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

The Parrish family photograph album contains 110 photographs assembled by the Parrish family of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, including images of family and friends, political figures, celebrities, and popular illustrations as well as photographs related to Union efforts to educate freed slaves during the Civil War in the Port Royal Experiment.

The album (15.5 x 24 cm) has embossed brown leather covers and two metal clasps. 63 loose photographs are stored in Mylar sleeves and many appear to have been separated from the album over time. In some cases, it is possible to match loose images with a specific page slot through pairing inscriptions on the photograph with annotations present in the album. However, many loose images do not contain any identifying information, so it is unclear where some may have been located within the album or if they were ever associated with the album in the first place. It is possible that a small portion of the loose images were never originally included in the album since there are more photographs present in the collection than there are available photo slots in the album. At least two portraits from the 1890s do not appear to have belonged to the original family collection.

Compilation of the album may have first begun in the 1860s, but it was most likely completed during in the 1870s with photographs that the Parrish family had acquired over time. Sarah H. Parrish, née Wilson (1836-1892), the wife of Joseph Parrish’s grandson John Cox Parrish (1836-1921), may have been one of the primary creators of the album. She and John had a daughter named Caroline L. Parrish (1863-1915), who may be the “Carrie” whose name is written on the back of some of the photographs. Overall, there appear to be three different styles of handwriting present in the album. Captions for several of the album’s portraits were made in pencil in a flowing cursive while other names appear in a more juvenile-looking cursive hand, and a distinctive third hand also appears sporadically. The two cursive hands may well have been Sarah’s and Carrie’s as mother and daughter worked on the album together in the mid to late-1870s, with an occasional contribution (the third hand) possibly made by one of Carrie’s three younger brothers. One other detail supports this hypothesis: a portrait labelled “Fred” with “Mrs. Parrish, with love of Fred” inscribed on the verso. The individual photographed here was most likely Sarah’s cousin, Frederick Cleveland Homes (1844-1915). Additionally, the portrait on the page next to Fred’s portrait is of a young child identified as “Charlie Homes,” and it is likely that this is Fred’s son Charles Ives Homes (1872-1939).

Parrish family members are well represented in this album, while other unidentified family members may also be portrayed in some of the loose photographs without captions. Likely family friends or acquaintances of the Parrishes whose portraits are present include George and Catherine Truman, James and Lucretia Mott, the Rev. Richard Newton, and Phillip Brooks, all of whom were active in the same abolitionist organizations as the Parrishes. The album also contains many images of admired religious, political, and cultural figures, including Quaker heroes George Fox and Elizabeth Fry; Civil War leaders Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses Grant; George and Martha Washington; social reformers Dorothea Dix and Anna E. Dickinson; actor Edwin Booth; and Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. A number of these images are photographic reproductions of painted, engraved, or lithographic portraits. Also present are four hand-colored photographs of Dutch women in traditional dress as well as photographic reproductions of popular sentimental genre scenes such as “The Unconvanience of Single Life.”

Of particular note are a series of photographs related to the Port Royal Experiment, an ambitious effort to provide education for freed slaves following the capture of islands off the coast of South Carolina by Union troops in 1861. Relief committees in the North raised money and sent volunteers to set up schools and other institutions. Among the most successful was the Penn School, established by Laura Matilda Towne with support from the Philadelphia Freedmen’s organization in which the Parrish family was actively involved. People and places are identified with ink captions on the photographs themselves in a hand that differs from other inscriptions in the album. Towne may possibly have compiled these images herself and sent them to supporters back home. This series of photographs includes seven images of Beaufort, South Carolina, (four of which were produced by Sam A. Cooley, photographer to the Tenth Army Corps) captioned “Beaufort Soldiers’ Chapel and Reading Room,” “Path to the river of Smith’s Plantation,” “Beaufort House / Where we Stopped, showing the Beaufort Hotel and nextdoor office of the Adams Express Company,” “Soldiers’ Graves,” “Gen. Saxton’s Headquarters,” “Father French’s House,” and “Our House.” Three cartes de visite produced by Hubbard & Mix show instructors Towne, Ellen Murray, and Harriet Murray respectively posing with freed black children. The photograph with Ellen Murray bears inscriptions identifying her students as “Peg Aiken” and “Little Gracie Chapin (one of Miss Murray’s brightest pupils).” A fourth Hubbard & Mix image captioned “I’m a freeman” shows an African-American man dressed in clothing made from rags and includes an album page inscription that reads: “Young Roslin says, ‘Now I’m free, I go to bed/ when I please I’se gits up/ when I please. In olden times/ I’se help gits de breakfast/ but no’se time to eats it myself/ Ha-ha-I’se happy boy now.” Also present are three cartes de visite produced by photographers based in Nashville, Tennessee, including one portrait by T. M. Schleier of an African-American woman with two children (one of whom has a much lighter complexion than the other) with the recto caption “Lights & Shadows of Southern Life” and verso caption “Aunt Martha and children/ Slaves/ Nashville, Tenn.,” as well as two other images by Morse’s Gallery of the Cumberland that show the same young African-American boy looking sad “Before the Proclamation” and then grinning broadly “After the Proclamation.”

The Pictorial Record of the United States Army Air Forces 90th Bombardment Group consists of two volumes containing 1 manuscript item and approximately 412 photographs documenting the activities of the USAAF 90th Bombardment Group during the New Guinea campaign of War World II.

Materials are housed in plastic sleeves contained in two green-colored 3-ring binders (30 x 33 cm). All photographs are gelatin silver developing-out prints and for the most part measure between 10 x 12 cm and 26 x 20 cm in size. Numerous images bear stamps that state “Passed by U.S. Army Examiners.” Most images do not have captions, though a small number do have typescript captions on their versos.

Volume A:

Volume A contains approximately 186 photographs as well as 1 manuscript item. The volume begins with a one-page typescript document issued ca. 1944 that is addressed to the 400th Bomb Squadron 90th Bomb Group, stating the photographs are intended to be “the Pictorial Record of Our Unit.” The letter is signed by Maj. C. Vernon Ekstrand of the U.S. Army Air Corps. Photographs include a composite portrait of the 90th Bomb Group members, individual and group portraits of 90th Bomb Group members, a group portrait of Japanese military personnel, images of Allied military facilities, Japanese warships being bombed, military aircraft shown both midair as well as on the ground, what appears to be an abandoned Japanese tank, and numerous landscape views. Also present are several images showing aircraft nose art. Of particular interest are various pictures documenting interactions with native Papuan people including individual and group portraits as well as photographs of Papuan settlements and structures (including churches).

Volume B:

Volume B contains approximately 226 photographs. This volume includes a substantial number of pictures of indigenous Papuan individuals, children, and families, including several portraits of nude women (including mothers breastfeeding), as well as images showing traditional Papuan body modifications and tattoos. Of particular note are images that appear to document a Papuan ceremony that showcases elements of traditional Papuan clothing, music, and ritual dance, as well as a photograph of a Papuan trumpet player. Other items of interest include numerous images documenting USO performers (including Bob Hope and Patty Thomas) and a series of aircraft nose art photographs that include several works signed by Cpl. Al G. Merkling. Images of airborne planes and landscape views also feature prominently in this volume.

The Piñon Lodge, Crystal, New Mexico photograph album contains 49 photographs of log buildings and other structures of Piñon Lodge in Crystal, New Mexico, and picturesque views of the surrounding area.

The Piñon Lodge, Crystal, New Mexico photograph album contains 49 photographs of log buildings and other structures of Piñon Lodge in Crystal, New Mexico, and picturesque views of the surrounding area. The album (18.5 x 29 cm) has string-bound black leather covers and is partially disbound. Individual photographs are affixed to black paper leaves, with sketches of desert scenes and captions drawn in the margins with white ink; on the verso of the front cover is a sketch of a man in Western wear on horseback, signed by W. E. Wells.

Images of include views from locations such as Bridge Canyon, Bonito Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, Canyon del Muerto, ruins in Chaco Canyon, Coal Canyon, the Four Corners Region, the Grand Canyon, Inscription Rock at El Morro (with a photograph of the Spanish inscription from 1620), the Arizona village of Kayenta, Monument Valley, Painted Desert, petrified forests, Rainbow Bridge, and the Venus Needle near Crystal. Pictures of Native Americans, mainly focusing on the Navajo, include views of Navajo hogans, a loom, and women on the steps of Piñon Lodge; the Hopi settlement of Hotevilla, with corn drying on the rooftops of pueblo dwellings; and a Zuni pueblo with Thunder Mountain in the distance. Opposite several photographs are pasted typescript copies of a Piñon Lodge advertisement which includes a sample trip itinerary and describes the region's attractions for camping and hiking.

The Railroad construction photograph album contains approximately 300 photographs taken by an unidentified railroad engineer showing construction projects on the White River Railway, Gordon & Fort Smith Railway, Wabash Southern Railraod, and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railway in Northern Arkansas, southern Illinois, and Missouri.

The Railroad construction photograph album contains approximately 300 photographs taken by an unidentified railroad engineer showing construction projects on the White River Railway, Gordon & Fort Smith Railway, Wabash Southern Railraod, and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railway in Northern Arkansas, southern Illinois, and Missouri.

The album (18.5 x 28 cm) has black cloth covers, and many of the photographs have manuscript captions. Photographs of interest include images of engineers' and contractors' camps on the Antoine River in Arkansas and the Big Muddy River near Zeigler, Illinois, including interiors and exteriors of tent offices and living quarters; work parties (one of which includes a Japanese man identified as "K. Okora") relaxing and eating in camp, using survey equipment, building concrete piers, operating grading machinery, unloading equipment, laying track, and repairing bridges and tunnels, including sections damaged by flooding. Also of note is a photograph labeled "G. M. Callaway on his speeder, 1907," showing a man riding a Fairbanks velocipede railroad handcar. Several family photographs are also present, showing the unidentified engineer who created the album and his wife in their tent "home" at Antoine River, Arkansas, and with their young child at home in Chicago. Additional photographs include street views from Carthage and Kansas City in Missouri as well as Chicago and Benton in Illinois. Also present are three images of Wabash Southern Railway maps that are affixed to the inside of the back cover.

Railroad employees identified in photographs include: R.C. Larimore, Geo. Gentry, J. F. Reidnaar, Ernest Cameron, K. Okora, Carlos Dunn, Don Bradley, Braun, Wherry, Humber, Guy Hardin, Jno. P. Sanderson, Dick Armstrong, H. W. Perstrup, Geo. N. Lampley, Roy Watson, W. R. Smith, H. Rohmer, S. L. Morrow, F. Hammond, and C. L. Moorman.

The Ray A. Johnson photograph album contains approximately 100 photographs of scenes from western Wisconsin and Minnesota.

The Ray A. Johnson photograph album contains approximately 100 photographs of scenes from western Wisconsin and Minnesota. The album (18.5 x 30 cm) has black pebbled cloth covers. Many photographs show scenes around Johnson's home in Dunn County, Wisconsin, including a street view of West Knapp, friends in outdoor settings, school groups, the Eau Claire High School classes of 1899 and 1900, the high school women's basketball team, and the school fan drill team. Three photographs show extensive damage in New Richmond, Wisconsin, likely from the 1899 tornado. Minnesota-related photographs show Minnehaha Falls, Minnesota State Fair buildings, and Native American burial mounds in St. Paul. Also included are images of locomotives from the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railroad; the Knapp, Wisconsin railroad station; four men standing on railroad tracks with a handcar; track construction with a Bucyrus steam shovel at work; the interior of a sawmill; and two Booth Line steamers, Argo andS.B. Barker. Individual portraits include an older man with a Grand Army of the Republic medal sitting among American flags, and a young girl posed outdoors with her dolls and accessories. Ray Johnson is included in several photographs, alone and among friends and family members.

The Raymond family travel and portrait photograph album contains approximately 315 items (including photographic prints and illustrated postcards) related to the family, acquaintances, and travels of Francis J. Raymond, Jr., of St. Louis, Missouri.

The Raymond family travel and portrait photograph album contains approximately 315 items (including photographic prints and illustrated postcards) related to the family, acquaintances, and travels of Francis J. Raymond, Jr., of St. Louis, Missouri. The album (25 x 34 cm) has black cloth pages and is largely disbound. The majority of photographs have printed or typewritten captions. Many images are posed individual and group portraits of men, women, and children wearing fashionable clothing in a variety of settings, including on porches, patios, indoors, and beside trains. Several photographs appear to have been taken at the Antler Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado, over a number of years, including images taken of a children's party on the hotel lawn replete with a group of Native American performers wearing war bonnets and carrying drums. Francis Raymond, Jr., is also shown visiting Charles L. Raymond and family in Detroit, as well as the Keelyn family and other friends in Los Angeles and Riverside, California. Other images show a golf outing; numerous cats and other animals; attractions in Colorado Springs, including the Cheyenne Mountain Lodge; scenes from Hawaii, including colored commercial prints of Mt. Muana Loa and a portrait of "Phillip Abdul" playing a ukelele on a Honolulu beach; several photographic silhouettes; a beach scene at Northport Point, Michigan; and a cottage at Topinbee, Michigan. Laid in images include two photographs of children's parties in 1917 and 1919, and two family groups from the same period.

The Ritta S. Murphy, Smith College photograph album contains 86 photographs and 37 pieces of ephemera related to Smith College students, environs, and activities between 1898 and 1900.

The Ritta S. Murphy, Smith College photograph album contains 86 photographs and 37 pieces of ephemera related to Smith College students, environs, and activities between 1898 and 1900. The album (? x ?) has black cloth covers tied with a red silk cord and a detached back cover and is disbound. Photographs of interest include images of the Ivy Day procession of 1900; President William McKinley and Smith College President L. C. Seelye in a horse-drawn carriage; exteriors and interiors of campus buildings; Smith students on the golf course; a Smith basketball game in the gymnasium; and scenes of Smith students and young men canoeing on "Junior Prom Day, 1900." Ephemera items include programs from musical and theatrical performances, railroad and sporting event ticket stubs, a dance card, golf score cards, and newspaper clippings describing Smith College events and Ritta Murphy's "debut" tea party.

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.

The Schafer Brothers Logging Company photograph collection consists of 18 images related to the business’s logging operations in western Washington State from the mid-1890s to 1940.

The photographs are stored in plastic sleeves and kept in a black vinyl-covered ringed notebook (38.5 x 32 cm). Five of the images are 30 x 35.5 cm while the other thirteen are 20.5 x 25.5 cm. The photographs in this collection detail important aspects of the Schafer Brothers Logging Company’s development as an enterprise. At least four of the photographs were taken by Clark Kinsey. Other attributed photographers include Anderson Photo., Jones Co., H. C. Nelson, E. A. Smith, K. S. Brown, and Stan Spiegle. Certain photographs bearing the stamp of K. S. Brown appear to possibly be copies of other photographers’ work that was reproduced at a later date.

The 30 x 35.5 cm images include the following:

1) Outdoor group portrait of seven men working in the woods in Brady, Washington; photograph by Clark Kinsey, No. 44 (ink signature on verso: Carl A. Schafer)

2) Outdoor group portrait of numerous company employees including many Native American men from the Quinault Reservation; “No. 1 Schafer Lumber Co.”; (ink signature on verso: Carl A. Schafer)

3) Outdoor group portrait of numerous company employees at a company picnic observing logrolling contest; “Schafer Bros. Annual picnic Aug 14 / 27”; photograph by Clark Kinsey, No. 51 (ink signature on verso: Carl A. Schafer)

4) Outdoor view of a 41-ton Heisler geared steam locomotive, the company’s first locomotive, with crew; “Schafer Bros. Logging Co. Brady, Wn.”; photograph by Clark Kinsey, No. 48; (ink signature on verso: Albert Schafer)

5) Outdoor group portrait of 17 log foremen; “Schafer Bros. Log Foreman [sic] # 91”; photograph by Clark Kinsey, No. 91; (ink signature on verso: John D. Schafer)

The 20.5 x 25.5 cm images include the following:

6) Ca. 1899 view of the Schafer family home built in 1895 showing members of the Schafer and Mueller families (related through Anna Schafer’s first marriage) [includes touchups made directly onto the photograph with a marker]; (photographer’s stamp on verso: Copy Negative No. 7470 K. S. Brown Photo Kenwood 1921 6838 - 32nd N.E. Seattle, Wash.)

7) Outdoor group portrait of several members of the Schafer, Mueller, and Comfort families with horse-drawn carts, dogs, and homestead visible in background [includes touchups made directly onto the photograph with a marker]; “Old Homestead”; (stamp on verso: Copy Negative No. 7473 K. S. Brown Photo Kenwood 1921 6838 - 32nd N.E. Seattle, Wash.)

8) Outdoor group portrait of several men including the Schafer brothers with crew members, two of which are entirely illustrated through negative retouching, and a team of oxen while posing with tools near noteworthy logging harvest; “Aug 21-1901 30 x 84 = 7000 Schafer Bros. Logging Co.”; (stamp on verso: Copy Negative No. 7543 K. S. Brown Photo Kenwood 1921 6838 - 32nd N.E. Seattle, Wash.)

9) Outdoor view showing team of oxen hauling trees to the river with Peter Schafer (at right holding goad stick), Roy Gill (at center riding bull), and another individual [includes touchups made directly onto the photograph with a marker]; (stamp on verso: No. 14647 The Jones Photo Co. Aberdeen, Washington)

10) LOCATED BEHIND #9; Outdoor view showing team of oxen hauling trees to the river with Peter Schafer (at right holding goad stick), Roy Gill (at center riding bull), and another individual; “Preacher Slough Sep 6 - 1897 Peter Schafer”; (stamp on verso: Copy Negative No. 7466 K. S. Brown Photo Kenwood 1921 6838 - 32nd N.E. Seattle, Wash.)

11) Outdoor view showing August Maas, Peter Schafer, and Hubert Schafer operating one of the company’s first steam donkeys [includes touchups made directly onto the photograph with a marker]; “Schafer Bros. Log Co. on Satsop”; photograph by E. A. Smith; (stamp on verso: Copy Negative No. 7475 K. S. Brown Photo Kenwood 1921 6838 - 32nd N.E. Seattle, Wash.)

12) Outdoor view showing a steam donkey railroad operation hoisting and loading logs; (stamp on verso: No. 17371 The Jones Photo Co. Aberdeen, Washington Jun 27 1940)

13) Outdoor group portrait showing in order of appearance from left to right: Hyasman (first name possibly George; Native American), Hubert Schafer, Albert Schafer, Ed Kesterson, Herman Mueller, Ben Kesterson, and John Minkler standing on a logjam in the Satsop River in 1898 [includes touchups made directly onto the photograph with a marker]; (stamp on verso: Copy Negative No. 7474 K. S. Brown Photo Kenwood 1921 6838 - 32nd N.E. Seattle, Wash.)

14) Outdoor view showing an enormous logjam on the Satsop River ca. 1907 with a group of workers posing in foreground [includes touchups made directly onto the photograph with a marker]; “Schafer Bros. 3000000 ft. in the River”; photograph by H. C. Nelson; (stamp on verso: Copy Negative No. 7471 K. S. Brown Photo Kenwood 1921 6838 - 32nd N.E. Seattle, Wash.)

15) Outdoor view showing lumber staging area on water; “140 Fir Peeler logs selected for wide Veneer or Plywood stock. Schafer Brothers Logging Co. Montesano, Wash.”; photograph by Anderson Photo. ; (stamp on verso: Anderson Photo 119 E. Heron St. Aberdeen, Wash.) (ink signature on verso: Paul A. Schafer)

16) Outdoor view showing large group of people gathered for company picnic; “Schafer Bros. Picnic Everybody Eat”; photograph by Anderson Photo. ; (stamp on verso: Anderson Photo 119 E. Heron St. Aberdeen, Wash.) (ink signature on verso: Paul A. Schafer)

17) Outdoor view of stone monument at entrance to Schafer State Park with large metal plaque that reads: Honoring the Memory of John D. & Anna Schafer Pioneers of 1871 This Park is Dedicated by Their Sons Peter, Hubert and Albert in 1924; “#14”; (stamp on verso: No. 15774 The Jones Photo Co. Aberdeen, Washington Jul 1938)

18) Outdoor view showing a man standing on a dirt path in the woods staring up at the trees; (stamp on verso: Reproduction Rights Reserved by Stan Spiegle Aberdeen, Washington)

The Schlegelmilch family cottage photograph album contains 107 photographs related to the Schlegelmilch family vacation home on a wooded island or point (likely on a lake in Wisconsin) including views of natural scenery, Schlegelmilch family members and cottage guests, and various recreational activities taken during the late 1890s to 1920.

The Schlegelmilch family cottage photograph album contains 107 photographs related to the Schlegelmilch family vacation home on a wooded island or point (likely on a lake in Wisconsin) including views of natural scenery, Schlegelmilch family members and cottage guests, and various recreational activities taken during the late 1890s to 1920. The album (18 x 27 cm) is half bound in tan leather with four rivets along the edge. Images of interest include scenic views of the lake, cottage exterior, and surrounding forested area; views of cottage visitors boating, gathering on the veranda and indoors for meals, swimming, using rifles for target practice, fishing, picnicking, and taking part in outdoor excursions; a posed portrait of people holding musical instruments, a fishing net, and a megaphone; photographs of boats including small steamboats or lake ferries, a sailboat, and a large canoe holding 13 passengers; interior views of the cottage during winter; and two photographs of Native Americans including a family sitting outside of a wigwam shelter and a group portrait dated 1901 showing two people sitting in a wallpapered interior with a beaded bandolier bag hanging from the wall behind and a small animal pelt on the shelf.

Cottage visitors identified by handwritten captions include: Agnes Barland, Mable Welke, Isabel Rutherford, Gordon Barland, H. F. Schlegelmilch, L. Schlegelmilch, Jennie Dunnigan, and Lillian Dunnigan.