Nick & Knecht [2 images]
  • E. W. Peirce (The Railroad Photograph Coach) [1 image]
  • Lewis P. Peter [7 images]
  • Peter & Kresge [1 image]
  • Peters & Brother [1 image]
  • F. B. Pine's Floating Photographic Studio, of the St. John's River, Fla. [1 image]
  • S. Place [1 image]
  • Portable Picture Palace [1 image]
  • G. M. Primrose [2 images]
  • W. H. Rector [4 images]
  • C. S. Roshon (Mammoth Union photograph car) [1 image]
  • J. B. Silvis (U.P.R.R. Photographic Car) [2 images]
  • C. H. Sisson [1 image]
  • C. M. Stark [1 image]
  • N. L. Stone [1 image]
  • A. Stoppel [1 image]
  • Tucker & Powell [1 image]
  • W. A. Vale [1 image]
  • M. C. Vance [1 image]
  • D. S. Von Nieda [1 image]
  • Horace L. Webber [1 image]
  • West & Lewis (Travelling photographers) [1 image]
  • Whalen's Portable Art Gallery (Abel J. Whalen) [1 image]
  • L. H. Whitson (Professor L. H. Whitson's Rail Road Photographic Car) [1 image]

Volume 1: Tintypes
  • Bishop's Portable Photograph Gallery [1 image]
  • J. Davidson [1 image]
  • Doolittle & Humphrey's Tintype and Ferrotype Car [1 image]
  • Dougherty & Cope (Mammoth wagon; J. L. Cope) [1 image]
  • Douglass’ Traveling Car [2 images]
  • Paul’s Mammoth Travelling Photograph and Ferro-type Car [1 image]
  • W. H. Pearce (The Algonquian Bon Ton Tent) [1 image]
  • E. B. Squier [2 images]
  • A. D. Terhune [1 image]
  • Williams & Dodge’s Photograph Cars [2 images]
  • C. C. Williams [1 image]

Volume 2: Cabinet cards
  • Antoinette Palace Railroad Photo Car (Studio Antoinette) [2 images]
  • Blocker Palace Art Studio and Traveling Cottage Gallery [1 image]
  • Erik Borklund [1 image]
  • Boston and Albany R. R. Photo Car [2 images]
  • W. A. Bradley [1 image]
  • P. L. Britain (Palace R. R. Photo Car.) [1 image]
  • Clark’s Portable Gallery [1 image]
  • J. P. Coffey, Photo. Car. (J. N. Bayles) [1 image]
  • A. Couturier [2 images]
  • James H. Crockwell [1 image]
  • Currier & Parkinson [1 image]
  • J. W. Dalrymple [1 image]
  • Drum Rail Road Photo Car (Oscar Drum) [1 image]
  • Elite R. R. Photo Co. [1 image]
  • Fallman Parlor Photo Car [3 images]
  • F. M. Foster [1 image]
  • Gibson & Myres, Traveling Photographers [1 image]
  • F. L. Hale [2 images]
  • F. J. Haynes [3 images]
  • T. E. Hays [1 image]
  • Howell (Prairie Queen Gallery - Temple, Tex.) [1 image]
  • Hutchings Bros. Railroad Photo. Car [1 image]
  • Hutchings Rail-Road Photo-Car [3 images]
  • K. C. Photo Car [1 image]
  • Keil & Matula, Traveling Photographers [1 image]
  • Keystone Portable Gallery [1 image]
  • Lyden & Bellinger [1 image]
  • Malloy (20th Ave. No. & Wash. Minneapolis) [1 image]
  • William H. McMillan [1 image]
  • J. W. Merideth [1 image]
  • S. R. Miller [3 images]
  • National Art Company’s Railroad Palace Photographic Studio [1 image]
  • Newton & Sprague Photo Car. [1 image]
  • Nowack Bros. Floating Gallery [1 image]
  • Pacific Photograph Car [4 images]
  • Palace R.R. Photograph Studio [1 image]
  • Lewis DeArcy Rollow (Rollow’s Art Car) [2 images]
  • J. B. Shane [2 images]
  • Showman & Joy’s Palace Cars [1 image]
  • Smith Brothers [1 image]
  • C. H. South [1 image]
  • F. M. Steele [1 image]
  • The K. C. Art Chariot [1 image]
  • The Stuart Queen City Photo Co's. Great Australian Route, Car No. 12 [4 images]
  • The Traveling Art Company [1 image]
  • M. F. Timmerman (East Tenn. Photo Car) [1 image]
  • Tooley & Grigsby (The Monarch Traveling Photographers) [1 image]
  • Turner & Johnson [1 image]
  • N. A. Watkins [1 image]
  • Welsh & Harlow [1 image]
  • West & Lewis (Travelling photographers)
  • Whalen's "Accommodation" Photo. Car. (Abel J. Whalen) [2 images]
  • H. C. Williams (Williams' Floating Gallery) [1 image]
  • B. L. Wilson's Traveling Gallery [1 image]
  • Wilson's Railroad Photo Car. (B. L. Wilson) [1 image]
  • Winslow and Shobe [1 image]
  • Wolfe & Peiffer (Keystone Traveling Photo Studio) [2 images]
  • W. H. Yant [1 image]
  • Young, Portrait Artist (Boston Portrait Car) [1 image]

Volume 2: Stereographs
  • T. A. Aldrich [1 image]
  • Coggeshall’s Excelsior Photographic Car (John Ingersoll Coggeshall) [2 images]
  • Mrs. Emma A. Cooke's Traveling Photo. Pavillion (Emma A. Cooke and W. A. Cooke) [1 image]
  • J. P. Doremus [1 image]
  • H. H. H. Langill [1 image]
  • Palace R. R. Photograph Car Co. [1 image]
  • F. B. Pine's Floating Photographic Studio, of the St. John's River, Fla. [1 image]
  • W. E. Warren's Portable Photograph House [2 images]

Volume 2: Larger formats
  • J. A. Bellinger [1 image]
  • Carson Bros. [1 image]
  • Newton & Sprague Photo Car. [1 image]
  • D. R. White [1 image]

Collection

Victor Leroy Rushfeldt, Jr., Collection, 1941-1980s

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 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.

Collection

Warrensburg, Missouri Photograph Albums, ca. 1865-1880

21 photographs in 2 albums

The Warrensburg, Missouri photograph albums consist of two photograph albums containing 21 studio portraits, including several portraits of members of an African American family based in Warrensburg, Missouri during the 1870s.

Although these two albums were purchased together as a single lot from the same source, it is unclear if or how the individuals who are represented in each respective album are related. For conservation and preservation reasons, the original photographs have been removed from these albums and replaced with facsimile scan copies. The original photographs have been housed alongside the albums.

Volume 1:

This album (10 x 12 cm) contains four cartes de visite and six tintypes, all of which are formal studio portrait photographs. The album is made of pebbled black leather covers with a leather closure and has “Album” stamped in gold on the spine. The ownership stamp of “Lon. Fickas” (likely Benjamin Alonzo Fickas) appears twice in the album. “Warrens Brug (sic) Johnson Count Mo” is inscribed on a page near the back cover.

Eight or nine African American individuals are depicted in these photographs, some of whom may be identified through inscriptions on the photograph versos and/or inscriptions made directly onto the album pages. However, it appears that these photographs may have been moved around at some point as some of the album inscriptions do not seem to match up with subjects. Several images have hand-painted details including gold jewelry.

Pg. 1 of this album contained a carte de visite portrait of an African American man bearing a verso inscription that reads “Warrens Brug (sic) Mo march 11 1875 Less Will Wis 25 years old march 1”; there is also an inscription on the album page that reads “Renie (or Remi?) Hatton.” Pg. 2 held a tintype of an African American woman wearing a light blue ribbon that was colored by hand. Pgs. 5 and 11 both contained copies of the same carte de visite portrait of an infant African American child being held in place by a hidden mother; an inscription on pg. 5 reads “Lewis ?” while an inscription on pg. 11 reads “John Butler.” Pg. 7 contained a tintype of a young African American woman that includes a paper flower scrap with printed text reading “Charity” pasted at the top of the photograph sleeve. Two locks of women’s hair were stored in the album, one between pgs. 8 and 9 and the other between pgs. 12 and 13. Pg. 9 contained a full-length tintype portrait of an African American woman that bears a verso inscription reading “John Butler Warrensburg Mo,” while an inscription on page 10 also reads “kizher? Butler Was 27 year old June 1 1876.” This inscription may possibly be referencing a woman named Kizzie Butler who was recorded as living with her husband John Butler in Warrensburg in the 1870 census and was later included in Dawes Act Rolls under “Choctaw Freedmen.” Pg. 13 contained a tintype of an African American woman seated while holding a book (likely a bible). Pg. 15 contained a half-length portrait tintype of an African American man, while pg. 16 contained a tintype of an African American woman (possibly the same woman represented in the tintype from pg. 9) seated while wearing a white dress and hat. A small loose unmounted gelatin silver print portrait of an African American girl was also present between pgs. 16 and 17.

Volume 2:

This album (14 cm x 10 cm) contained eleven studio portrait photographs, nine of which are tintypes. The album has brown leather covers with a metal closure and has a floral motif rectangle around the word "Album" all stamped in gold on the front cover. None of the subjects represented in this album are identified, and none of these portraits appear to depict any of the individuals who are represented in Volume 1.

Most of the portraits that were housed in this album are of unidentified white men, women, and children. Also present is a group portrait tintype showing a family of possible African and/or Native American descent and a carte de visite portrait of a young African American girl taken by “Simpson 424 E Wash St.” (possibly William Simpson of Indianapolis). Also of note is a carte de visite portrait taken by J. F. Ryder of Cleveland of a white actress (possibly a burlesque dancer) leaning on a chair.

Collection

Weld-Grimké family photograph album, ca. 1860-1880

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. 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.

Other individuals that have been tentatively identified include:
  • 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)

The album also contains commercial cartes de visite of public figures and artwork:
  • 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.

Collection

William A. Lewis photograph collection, ca. 1850s-1980s

approximately 1,530 items in 12 boxes

The William A. Lewis photograph collection consists of approximately 1,530 items pertaining to a wide range of visual subjects that are represented across a variety of photographic formats including daguerreotypes, cartes de visite, stereographs (which form the bulk of the collection), and glass plate negatives as well as modern slides, film strips, snapshots, and postcards.

The William A. Lewis photograph collection consists of approximately 1,530 items pertaining to a wide range of visual subjects that are represented across a variety of photographic formats including daguerreotypes, cartes de visite, stereographs (which form the bulk of the collection), and glass plate negatives as well as modern slides, film strips, snapshots, and postcards.

The subject matter of this collection is thematically and chronologically diverse and reflects the broad interests of the collector, with the U.S. Civil War and 19th-century views of American and European cities being particularly well-represented topics. The collection is organized into four main series according to subject matter and is further divided into specific subject groupings within each series. In most cases, multi-item sets have been kept together and placed within the most generally appropriate subject grouping. An extensive number of photographers and publishers are represented throughout the collection including the likes of H. H. Bennett, C. B. Brubaker, John Carbutt, Centennial Photographic Company, B. F. Childs, E. & H. T. Anthony & Company, Alexander Gardner, T. W. Ingersoll, International Stereoscopic View Company, Keystone View Company, William Notman, Timothy O'Sullivan, William Rau, Strohmeyer & Wyman, Underwood & Underwood, and F. G. Weller.

The following list provides a breakdown of every topical subsection of the collection and includes item counts for each grouping:

Series I: General Subjects
  • Airships (11)
  • Bridges (69)
  • Civil War I--stereographs (91)
  • Civil War II--cartes de visite, Kodachrome slides, negative film strip copies of stereographs held at the Library of Congress, postcards (48)
  • Disasters (49)
  • Expositions (24)
  • Industry & Labor (89)
  • Miscellaneous (23)
  • Portraits (109)
  • Railroads (62)
  • Ships (80)
  • War (30)
Series II: Views, U.S.
  • Alaska (47)
  • Arizona (3)
  • California (20)
  • Colorado (2)
  • Dakota (4)
  • District of Columbia (50)
  • Florida (2)
  • Hawaii (1)
  • Illinois (17)
  • Iowa (2)
  • Maine (8)
  • Maryland (27)
  • Massachusetts (20)
  • Michigan (31)
  • Missouri (3)
  • New Hampshire (10)
  • New York (116)
  • Ohio (2)
  • Oregon (2)
  • Pennsylvania (16)
  • Tennessee (1)
  • Texas (1)
  • Vermont (3)
  • Utah (3)
  • Virginia (6)
  • Washington (1)
  • West Virginia (1)
  • Wisconsin (2)
  • Wyoming (2)
  • Unidentified locations (35)
Series III: Views, Foreign
  • Austria (5)
  • Belgium (6)
  • Brazil (1)
  • Canada (3)
  • Cuba (5)
  • Czechoslovakia (1)
  • Egypt (5)
  • England (21)
  • France (43)
  • Germany (14)
  • Greece (1)
  • India (2)
  • Ireland (4)
  • Italy (22)
  • Japan (3)
  • Mexico (1)
  • Miscellaneous (31)
  • Monaco (4)
  • Netherlands (1)
  • Norway (3)
  • Palestine (5)
  • Panama (41)
  • Puerto Rico (3)
  • Scotland (10)
  • Spain (2)
  • Sweden (2)
  • Switzerland (9)
  • Turkey (1)
Series IV: Objects
  • Keystone Alaska and Panama views, set box (1)
  • Stereoscope (1)
Items of particular interest include:
  • Post-WWI Keystone views of German and American zeppelins and one real photo postcard showing pre-WWI aircraft (Series I, Box 1, Airships)
  • Numerous views of the Brooklyn Bridge under construction and after completion, and the Niagara Falls suspension bridge (Series I, Box 1, Bridges)
  • Views of Civil War battle sites, encampments, and leaders on contemporary mounts as well as numerous reproductions of stereographs showing important battlefield sites and troops (Series I, Boxes 1-2, Civil War)
  • Stereographs, real photo postcards, and other images documenting the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, 1871 Chicago Fire, 1889 Johnstown Flood, 1900 Galveston Hurricane, and other calamities (Series I, Box 3, Disasters)
  • Images showing scenes from various American and European events, with an emphasis on the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia (Series I, Box 3, Expositions)
  • Images showing mills, factories and people engaged in various occupations, including a boxed set of 50 images related Sears, Roebuck operations produced around 1906 (Series I, Box 3, Industry & Labor)
  • Hand-colored early groupings of French theatrical tableaux (Series I, Box 3, Miscellaneous)
  • Approximately 109 portrait photographs in different formats of various individuals, including William Jennings Bryan; a boxed set of 50 cartes de visite depicting Danish actors and actresses; cartes de visite of Emperor Napoleon III and the Mikado of Japan; and numerous unidentified subjects represented in real photo postcards (1), tintypes (17), framed/cased ambrotypes, and daguerreotypes (13) (Series I, Box 4, Portraits)
  • Approximately 62 images of railroads, mostly in the U.S., including photographs from an 1866 expedition to the 100th meridian on the Union Pacific Railroad while under construction (Series I, Box 5, Railroads)
  • Approximately 80 images of ships including warships, freighters, riverboats, passenger ships, shipwrecks (including of the USS Maine), and shipyards mostly in the U.S. with the notable exception of a photo of the 1858 launch of the SS Great Eastern, with Isambard Kingdom Brunel possibly in the crowd. Also of interest are 8 photos and postcards showing ships in World War I-era "dazzle" camouflage (Series I, Box 5, Ships)
  • A Keystone View Co. series of images related to World War I (Series I, Box 5, Wars)
  • A number of images produced by Keystone View Co. and other stereograph purveyors that focus on major cities such as Boston, New York, Paris, Constantinople, and Jerusalem (throughout Series II & Series III)
  • Views from geological expeditions to the American frontier in the 1860s and 1870s (Series II, Unidentified Locations)
Collection

Ypsilanti State Normal School Photograph Album, 1876-1877

20 photographs in 1 album

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.