Same-Sex Affection and Gender Studies Photograph Collection, ca. 1850s-1940s
approximately 150 photographs
approximately 150 photographs
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.
approximately 150 photographs
approximately 208 photographs, 14+ items of ephemera, 1 newspaper, and 3 letters in 1 album
The Samuel May photograph album contains approximately 208 photographs as well as letters and ephemera compiled by U.S. Army soldier Samuel May from his time stationed in London, France, and Germany during World War II.
The album was originally housed in a vinyl binder but has since been moved to a separate binder where images and ephemera have been housed in plastic sleeves. In addition to photographs the album also contains a set of tourist postcards, five tickets, one drawing, one newspaper clipping, four magazine clippings, one event advertisement, two miscellaneous documents, one newspaper, and three letters home. All of the photographs have information written on their backs.
Images of note include pictures of leisure activities taken while May was stationed in France including views of Rheims, Marseille, and Paris; the destroyed German War Office and the 1936 Olympic Stadium in Berlin; the city of Aachen in ruins; and young men sporting Adolf Hitler-style mustaches as a joke captioned "This is just in case we lose." Also of interest is a drawing of Samuel May on American Red Cross stationery as well as letters home that were likely written while May was waiting to return home following the war’s conclusion.
approximately 208 photographs, 14+ items of ephemera, 1 newspaper, and 3 letters in 1 album
approximately 89 prints, 111 photographs, and pressed flowers in 2 albums
The Smith family travel photograph albums consist of two volumes containing photographs, chromolithographs, die-cut scrapbook pieces, and pressed flower designs accumulated during a trip to Europe, Egypt, Syria, and Palestine.
The albums chronicle the journey of siblings “J. M. Smith" and “M. H. Smith.” Each album bears the name of its respective owner on the front cover. The Smiths left New York City on May 20th 1874 on the Cunard Line Steamer Abyssinia, before disembarking in Queenstown, Ireland, on May 29th. After spending time in Ireland, England, and Scotland they visited several locations in mainland Europe including Paris, Switzerland, southern Germany, Brussels, the Netherlands, Italy, Prussia, and Austria. After exploring Europe, the Smiths ventured to the Middle East where they toured Egypt, Christian holy sites in Palestine (present-day Israel), Turkey, and Syria. They subsequently traveled back through Italy and France before boarding the steamer Bothnia in Liverpool and returning to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Volume one (25 x 19.5 cm) has purple covers with “J. M. Smith” stamped in gold on the front and contains 47 photographs, 19 printed items, 1 drawing, and numerous dried pressed vegetation arrangements. Several images found in this album are also found in volume two including commercial photographic reproductions of engraved portraits, Italian Renaissance artwork, and other 19th century paintings. A handwritten itinerary outlining the course of the trip can be found inside the front cover and suggests the albums were finished being compiled by August 20th 1875. Items of interest include several portraits of various individuals including Julia Anderson, Jinnie Miller, Lula Miller, Nannie Anderson, and Reverend Christopher Newman Hall; numerous dried floral compositions; a pen and ink drawing of the “arms & crest of ‘Darsie’”; a photograph of two leaning towers in Bologna; a printed memorial card for Elizabeth Maria Thompson, founder of the British Syrian Schools Mission in Beirut and Damascus; and an image of blind children likely from one of Thompson’s schools.
Volume two (25 x 19.5 cm) has purple covers with "M. H. Smith" stamped in gold on the front and contains 64 photographs, 70 printed items, and numerous dried pressed vegetation arrangements. A handwritten itinerary outlining the course of the trip that is nearly identical to one found at the beginning of volume one is located inside the front cover. Items of interest include a photograph of a painting of Queen Victoria’s family; die-cut scrapbook pieces depicting different manner of dress in nations including the United States, China, and Italy; and numerous photographs and photographic reproductions of portraits of European royalty, rulers, and people wearing traditional ethnic clothing (mainly Swiss, Germans, Italians, and Greeks). Also of note are pressed vegetation and flower designs including moss samples spelling out “Italy” and “Egypt”; photographic and lithographic portraits of Prussian leaders Wilhelm I, Crown Prince Frederick William, Prince Carl, and Otto von Bismarck; a collection of materials from Marie Antoinette’s prison cell along with flowers from around Paris; a photograph of a female professor at the University of Bologna, Italy who was said to be too beautiful to be seen teaching (also found in volume two); a lengthy description of religious sites in Jaffa, Palestine; a reward of merit in Arabic given to M. H. Smith by an Arab guide (also found in volume two); and photographs of the King and Queen of Greece. Numerous photographs have been colored by hand.
approximately 89 prints, 111 photographs, and pressed flowers in 2 albums
approximately 213 photographs in 1 album
Souvenir Photographs of “A Trip to Cuba” is a privately published photograph album that contains approximately 213 photographs taken during a 26-member excursion to Cuba in 1907 conducted by the South West Land Company of Cuba.
The album (35 x 27 cm) is bound in grey buckram and with the title "Cuban Trip '07" gilt stamped on the front. The name "Fred W. Adams" is also gilt stamped on the front while "Fred Adams Norman Adams Jan. 1907" can be found inscribed on a loose page tucked inside the front cover.
A printed title page is included indicating that the album's images were created during an expedition to Cuba "conducted under the auspices of The South West Land Co. of Cuba." in 1907 while also listing the traveling party's personnel and itinerary. Departing from Youngstown, Ohio, on January 4th, 1907, the group traveled to Washington, D.C., by train before departing for Havana via Tampa. Professional photographer R. W. Johnson of Pittsburgh is listed as the group's official photographer who produced the album's images.
The album begins with images taken in Washington, D.C., of the U.S. Capitol as well as a group portrait of the 26-member group piled into a D.C. sightseeing vehicle. In the latter image two pencil marks indicate the position of the album's former owner Fred Whittlesey Adams and his 13 year old son Norman (their presence is noted by pencil mark in several photographs). Subsequent images include a series depicting the party's travel by sea aboard the steamer Newhaven, views of Havana Harbor, street scenes and architectural profiles, Havana Cathedral, a cockfight, exterior and interior scenes from around Morro Castle, group portraits of Cuban agricultural laborers, views of Caibarién, images of produce being prepared for shipping, a group portrait of a family showing the mother allowing her infant to feed from a goat udder, views of the traveling party touring rural farmsteads and plantations, and a portrait of an Afro-Cuban carpenter.
1 volume
The Stanton P. Allen scrapbook contains clippings, engravings, maps, and drawings related to a recurring newspaper column titled Down in Dixie written by Allen for the Troy Daily Times in which he recounted his experiences serving with the 1st Massachusetts Cavalry during the Civil War.
The volume (23 x 14 cm) contains approximately 101 pages and has blue cloth covers with the words "Manual and Report, Board of School Commissioners Troy, N. Y., 1883" stamped in gold on the front. The first item to appear is a pasted in sheet on pg. 5 with the words "Down in Dixie, by Stanton Perrie Allen" printed and "Volume IV" handwritten. The first clipping of Down in Dixie appears on pg. 9 and is marked "34," which coupled with the presence of "Vol IV" on pg. 5 would seem to suggest that Allen created multiple volumes in which the columns were sequentially ordered. These volumes were likely used by Allen to finetune his ideas for how he envisioned publishing his account in book form.
The Down in Dixie clippings are given a visual dimension through the inclusion of numerous clipped engravings that directly relate to people, places, and events referenced in the narrative. Engravings include portraits of leading military figures from both the Union and Confederacy as well as numerous depictions of soldiers, battles, camp life, fortifications, buildings, prisoners of war, casualties, mass burials, etc. Also present are several engravings depicting African Americans (pgs. 52, 54, 58-60, 92, 95, & 97) and Apache Indians (pgs. 10 & 11). Two clipped maps are also included, with one showing a general overview of Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey (pg. 9) and the other showing a detailed view of the roads, landmarks, and natural features east of Richmond, Virginia (pg. 77). Only one photograph is present, an unmounted studio portrait of Allen's mother Celia juxtaposed with an anecdotal passage about a Confederate and Union soldier bonding over their deceased mothers (pg. 51).
Of particular note are six original drawings signed by Allen. The first, a pen and ink drawing captioned "Down in Dixie Turning Out For Stables," shows a Union cavalryman (presumably Allen) at camp laden with horse care equipment (pg. 20); the second, a watercolor captioned "Down in Dixie. 'How Is That For Beef?' From Memory 1889," shows three Union cavalrymen eating a meal at camp (pg. 25); the third, a watercolor captioned "A Stag Dance. Four Hands Round," shows a group of four Union cavalrymen dancing while another plays the fiddle as two others (including an African American cavalryman) look on (pg. 26); the fourth, a pen and ink drawing captioned "The Sutlers Whisky Barrel Tapped At Both Ends. Down in Dixie," shows a large group of Union cavalrymen getting drunk on whisky after secretly tapping into the sutler's barrel from the outside of his tent (pg. 27); the fifth, a pen and ink drawing captioned "'The Tables Turned.' - Beaver Dam, Va., May, 1864," depicts the anecdotal interaction between a Union soldier and Confederate prisoner who realize they had both stolen rings from each other that had belonged to their deceased mothers (pg. 49); the sixth, a watercolor captioned "Sheridan's Raid - 1864. - Walking to Rest the Horse. - From Memory - 1889," shows a Union cavalryman leading his horse.
A loose two-page typescript draft of a consolation letter dated June 20, 1897, written by Allen to Charles S. Francis after the death of the latter's father John M. Francis can also be found tucked inside the back cover. Allen knew both John and Charles from having worked for the Troy Daily Times, which was founded by John in 1851.
approximately 124 photographs in 1 album
The Strickland family photograph album contains approximately 124 photographs related to the Strickland family of Ontario, Canada.
The album is disbound and photographs are mounted on eight loose 35 x 43 cm board pages. The original sequence of the pages is unclear and several images appear more than once. Most photographs are studio portraits of individuals, group portraits taken in front of buildings, or scenic views. At least one of the studio portraits is the work of Montreal photographer William Notman. Several images appear to be half-images taken from stereographs.
Images of interest include views of the homes of Catharine Parr Traill and Col. Samuel Strickland on Lake Katchewanooka, Col. Strickland with his family and Traill holding a child, a Native American family beside a lake, a canoeing party and canoe portaging, a view of the front of “Westove” (Traill’s home after 1860) next to Christ Church, possible portraits of Traill as well as Susanna and John Moodie, a party on the front lawn of Col. Strickland’s property engaged in bird hunting and croquet, the grounds of the University of Toronto, and the musical group the Montreal Bell Ringers. Also of note are multiple portraits of children ranging from toddlers to adolescents as well as views of five unidentified buildings likely located in Lakefield, staged images of lumber camps, and an unidentified dam and bridge on a river.
68 photographs in 1 album
The Summer 1894 snapshot album contains 68 outdoor photographs of various scenes including a militia camp, a lake, Central Park, and a sawmill under construction.
The album (18 x 26.5 cm) is lacking covers but the spine remains partially intact. Images of note include views of a militia camp showing men in uniform relaxing and completing drills, the Bethesda Fountain and the John Quincy Adams Ward Seventh Regiment National Guard, State of New York Memorial in Central Park, men in a store selling hosiery, a group of people in front of a series of changing rooms on a dock, the construction of a sawmill, and a trip in the summer of 1894 to an unidentified lake.
approximately 242 photographs in 5 albums, 13 loose photographs, and 2 pieces of realia
The Thomas M. Bridges Crow Creek and Fort Hall Reservations collection contains approximately 242 photographs in 5 albums, 13 loose photographs, a Catlinite pipe bowl, and a ball headed war club. These materials were associated with Dr. Thomas Miller Bridges, a physician and surgeon who was employed on Native American reservations during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Photographs
Volume 1: This album (18.5 x 29.5 cm) has pebbled black faux leather covers with “Photographs” stamped in gold on the front and contains 51 photographs, all of which pertain to Crow Creek Reservation and primarily date to ca. 1892-1896. Detailed printed captions have been cut and pasted beneath every image in the album. Several captions have dates that were crossed out for unknown reasons. A handful of images also have numbers inscribed next to them. It is uncertain who took the majority of these photographs, though at least one photograph included in this album (a studio portrait of “White Ghost,” Yanktonai chief) has shown up elsewhere on mounts produced by a photographer based in Chamberlain, South Dakota, named H. B. Perry. It is possible that Perry produced a substantial number of the photographs in this album. Dr. Bridges may have also contributed many photographs.
Volume 2:This album (18 x 30 cm) has pebbled black leather covers and contains 5 photographs. While no captions or dates are provided, most of these images were likely taken ca. 1910. Four of the images are outdoor group portraits that appear to have been taken during a lakeside cottage trip to an unidentified location, possibly somewhere near Idaho Falls or Yellowstone National Park. A young girl (likely Berenice Bridges) appears in three photos wearing a white dress, while Dr. Bridges likely appears in two photos sporting a long beard. Several other unidentified individuals (likely including Maggie and Anna Lee Bridges) are also present in these images. The fifth photograph in this album is a group portrait of four unidentified individuals, including three Native American people (two older adults and one child) and a white woman, standing outside of a tipi.
Volume 3: This album (19 x 26 cm) has red string-bound cloth covers with “Photographs” stamped in gold on the front cover and contains 47 photographs, the majority of which document aspects of Fort Hall Reservation and primarily date to ca. 1896-1899. Detailed printed captions have been cut and pasted beneath most images in the album. A handful of images also have numbers inscribed next to them. While some images may have been produced by Dr. Bridges himself, many of these photographs (especially images from regions outside of Fort Hall Reservation) were likely taken by other photographers.
Volume 4: This album (23 x 26 cm) was produced by the Eastman Kodak Company and has string-bound black cloth covers with “Photographs” embossed in gold on the front cover. It contains 85 photographs, the majority of which document aspects of Fort Hall Reservation and primarily date to ca. 1896-1899. Detailed printed captions have been cut and pasted beneath many images in the album. Dr. Bridges possibly produced all or most of these images and captions himself.
Volume 5: This album (18 x 29 cm) has black pebbled faux leather covers and contains 54 photographs primarily related to Fort Hall Reservation ca. 1896-1899. Detailed printed captions often including sequential numbers have been cut and pasted beneath most images in the album. Some album pages have missing photographs with captions still present. Dr. Bridges may have produced many of these images and captions himself.
Loose Images: Also present are 13 loose photographs. Items of interest include an unmounted photographic reproduction of a ca. 1880 lithograph depicting a group of Native Americans preparing a scaffold burial with a typed caption on the verso reading “Scaffold burial, as practiced by the Crow Indians, elevating the corpse to the scaffold. (Copied by permission, from the 1st annual report of the Bureau of Ethnology)”; an unmounted group portrait of several Mohave people including two women and seven children; an unmounted portrait of an unidentified Native American man seated outside of a dwelling made of mud and straw captioned “An old time medicine man and his hut”; an unmounted group portrait taken outside a Fort Hall Reservation building captioned “School House, teacher & pupils at Ross Fork”; an unmounted view of a building captioned “Fort Hall. Location. The old adobes”; a studio portrait of an adult Anna Lee Bridges wearing a nurses uniform taken by F. R. Lambrecht, likely ca. 1918; and a studio portrait of Berenice Bridges as a child.
Realia
The first piece of realia is a pipe bowl (7.5 x 3.5 x 3 cm) made from Catlinite that likely dates to the 1850s and is most probably of Lakota/Dakota origin.
The second piece of realia is a ball headed war club (54 x 15 x 6 cm) that likely dates to the 1860s and is most probably of Lakota/Dakota origin. The club is made entirely of carved wood. The ball head is painted black and is lacking a spike while the main body is decorated with brass upholstery tacks on one side.
Both of these items were likely acquired by Dr. Bridges as a result of his personal interest in Native American material culture.
approximately 242 photographs in 5 albums, 13 loose photographs, and 2 pieces of realia
approximately 136 photographs in 1 album
The Thomas O'Brien photograph album contains approximately 136 snapshots of people from the Marshall and Gilbert Islands, American soldiers, and U.S. military facilities taken by U.S. Army infantryman Thomas O’Brien.
The album (30 x 30 cm) is a modern green three-ring binder with plastic sleeves. Images of note include pictures of women from the Marshall Islands (including numerous topless portraits of young women); performers attached to the Bob Hope show such as June Brunner, Patty Thomas, and Carol Landis; copies of Japanese photographs of causalities; Kauai and other Hawaiian locations; and a monument to the 323rd U.S. Army Infantry Regiment. Many images have handwritten captions on their versos. O’Brien is present and identified in several photographs. Also present is a copy of a card that O’Brien sent to his mother Helen O’Brien.
approximately 245 photographs
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.
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: