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Collection

David V. Tinder Collection of Michigan Photography, ca. 1845-1980

Approximately 113,000 photographs and 96 volumes

Online
The David V. Tinder Collection of Michigan Photography consists of over 100,000 images in a variety of formats including daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, cartes de visite, cabinet photographs, real photo postcards, stereographs, and mounted and unmounted paper prints. The collection is primarily made up of vernacular photographs of everyday life in Michigan taken by both professional and amateur photographers from the 1840s into the mid-twentieth century. In addition to supporting local history research, the collection has resources for the study of specific events and subjects. Included are images related to lumbering, mining, suburbanization; the industrialization of cities; travel and transportation; the impact of the automobile; the rise of middle-class leisure society; fashion and dress; ethnicity and race; the role of fraternal organizations in society; and the participation of photographers in business, domestic, and social life. The collection is only partially open for research.

The subject contents of different photographic format series within the Tinder collection vary, depending in part upon how each format was historically used, and the date range of that format's popularity. For example, cartes de visite and cased images are most often formal studio portraits, while stereographs are likely to be outdoor views. Cabinet photographs are frequently portraits, but often composed with less formality than the cartes de visite and cased images. The postcards and the mounted prints contain very diverse subjects. The photographers' file contains many important and rare images of photographers, their galleries, promotional images, and the activities of photographers in the field. See individual series descriptions in the Contents List below for more specific details.

Included throughout are images by both professional and amateur photographers, although those by professionals are extant in far greater numbers.

Collection

Gerald T. and Charlotte B. Maxson Printed Ephemera Collection, ca. 1750s-1999 (majority within 1850s-1900)

approximately 5,000+ items in 23 volumes

The Gerald T. and Charlotte B. Maxson printed ephemera collection contains over 5,000 pieces of assorted ephemera, the majority of which were commercially printed in the United States during the mid to late 19th-century.

The Gerald T. and Charlotte B. Maxson printed ephemera collection contains over 5,000 pieces of assorted ephemera, the majority of which were commercially printed in the United States during the mid to late 19th-century.

The Maxson collection provides a valuable resource for the study of 19th-century visual culture, commercial advertising, and humor in addition to the role of gender, ethnicity, and race in advertising. American businesses are the predominant focus of the collection, though many international businesses are also represented. While trade cards are by far the most prevalent type of ephemera found in this collection, an extensive array of genres are present including die cut scrapbook pieces, photographs, engravings, maps, serials, and manuscript materials.

The 23 binders that house the Maxson collection were arranged by the collectors themselves. Items are organized somewhat randomly in terms of topical arrangement. While pockets of related materials can be found here and there (for instance, the entirety of Volume 16 contains circus-related items while Volume 11 contains an extensive number of Shaker-related materials), for the most part any given subject may appear in any given volume. In some cases, items are clustered as a result of having been acquired together or due to a documented common provenance. Occasional typed annotations written by the Maxsons help provide additional context for certain items.

The Maxson Collection Subject Index serves as a volume-level subject index for materials found throughout the binders. The subjects indexed here are generally representative of both visual and commercial content. In addition to more general subjects, many names of specific people, places, buildings, events, and organizations that appear in the materials have also been listed. Researchers engaging with this collection should be aware that they will encounter numerous examples of racist caricatures, especially ones depicting African American, Native American, Irish, and Chinese people.

Collection

McCreery-Fenton Family papers, 1818-1948 (majority within 1860-1940)

12 linear feet (in 13 boxes) — 1 oversize folder

The McCreery and Fenton families were prominent Genesee county, Michigan residents some of whose members distinguished themselves in local and state government, as soldiers during the Civil War, and in the United States diplomatic service. Papers include diaries, correspondence and other material relating to the Civil War, local and state politics and aspects of diplomatic service in Central and South America.

The McCreery-Fenton family collection documents the individual careers of family members who served their community and their nation in a variety of roles. Through correspondence, diaries and other materials, the researcher will find information pertaining to the Civil War, to the history of Flint and Fenton in Genesee County, Michigan, and to facets of America's diplomatic relations with some of the countries of Central and South America. Arranged by name of the three principal family members represented in the collection - William M. Fenton, William B. McCreery, and Fenton R. McCreery, the papers also include series of general family materials, business records, and photographs.

Collection

Newell family papers, 1726-1900

58 items

The Newell family papers show what life was like in a small New York town in the mid-1860s and detail Albert Newell's entrepreneurial ventures into the oil and cotton trades. The heart of the Newell family papers consists of 41 letters written by Arthur W. and Cornelia E. Newell to their son George Newell during his first two years at Yale.

The Newell family papers show what life was like in a small New York town in the mid-1860s and detail Albert Newell's entrepreneurial ventures into the oil and cotton trades. The heart of the Newell family papers consists of 41 letters written by Arthur W. and Cornelia E. Newell to their son George Newell during his first two years at Yale. Most were written from the family home in Medina, New York. Both Arthur and Cornelia included news of local people's movements and sicknesses, of events, and the effects of the weather on the crops. They frequently mentioned trips to nearby Lockport, Middleport and Ridgeway, often for cultural or religious activities. The Newells' letters also recounted longer trips to Chicago for the nomination of Lincoln on the Republican ticket in 1860, to the Armory in Springfield, Mass., and to the Grand Review of the Army of the Potomac in Washington in May 1865.

There are no letters from George to his parents, but some information about his university years can be inferred from the letters they wrote to him. They both lectured him about being an upstanding young gentleman, exhorting him to "choose virtue as your Goddess..." and to "beware of all evil". As a freshman he joined a fraternity without having to undergo too many trials. During the winter of 1865-66 he hurt his ankle severely enough to necessitate the use of a crutch for several months. He first lived in a private home at 30 High Street but moved to college rooms his sophomore year. Arthur's investments meant that the Newells were often cash poor, however, they were still able to send George over $970.00 during his first two years of college. Yale tuition at the time was less than $25.00 per term. Almost all of George's tuition bills are included in this collection, along with a "promise to pay" signed by his father.

There are five letters written to George Newell in the 1880s and 1900. As an older man, he evidently developed an interest in his family history, and there are two letters from a second cousin concerning their great grandfather Thomas Steadman. Colonel Edwin Franklin Brown of the 28th New York Infantry wrote George a marvelous letter recounting the involvement of his father, Jeremiah Brown, in the "Morgan Affair". In 1826 the Masons of the Batavia Lodge were accused of murdering Capt. William A. Morgan for divulging secrets of the society. Jeremiah Brown was charged with complicity in the abduction of Morgan, went into hiding, was tried at Lockport and acquitted by Judge William S. Marcy (who went on to serve as governor 1833-1838). This event catalyzed the Anti-Masonic movement, led by Thurlow Weed, and Brown related some of the repercussions felt by his family.

The collection also includes three earlier Newell family documents. The oldest is a small copybook, inscribed, "Samuel Newell his book 1734". It evidently passed from generation to generation of Newells and contains genealogical information and some accounts; dates span from 1726 to 1823. According to the copybook, Solomon Newell married Sally Steadman in 1807. The two letters from George's second cousin G. W. Pierce suggest that her father was Thomas Steadman, a Revolutionary War soldier from Connecticut. Pierce refers to Thomas Steadman as "your [George's] Grandmother's Father", offering further evidence that Arthur was the son of Solomon and Sally (Steadman) Newell. The other two documents are early nineteenth century deeds. One, from Damaris Newell, gave his son Solomon Newell land on Center Hill in Barkhamsted, Litchfield County, Conn. The second, signed by Grandison Newell, gave Solomon a portion of a house and barn, also on Center Hill. The rest of the collection is comprised of a variety of miscellaneous documents relating to the life of George Newell, including Yale tuition bills, a bill from the photographer, George K. Warren, a stock certificate issued by the Medina & Alabama Plank Road Company, a mortgage, two checks drawn from a Union Bank of Medina account and a clipping from the Medina Tribune.

Collection

Same-Sex Affection and Gender Studies Photograph Collection, ca. 1850s-1940s

approximately 150 photographs

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.

Examples of images of interest include:
  • 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.
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

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)