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This collection contains correspondence that Charles Deane, a merchant and historian based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, received in the mid-19th century. Deane's correspondents included ministers, historians, and politicians, who discussed American history, contemporary historiography, and the activities of historical societies in the Boston area.

This collection contains correspondence, gift acknowledgements, engraved portraits, and photographs related to Charles Deane, a merchant and historian based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Deane's correspondents included ministers, historians, and politicians, who discussed American history, contemporary historiography, and the activities of Boston-area historical societies.

The Correspondence series (165 items) contains 146 letters to Charles Deane, 5 letters to Robert C. Waterston, 4 letters to Helen Waterston Deane, and 10 letters to Deane's children and other recipients. Charles Deane's correspondents provided news of social events in Boston and Cambridge, particularly related to local historical and antiquarian societies. Many writers offered opinions on Deane's writings, acknowledged the receipt of his publications, or thanked Deane for reviewing their own material. Others discussed topics in American history. One partially printed invitation regards a "Popham Celebration" in honor of the founding of the first English colony in North America (August 10, 1869). Additional items include a condolence letter from Thomas Wentworth to Helen Deane after Charles Deane's death (November 14, 1889).

Charles Deane received 8 Gift Acknowledgements between April 17, 1845, and October 13, 1864, thanking him for contributions to the Harvard University Library (6 items), the Boston Public Library (1 item), and the Boston Athenaeum (1 item). The documents are signed by Josiah Quincy, John Langdon Sibley, and other library affiliates. Two Engraved Portraits depict William Ellery Channing (1780-1842) and Amos Lawrence (1786-1852).

The Photographs series contains 3 carte-de-visite studio portraits depicting William Ellery Channing, Ezra Stiles Gannett, and George Livermore.

The New England, Boston, bridge engineering collection consists of 56 photographs including scenes in New England and New York and a railroad drawbridge under construction as well as a series of 11 half-tone images of Boston landmarks.

The New England, Boston, bridge engineering collection consists of 56 photographs including scenes in New England and New York and a railroad drawbridge under construction as well as a series of 11 half-tone images of Boston landmarks.

The photographer/compiler of the collection has not been identified. Photographs are included on loose pages that appear to have once been bound together. The initial grouping of photographs includes major landmarks such as Grant’s Tomb, scenes of action on city streets, and serene views of rocky shorelines. Automobiles only appear in a couple of photos. The steel railroad drawbridge documented in the second section can definitively be dated to 1908 when the Pennsylvania Steel Company built Bridge Number 3.40, better known as the “Bronx River Bascules,” for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.

The final grouping of half-tones shows Boston as a modern, progressive city. Most of the images are derived from photographs, but the image of the new opera house was rendered from an illustration.