Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

The Atlantic City photograph album contains approximately 90 photographs related to an unidentified couple and their daughter, Jane, during a trip to Atlantic City in April and May of 1914.

The Atlantic City photograph album contains approximately 90 photographs related to an unidentified couple and their daughter, Jane, during a trip to Atlantic City in April and May of 1914. The album (18.5 x 27 cm) is bound in hand-painted varnished leather on paper boards with wood overlay. Images of particular interest include views of horseback riding on the beach, strolling on the boardwalk, and riding in rolling chairs and a pony-drawn cart. Atlantic City is seen largely as a backdrop to family activities. Additional photographs show the young girl sledding and with toys and friends at home. Also includes a photograph of Eleanor R. and Frederick D. Countiss and their daughter, Henrietta, in a studio portrait.

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 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 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 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 C. Wallace Bell photograph album (40 x 31 cm) contains 34 photographs including images of paintings of ships and other maritime subjects, views of the Central Pacific Railroad in the United States, and views of coastal regions of Cornwall (England) and Snowdonia (Wales) from ca. 1880.

The C. Wallace Bell photograph album contains 34 photographs including images of paintings of ships and other maritime subjects, views of the Central Pacific Railroad in the United States, and views of coastal regions of Cornwall (England) and Snowdonia (Wales) from ca. 1880. Each photograph is surrounded by a hand-drawn pen and ink border loosely related to the content of the image. Below each image and within the bounds of the illustrated borders there are titles/captions detailing the location and subject. The photographs are housed in a burgundy leather album (40 x 31 cm) with “C. Wallace Bell” stamped in gold on the front cover.

The first four photographs are of the Central Pacific Railroad. These photographs show the railway traversing through canyons, along rivers, and upon cliffsides throughout California, Nevada, and Utah, and were likely produced by Alfred A. Hart. The next six photographs were likely all taken by Danish photographer Anton Melbye and are all images of paintings that illustrate various historical maritime subjects including Eddystone Lighthouse, ships near Constantinople and on the Bosphorus, a Danish corvette, and the “Sinking of the Scotch Frigate 'Bothwell' by the Danish Frigate off the Western Island, A.D. 1567.” The remaining 24 photographs appear to have been produced by English photographer Francis Frith, as the blind stamp "Frith's Series" appears on several images. These images primarily show coastal regions and natural landscapes in Cornwall and Wales. Specific locations represented include Land’s End, Kynance Cove, a fairy glen in Betws-y-Coed, Cadair Idris, Barmouth, Afon Mawddach, Llyn Cwm Bychan, Moel Siabod, Bembridge Point, Llanberis Pass, Clovelly Beach, Tal-y-llyn, Bedruthan Steps, Criccieth Castle, Scratchell’s Bay, and Gurnard’s Head among others. Many of these sites are well-known lookouts, rock formations, and hiking trails.

The Family and travel photograph album contains approximately 120 commercial and amateur photographs primarily showing a couple and their two young children.

The Family and travel photograph album contains approximately 120 commercial and amateur photographs primarily showing a couple and their two young children.

The album (18.5 x 28 cm) features photographs of the unidentified couple and an their children at home, visiting friends, and on trips to the shore. Also included are photographs of stately homes and several childrens' parties, with one group of children holding hoops and sticks. Commercial photographs include a view of Washington, D.C. from the Capitol dome; the U.S. Capitol building; the Statue of Liberty; the former Treasury building on Wall Street in New York City; the Brooklyn Bridge; Carpenters' Hall; the S.S. Teutonic; and a nearly completed Philadelphia City Hall.

This album contains photographs taken during a hiking trip in the Grand Canyon at about the turn of the century. The pictures show hikers, canyon scenes, burros, and scenes from the hikers' railroad trip on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe to the canyon.

This album (12cm x 14cm) contains 32 photographs taken during a trip to the Grand Canyon around the 19th century, as well as one photograph of George T. Chaffee riding a horse named "General." A few items show railroad tracks belonging to the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad near the Missouri River and the railroad car "Dorchester." The remaining photographs are scenes from a small group's hiking trip along the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon, including pictures of the hikers in former cave-dwellers' homes, beside the Colorado River, and at the canyon's rim. Views of the canyon and other scenery are also included. The title "Photographs" is stamped in gold on the album's leather cover.

The Genesee County photograph album contains approximately 121 photographs related to an unidentified family farm in Genesee County, Michigan, ca. 1923.

The Genesee County photograph album contains approximately 121 photographs related to an unidentified family farm in Genesee County, Michigan, ca. 1923. The album (21 x 15 cm) has a string-bound brown cover with "Photographs" stamped in gold on the front. Most of the photographs present in the album were taken on a rural farm. Photographs include individual portraits of various family members as well as images of family gatherings, farm animals, barns and other farm buildings (including pictures documenting building construction), children, camping, automobiles, and pets. Additionally, pg. 26 contains six photos of people dressed in Ku Klux Klan attire while pg. 29 includes a photograph of a World War I monument honoring several fallen alumni of the Lundhill Sunday School in Wombwell, England.

The Hampton, Virginia, photograph album contains approximately 120 photographs, mainly panoramic images, showing waterfront views of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia as well as images of a rural farm or estate.

The Hampton, Virginia, photograph album contains approximately 120 photographs, mainly panoramic images, showing waterfront views of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia as well as images of a rural farm or estate. The album (28 x 38 cm) is half bound in brown leather. Images of interest include several exterior and interior views of a beach cottage; men, women, and children in swimming apparel, bobbing in the surf, strolling the beach and the boardwalk, and posing on the cottage porch swing and lawn; two photographs of a family group dining on the cottage veranda while an African American servant holds a fan; and a well-dressed African American couple on the porch steps.

Other photographs include views of the Chamberlain and Buckroe Beach hotels; the Cape Henry lighthouse; the Hampton Institute from across the water; the Ocean View Resort in Norfolk; the electric railway bridge over the water; and the Hampton soldier's home. Marine subjects include views of numerous small boats manned by sailors; possibly engaged in a rowing exercise; a naval station and battleship in the background; a Navy monitor under steam; and sailing boats moored in a harbor. An additional series of photographs show exterior views of a large country house in a landscaped setting, with elegant horse-drawn carriages, a farmyard with livestock, an African American man plowing a field, workers harvesting fruit in an orchard, and two African American men tending a steaming vat over an open fire.