Collections

The Southern tour collection contains photographs from a traveling party's visit to several locations in the southern United States, including Civil War battlefields, in March 1885, as well as a printed booklet containing sketches of people and various locales.

The collection contains 19 card photographs (13 x 21 cm). Many of these photographs show groups of men at "Magnolia," at the site of the Battle of Seven Pines (Fair Oaks), by a New Orleans train depot, and at Castillo de San Marcos in Saint Augustine, Florida; in one photograph, several men are picking strawberries. Other images show a wooded area in Mississippi, relics on a battlefield, Fort Sumter, and Fort Moultrie near Charleston, S.C. The booklet, entitled "Taylor, His Sketch Book, 1885," contains reprinted drawings of men and women (often with captions which are occasionally humorous), and of buildings in Saint Augustine, Florida. Some of the drawings depict African Americans. The card mounted photographs are bound in a red leather wrapper with the title "136 March 13-28 1885" in gold on the cover.

The Cuba photograph album contains 40 photographs of buildings, monuments, and other sights in Havana, Cuba, taken by an unidentified American tourist around 1901.

The Cuba photograph album contains 40 photographs of buildings, monuments, and other sights in Havana, Cuba, taken by an unidentified American tourist around 1901.

The album (14 x 18 cm) has grey cloth covers and is in fragile condition, with some early pages possibly missing. All 40 photographs are in good condition and include detailed inscribed captions. Most images are of major buildings and monuments such as the Cathedral Havana, Tacon Market, and Morro Castle.

• The wall where Spanish soldiers executed eight medical students falsely accused of desecrating a cemetery in 1871.
• Hotel Inglaterra (still in operation) with the empty pedestal in front where a statue of Queen Isabella II of Spain stood until 1899.
• The remains of the USS Maine, sunk in Havana Harbor in 1898 during the Spanish-American War.
• Tourists looking through the fence at General Fitzhugh Lee’s Marianao headquarters where he served as a commander of occupation forces from January 1899 until November 1900. Gen. Lee was a popular consul general in Havana from 1895 until the Spanish-American War broke out in April 1898, and he was the last American to leave Cuba. During the war, he trained a group of volunteer soldiers in Jacksonville, Florida, but never saw combat. He was appointed commander of occupation forces in the Havana District and returned to Cuba on January 1st, 1899, the day the Spanish evacuated the island

The Electric railway engineer photograph album consists of approximately 235 photographs and 1 booklet documenting the professional and personal life of an unidentified railway engineer specializing in electric rail line infrastructure.

The Electric railway engineer photograph album consists of approximately 235 photographs and 1 booklet documenting the professional and personal life of an unidentified railway engineer specializing in electric rail line infrastructure.

The album (25.5 x 30.5 cm) has dark green cloth covers with “Photographs” stamped on the front cover. All of the album pages are loose and fairly brittle, but the images are in generally good condition.

The first page contains sixteen signatures from participants in the 30th reunion of the Union College class of 1885. Subsequent photographs include several views of Union College campus, aspects of student life (including dorm room interiors and a group of portraits showing crossdressing men captioned “Minstrels"), and formal portraits of members of the Kappa Alpha Society in the mid-1880s, presumably including some of the attendees at the reunion whose signatures are represented.

The unidentified presumed compiler of the album can be seen in several photographs. He appears to have been an engineer specializing in infrastructure projects for electric-powered rail systems and was active in the early stages of when railroads in the United States were moving towards electrification. Many of the smaller circular photographs found throughout in the album were likely produced by a Kodak No. 2 camera, while larger format prints and cyanotypes are also present.

Contents are arranged chronologically starting with the compiler's student days before focusing on various professional assignments and elements of his personal life. During the ten years following his graduation from Union College the compiler apparently participated in several railroad development projects, mainly in what would become Washington State but also in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Idaho. Photographs from this period of his life include views of survey camps along the Columbia River and other regional waterways, interior and exterior views of the compiler’s home in Tacoma, portraits of his growing family, and snapshots of Klickitat people (including a group portrait of three women picking hops). By 1896 the compiler and his family appear to have moved back east, settling in New Rochelle, New York. Photographs from this period include documentation of projects on intercity lines on Staten Island and other nearby boroughs, a project in upstate New York, and numerous images of friends and family. The Albany and Hudson Railway and Power Company’s new electric train line to various towns between Hudson and Albany required establishing power sources along the route. As a small group of photographs in this album show, this necessitated constructing a dam at Stuyvesant Falls on the Kinderhook Creek which would provide electric power to the rail line and various local businesses. The final pages of the album document the construction of Hudson Park Dock in New Rochelle as well as leisure activities such as the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup auto races and a naval review in Oyster Bay.

A total of 18 loose photographs are included towards the back of the album. Images include a group portrait of Union College students from the 1880s, a studio portrait of a young woman and infant taken in the mid-1890s in Tacoma, and a double exposure of a woman standing next to an automobile in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1918. Also present is a printed pamphlet replete with numerous halftone reproduction images titled “Letter from Mayor Clarke to the Voters of New Rochelle with Pictures of Improvements Under His Administration” which highlights several civic infrastructure projects (including the Hudson Park Dock) undertaken during the tenure of mayor Henry Clarke.

The Liberty Bell Tour photograph album contains approximately 580 photographs depicting the journey of the Liberty Bell from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, California, and back again in 1915.

The Liberty Bell Tour photograph album contains approximately 580 photographs depicting the journey of the Liberty Bell from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, California, and back again in 1915.

The album (40 x 28 cm) has black paper covers and 305 pages, 14 of which do not contain any photographs. The photographs are generally arranged in chronological sequence and depict loading the Liberty Bell onto parade floats and train cars, celebratory parades, gathered crowds, and individuals and groups posing with the Liberty Bell. Numerous pictures include captions referencing the locations in which they were taken. The album also contains two small maps, each showing one of the routes of the cross-county trips that the Liberty Bell took, as well as landscape photographs of scenes in the western United States. Notable persons photographed with the Liberty Bell include Thomas Edison, members of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and groups of Native Americans in Cayuse, Oregon. Landscapes pictured include views of Wyoming, Pulpit Rock, Bear River Canyon, Mount Shasta, Shasta Springs, Horseshoe Curve, Royal Gorge, the Rockies, Salt Lake, and Feather River Canyon.

The Oberlin, Ohio photograph album contains 11 studio portrait photographs, including several images of family members and friends apparently related to a biracial family based in Oberlin, Ohio.

The Oberlin, Ohio photograph album contains 11 studio portrait photographs, including several images of family members and friends apparently related to a biracial family based in Oberlin, Ohio.

The album (13.5 x 10 cm) has embossed leather covers and a broken metal clasp. The album spine has completely deteriorated and all pages are completely detached from one another. For conservation and preservation purposes, all original photographs have been removed from their album page slots and replaced with facsimile copies. The original photographs are stored in a separate container along with the album.

Most of the individuals represented in this album have been tentatively identified through the presence of inscriptions made on album pages; all or most of the subjects appear to have been biracial/African American. Many page captions appear to be associated with friends and family members of the Vaughn family (alternatively spelled “Vaughan”) of Oberlin, Ohio. One group portrait of two boys present in the page captioned “John & Louis Vaughn” may depict brothers John Sewell Vaughn and Wendal Louis Vaughn, the latter of whom went on to become a professional photographer. While it remains unclear who the original compiler of the album was, it is possible that it was assembled by either a member or close friend of the Vaughn family.

The following list includes inscriptions present on album pages (in order of appearance) and/or descriptions of the portraits associated with each inscription:

• “Oscar Viney Dolph Viney’s father”: Carte de visite portrait of a bearded man with a hat. Possibly Oscar F. Viney (approximately 1830-1904) of Gallipolis, Ohio, who had a son named Adolphus E. Viney (1873-1947)
• “Aunt America Vaughn Clark”: Tintype portrait of a young woman. Possibly America Vaughn Clark (approximately 1845-?) of Gallipolis, Ohio. Includes revenue tax stamps on verso dated January 16 1866 as well as pasted-on clipped newspaper obituary for a woman named Maude Cooper Horton (1880-1903). The obituary mentions a surviving three-year-old daughter by the name of Louise; a Columbus, Ohio, death certificate for a Louise Horton (1900-1918) with parents listed as “Maud Cooper” and “William Horton” indicates that this family was "colored."
• “Will Vaughn”: Carte de visite portrait of a man with a large mustache by H. M. Platt of Oberlin, Ohio. Possibly William Craddock Vaughn (approximately 1835-1912)
• “John & Louis Vaughn”: Carte de visite group portrait of two boys by H. M. Platt. Possibly John Sewell Vaughn (1857-1931) and Wendel Louis Vaughn (approximately 1860-1918).
• “John Vaughn": Carte de visite portrait of a young man by H. M. Platt. Possibly John Sewell Vaughn, though also appears to possibly resemble older version of Wendel Louis Vaughn when compared to preceding group portrait.
• “Aunt Margaret”: Carte de visite portrait of a woman with curly hair.
• “Aunt Margaret”: Tintype portrait of a woman with curly hair. Same woman photographed in preceding image.
• “Thresa Madey”: Carte de visite portrait of a woman by C. W. Howland of Cincinnati, Ohio.
• “? Cooper”: No photograph in page slot.
• “Mary Hamilton”: Tintype portrait of a young African American woman.
• [Unidentified African American infant]: Carte de visite portrait of an unidentified infant by an unidentified photographer of St. Louis, Missouri.

The Norwalk, Ohio family photograph albums consist of two volumes containing approximately 560 photographs that depict an unidentified family, their homes, vacations, and construction of a house.

Volume 1: This album (29 x 36 cm) has black leather covers and black paper pages. Images include many affectionate pictures of children and pets as well as photographs of family vacations, homes, and the construction of a large house. At the end of the album, several photographs of children that appear earlier are replicated in larger formats.

Volume 2: This volume (35.5 x 43 cm) is a leather portfolio bearing an elaborate embossed elephant design on the front cover. Contained within is a series of thirty large format mounted photographs of the same house that is pictured while under construction in Volume 1. Photographs include views of surrounding natural scenery and gardens, exterior shots of the house, and images showing the porch and sunroom.

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 Pageant of the Dunes photograph album contains 92 photographs including snapshots of scenery in and around the vicinity of Chicago, Illinois, as well as images of the “Pageant of the Dunes” event held in Port Chester, Indiana, in 1917.

The Pageant of the Dunes photograph album contains 92 photographs including snapshots of scenery in and around the vicinity of Chicago, Illinois, as well as images of the “Pageant of the Dunes” event held in Port Chester, Indiana, in 1917.

The album (19 x 29 cm) is string-bound and has black paper covers and pages. Contents begin with images of Chicago scenery including views of Navy Pier, Edgebrook, and the Chicago River, while the following section features several images that appear to be related to an exhibition of statues of World War I soldiers at an unidentified venue. Photographs in the section captioned “Pageant of the Dunes, 1917” consist of images of crowds as well as actors and actresses, including some dressed as Native Americans. Three photographs dated to 1918 are also present.

The People photographed while reading photograph album contains 82 portraits of people reading as well as three newspaper clippings regarding the accidental death of railroad fireman Joseph Ronk in Wooster, Ohio.

The People photographed while reading photograph album contains 82 portraits of people reading as well as three newspaper clippings regarding the death of a railroad fireman.

The album (26.5 x 21.5 cm) has red velvet covers and a metal clasp. While the album itself and all the photographs in it date to the 19th/early 20th century, these materials were compiled by a noncontemporary individual with an interest in historic images of people reading. Also present are three newspaper clippings related to the accidental death of railroad fireman Joseph Ronk (1865-1888) following a train derailment in Wooster, Ohio, in July 1888.

The Same-sex affection and gender studies photograph collection contains approximately 150 examples of photographs that illustrate closeness between subjects of the same sex as well as aspects of non-traditional gender presentation.

The collection includes photographic examples in multiple formats with real photo postcards, tintypes, cabinet cards, cartes de visite, and small format mounted photos being the most numerous. 145 images are contained in Box 1 of the collection while an additional 5 photographs on larger format card mounts are stored in Box 2. Images mainly consist of portraits of men posing familiarly with other men, women posing familiarly with other women, and portraits of groups and individuals engaged in cross-dressing. Due to the subjective nature of assessing these images combined with historical differences in what was considered socially acceptable displays of affection and the general lack of verifiable context, many of these photographs remain open to a variety of interpretations.

Numerous photographs show same-sex duos and larger groups holding hands, placing their hands on each other, leaning on each other, or demonstrating affection in some other observable way. Most subjects are unidentified, though occasionally individuals have been identified through the presence of inscriptions. In some cases, individuals pictured together have been confirmed to be relatives.

Numerous photographs of male and female individuals and groups engaged in cross-dressing are also present. In many instances, the cross-dressing most likely occurred for humorous reasons.

• Postcard showing two men embracing with the printed caption "We're looking for girls at Lansing, Mich."
• Real photo postcard bearing a studio group portrait of two men, one of whom appears to have an unbuckled belt.
• Cabinet card studio group portrait by Beardsley of Charlotte, Michigan, showing two men, one of whom holds a guitar, whose arms appear to align behind them in a manner that suggests they may have been holding hands.
• Two different group portraits of the same female couple identified through inscriptions as "Agnes Davis" and "Anna Wickerham."
• 1940s group portrait of four men included in a souvenir packet for “Swing Rendezvous,” a New York City-based lesbian/gay bar.
• Real photo postcard bearing a portrait of an unidentified man wearing women's clothing, including a dress, flower-laden hat, and beaded necklace.
• Postcard showing a man wearing women's clothing sat on a bench with the printed caption "The Male is late!"
• Outdoor portrait of two women dressed in men's clothing captioned "A pair of Peaches."
• Real photo postcard captioned "Four of a kind" showing two cross-dressed male-female couples sitting together, with the women sat in the men's laps.
• Series of four images showing a woman posing in World War I-era soldier's uniform.