Collections

The Charles J. Merz photograph album contains approximately 147 images, the majority of which show places and people around the area of Detroit, Michigan, during the late 19th and early 20th-centuries.

The album (27 x 36 cm) has maroon faux leather covers with "Photographs" stamped on the front and shows signs of considerable wear, including a damaged spine and detached front cover. While the album contains some traditional formal portraits, the majority of the photographs of people are more candid snapshots in nature. Images are presented on 9 x 12.5 cm prints with four to a page. Most photographs were taken in the Detroit-area (presumably all or mostly by Merz), with images including pictures of Belle Isle Park, elevated perspectives of city streets, boats (such as ferries, sailboats, and cargo boats) on the Detroit River, scenes from the aftermath of the Buick and Sherwood factory fire, Elmwood Cemetery, bridges, railroads, carriages, and family and friends in informal settings, including one portrait of an individual dressed in blackface. Also of interest are 32 photographs related to a militia group, with images showcasing training sessions such as rifle practice and marching drills, tongue-in-cheek portraits of militia members posing humorously in front of their tents at camp, and four views of a military parade in Washington, D.C. near the U.S. Capitol. The militia group being documented was likely the volunteer militia known as the Detroit Grays; one photograph is captioned “Detroit Gray’s Camp Sylvan Lake” while “Detroit Grays” also appears on flags present in some of the images. It may be the case that Merz was a member of the Detroit Grays. There are also a few images taken in Chicago and Colorado, including views of Michigan Avenue and the Garden of the Gods.

Several details help provide a date range for this album. One caption below a photograph of young men with bicycles simply reads “1888,” while the Buick and Sherwood factory fire (the aftermath of which is depicted in several images) took place in 1892. A flag visible in one of the militia camp photographs also reads, “Detroit Grays Organized May 7, 1895,” and a picture of the side paddle ferry Greyhound indicates that it was part of the White Star Line, which acquired the Greyhound in 1902. Finally, the caption of a view of the Belle Isle Power House states that the site represented is “where the casino is today.” Since a casino was built at that location in 1907, this would suggest that the album may have been compiled a number of years after the photos were taken.

Merz himself is identified in a photograph showing him holding a box camera and standing next to two other young men on a city street. He is identified in the caption as “Charles J. Merz Photographer,” and stands alongside two other young men identified as "Charles Rapp" and "Gus Hartman." A self-portrait of an unidentified young man and his camera taken in a mirror could also possibly be Merz, and he appears to show up in other photographs as well. He may also be pictured some of the militia photos, but due to the general lack of captions it is difficult to be certain. Two unused pages at the end of the album are covered with childish doodling, including one drawing adjacent to the inscribed name “Olive Merz”, Charles’s daughter, which would suggest that the album was once in the possession of the Merz family.

The Chicago photograph album contains pictures of buildings, park landscapes, and people in Chicago, Illinois; Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Detroit, Michigan. Items include interior and exterior views of a Chicago home, portraits of small groups of individuals, views of gardens in John Ball Park (Grand Rapids, Michigan), and a photograph of a steamboat in the Detroit River.

The Chicago photograph album (14cm x 18cm) contains 24 photographic prints, each placed in a 9cm x 11.5cm window. The first item is an exterior view of a home located at 5828 Indiana Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, and the following eight items are interior views of parlors and a dining room; one shows a woman sewing. The album includes six photographs of John Ball Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with various garden scenes and a shot of two women in a small horse-drawn carriage, and one photograph of the steamer "The North Land" passing Belle Isle near Detroit, Michigan. One item features the Michigan Soldiers' Home in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and another shows a woman feeding a group of birds there. The remaining six items are informal group and individual portraits taken in Washington Park (Chicago, Illinois) (2 items), Palmer Park (Detroit, Michigan) (1 item), "Our Back Yard" (Chicago, Illinois) (1 item), and unidentified outdoor locales (2 items); two men posed by a bicycle in Washington Park. The album's cover is decorated with a colored floral pattern, with a gray geometric pattern near and covering the spine.

The Chicago to Colorado photograph album contains approximately 210 photographs taken by an unidentified photographer related to a tour from Chicago, Illinois, to Colorado and back again through Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Chicago to Colorado photograph album contains approximately 210 photographs taken by an unidentified photographer related to a tour from Chicago, Illinois, to Colorado and back again through Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The album (26 x 32 cm) has black paper covers and a manuscript note inside the front cover that reads: "Tour of 1903." Chicago-related photographs include a commercial street view, the Chicago River, and Lincoln Park. The following 191 photographs were taken in various locations around Colorado, including 20 images of commercial streets, residential streets, and parks in Denver and Colorado Springs; an early motorized sightseeing bus on a Colorado Springs street; and scenic views documenting visits to the Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak, and the Gunnison River.

Several photographs show the main building and a small cabin at Sprague's Ranch in Moraine Park, Colorado. The travelers, a party of two men and a woman, are shown fishing, posing beside their platform tents, and sightseeing with larger groups. Also shown is the dramatic scenery of Ouray, Colorado, with views of the mountains, the box canyon, Silver Plume mines, and street scenes which include a stagecoach and loaded burros. Following several photographs of hotels in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, and a view of the Grand Canyon of the Arkansas, there are three images that show streets in Milwaukee, including the Schlitz Brewery, as well as two additional images of Chicago street scenes.

The City and country life photograph album contains approximately 70 photographs primarily showing the city and country residences of an unidentified wealthy family.

The City and country life photograph album contains approximately 70 photographs primarily showing the city and country residences of an unidentified wealthy family.

The album (21 x 27 cm) is half bound in black leather and has a detached front cover.

City scenes include views of townhouses on a city block in winter; a woman entering a carriage beyond a decorative wrought iron fence; a well-dressed couple in a two-wheeled carriage; an infant in a wicker baby buggy; a housekeeper or servant standing at a side door; and women and a young girl standing on a city street in elegant winter capes, muffs and hats. One woman stands on a snowy sidewalk holding a Kodak Brownie camera in her gloved hands. Five photographs show well-furnished formal interiors.

Rural scenes include views of a log house on a wooded lake whose well-furnished interior includes bookshelves, Native American baskets and textiles, snowshoes, a wolfskin rug, a desk, a chaise, and a piano. Men and women are shown with guns and gamebirds, fishing from a dock and in a rowboat, and partaking in an elaborate outdoor tea party. One photograph shows a Native American man sitting on the cabin steps. Nature views include images of logs in a flooded river, streams, a small wooded island, and a spotted fawn.

The City of Boston Public Celebration July 4th, 1918, photograph album contains 81 photographs documenting Fourth of July celebrations that took place in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1918.

The City of Boston Public Celebration July 4th, 1918, photograph album contains 81 photographs documenting Fourth of July celebrations that took place in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1918.

The album (39 x 28.5 cm) is sting-bound and has gray cloth covers with "Photographs" stamped in gold on the front and black paper pages. The first page contains a handwritten label that reads "City of Boston July 4th, 1918." Most but not all images include handwritten captions. The album's contents are grouped into three sections marked by handwritten labels: “Patriotic Exercises,” “Sports and Pastimes,” and “The Parade in the Evening."

"Patriotic Exercises" begins on pg. 3 and contains 19 photographs. Images include several views showing Boston mayor Andrew James Peters overseeing flag raising exercises performed by uniformed U.S. Army soldiers on Boston Common; views of a floating stage at Frog Pond; three photographs of speakers at the Old State House including Rabbi Abraham Nowak, Mayor Peters, and Walter A. Whelan; and two photographs related to a speech by Judge Joseph J. Murley at Wood Park Island.

“Sports and Pastimes” begins on pg. 43 and contains 35 photographs. Images include numerous views of swimming and boat races held at the Charles River Basin; views showing a baseball game, brass band performance, and parading Naval Battalion at Wood Island Park; views of the “Italian populace,” “Italian societies,” and others at North End Park; views showing the distribution of ice cream at the Charles River Gym and Prince Street Playground; views of athletic competitions taking place at Boston Common including foot races and tug of war; and a view of bathers at City Point.

"The Parade in the Evening" begins on pg. 115 and contains 27 photographs. All of these images showcase participants in a parade procession and include views of U.S. Army troops and the 10th Massachusetts State Guard, various ethnic groups (including Latvians, Italians, Portuguese, Albanians, Chinese, Greeks, and Armenians), a coordinated group of children in formation as a "living flag," and the Mission Church Band.

The Civil War Battlefields photograph album contains pictures of broken wooded landscapes and military cemeteries.

The Civil War Battlefields photograph album (17cm x 29cm) contains 34 pictures of broken wooded landscapes, Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, and views of a river, likely the Potomac. Each numbered print is mounted in a 11.5cm x 16.5 cm window, framed by a thin gold border with decorations at the corners. Most images are views of wooded landscapes, many showing evidence of possible military activity and earthworks, taken in unidentified flat and hilly regions. Streams, small wooden buildings, and fences are sometimes visible. The album begins with a camping scene, presumably a self-portrait of the album's unidentified compiler in the field. Another view shows a group of three posed on a house's porch. Two photographs show a three-story domed public building, adjacent to what appears to be a war monument. Four pictures show Arlington National Cemetery, one including a plaque with lines from Theodore O'Hara's poem "Bivouac of the Dead." Of particular note is a group portrait of seven African American schoolchildren with their young teacher, taken inside a crude schoolhouse; the following picture shows the exterior of two wooden buildings, possibly in the same unknown location.

The Clinton Prison, Lake Chazy, and Lake Saranac photograph album contains 14 images including views of the Clinton County Prison, New York and the surrounding area, and individual and group portraits.

The Clinton Prison, Lake Chazy, and Lake Saranac photograph album contains 14 images including views of the Clinton County Prison, New York and the surrounding area, and individual and group portraits.

The album (22 x 17 cm) is lacking covers. The exposed cover page bears a montage photograph showing printed flowers with an inscription reading "A Merry Christmas / 1897" as well as a portrait of an unidentified young man. Images of note include views of Clinton Prison, the "Warden's Garden" dedicated to Warden Walter N. Thayer, the Clinton Prison chapel, Chazy Lake and waterfalls on the Saranac River, a studio portrait of a man with a safety bicycle, and a group shot of 22 uniformed men captioned "W. N. Thayer Hose Company." Also present is a loose photograph of a dirt road in Saranac, New York.

The Colombia photograph album contains approximately 110 photographs showing scenes from Cartagena, Turbaco, and Barranquilla in Colombia.

The Colombia photograph album contains approximately 110 photographs showing scenes from Cartagena, Turbaco, and Barranquilla in Colombia. The album (18 x 28 cm) is half bound in black leather. Images of particular interest include photographs related to diplomatic functions, such as views of the British and Spanish consulates, interiors of the American consulates in Barranquilla and Cartagena, two portraits of the British Consul and family, and a series of portraits of the large family of the Spanish Consul, "Familia Zubiria Stevenson." Other images of note include photographs of a bullfight, the tomb and former home of Rafael Núñez, street and architectural views, churches, thatched huts, local inhabitants including mule drivers and cemetery workers, guns at the Baluarte de San Javier, soldiers in formation, and harbor views including views of passanger sternwheel ferry Alicia and a clipper ship. Some photographs have handwritten captions in Spanish.

The Colorado photograph album contains photographic prints of towns, mines, scenery, and people in southwest Colorado, taken during the late 19th century.

This photograph album (21cm x 29cm) contains 25 photographic prints of towns, mines, scenery, and people in southwest Colorado. The first 18 photographs are identified on a printed list of captions enclosed in the volume, and the final seven, which are attributed to W. J. Carpenter of Telluride, Colorado, have captions and negative numbers handwritten on the negatives. The book's covers are wooden boards covered with a soft mohair-like padding; a deteriorated leather cover, now detached, is stamped with the title "Art Album." Each of the photographs shows a scene from southwest Colorado, including street-level and higher-vantage views of Telluride, Ouray, Silverton, the Sheridan Mine entrance, Marshall Basin, the San Miguel River, and numerous mountains. Burros, miners, and a group of Ute Indians are pictured, as well as a group of men in the process of branding cattle, a group of tourists (including women) on horseback, a group of men labeled "Dry Creek Cow Boys at Dinner," and the "highest suspension bridge in the world."

The Cook family photograph album contains carte-de-visite and tintype studio portraits of members of the Cook, Augusbury, and Zoller families of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Boone, Iowa; and Watertown, New York.

The Cook family photograph album (15cm x 12cm) contains 16 cartes-de-visite, 6 tintype prints, and 2 card photographs. The pictures are studio portraits of members of the Cook, Augsbury, and Zoller families taken in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Boone, Iowa; and Watertown, New York, in the late 19th century. Most photographs feature women, infants, and young children, and a list of captains identifies each person pictured. One card photograph shows a daguerreotype studio portrait of a young girl. The album's brown leather cover is stamped with decorative designs, some in gold. One of the volume's two original metal clasps is still affixed to the back cover.