About the Cambridge Historical Society Image Collection
32 boxes Processor: Mark Vassar
32.12 linear feet Date: February 2011
Acquisition: The images in the Cambridge Historical Society Image Collection were collected at various times and from various personages and institutions. Few formal records remain of their donation or accession. Notations on the backs of individual photos indicate that the photos include gifts of:
J. Henry Blake, 1906
Sarah H. Swan, 1906
Isabella Batchelder, 1909
Susanna Willard, 1909
Mary Saunders, 1911, 1918
Francis Hill Bigelow, 1913
Mrs. Frank H. Teele, 1913
Alice Merrill White, 1918
Archibald Howe, 1920
Alice Longfellow, 1920
Mrs. E.L. Holt, 1921
Lexington Historical Society, 1926
Eleanor Gray Tudor, 1926
Eliza P. Huntington, 1927
Mary Deane Dexter, 1932
Mrs. Moses Perkins White, 1933
E. L. Soolien, Harvard College Library, 1934 Maria Bowen, 1934
Margaret Norton, 1908, 1909, 1939
Leona W. Frothingham, ca.1940
Margaret E. Cogswell, 1942
Eleanor Clarke Bowser, 1946
Roger Gilman, 1950
Lois Lilley Howe, 1952
Florence Maynard, 1952
Helen Fuller Dudley, 1957
E. W. Huckel, 1957
Harvard University Archives, 1957
Penelope Noyes, 1960
Ann B. Grimes, 1961
Margaret Thayer Lancaster, 1967
Cora D. Morse, 1967
Irene Thompson, 1968
Walter Dodge, 1970
Arlington Historical Society, 1981
Dix Campbell, 1984
Cedar Street House (Fitchburg, MA), 1988
Nancy Wells, 1993
Whitney Historic Programs, 2001
Elizabeth Meredith, 2001
Muriel Rosso, 2002
Beth McCarthy, 2002
Esther Rivinus, 2003
Beverly Rutstein, 2004
Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, 2004
Lewis Bushnell, 2005
Irene Dwyer, 2005
Andy Leighton, 2006
Grafton (NH) Historical Society, 2006
Conrad Wright, 2006
Betty Poltrack, 2007
Boothbay Region Historical Society, 2007
Andy Fenenbock, 2007
Susan Poverman, 2007
Marc Truant Associates, 2007
Bridget Walker, 2007
Helen Moulton, 2008
Larry Gobrecht, 2008
Cambridge Skating Club, 2009
Daniel Percoco, 2009
Suzanne Revaleone Greene, 2010
Richard Lingner, 2010
Shelley Cardiel, 2005-2010
Robert George Morrissey, 2010
Charles Sullivan, 2008-2010
Dorothy Blanchard, 2010
Caroline B. Shaw, Bursar of Radcliffe College, n.d.
Willard Phippins, n.d.
Cambridge Historical Commission, n.d. Beryl Beatley, n.d.
Graham Gund Associates, Inc., n.d.
Buffalo Historical Society, n.d.
Mrs. William F. Stearns, n.d.
Leo Pompiers, n.d.
Mary Isabella Gozzaldi, n.d.
Lucian Fuller, n.d.
Fran Snider, n.d.
Also includes a bequest of: Elizabeth Harris, n.d.
Access
There are no restrictions on items in this collection.
Permission to Publish
Requests for permission to publish from the collection should be made to the Executive Director.
Copyright
Copyright in a large number of images in this collection has expired. Copyright in other images in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns.
Note
Series I. Cambridge Neighborhoods and Series II. Cambridge Churches, were originally processed by Megan Friedel, February-April, 2002. Her original finding aid is located with the newly created finding aid in Box 1. A number of images that were originally housed in the collection were determined to properly belong in other collections and were removed. Most notable of these were images of Cambridge neighborhoods taken for the "Remove Overhead Wires" campaign of the Harvard Square Businessmen's Association in 1922 that were returned to the George G. Wright Collection and images of Cambridge buildings that were returned to the Lois Lilley Howe Photographic Collection. Postcards were added to the Cambridge Historical Society Postcard Collection.
Scope and Content Note
This collection includes photographs, stereographs, etchings, prints, watercolors, glass plate negatives, etc., of Cambridge neighborhoods, buildings, churches, individuals, social organizations, objects, etc. The bulk of the photographs were taken between 1865 and 1922.
Series I, Cambridge Neighborhoods, ca.1830-1999, consists of photographs, prints, etchings, etc., of neighborhoods, squares, and landmarks throughout Cambridge during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Notable subjects are Harvard Square, Mount Auburn Cemetery, the Cambridge Arsenal, Fort Washington, and the Washington Elm. These images also include: stereographs taken for the 1875 Cambridge Centennial Celebration of Washington taking command of the American Army; photographs from Harvard Class Albums, 1863, 1866, and 1887; and reproductions of photographs from the Emily Broussard Collection at the Cambridge Historical Commission. There is considerable overlap between this series and Series III, Cambridge Buildings and researchers are recommended to refer to that series as well. This series is arranged in five subseries based on the geographic subdivisions of Cambridge, as outlined by the Cambridge Historical Commission's Survey of Architectural History in Cambridge:
Subseries A. Old Cambridge, ca.1830-1990
Subseries B. Cambridgeport, ca.1860-1945, n.d.
Subseries C. East Cambridge, ca.1940-1990, n.d.
Subseries D. Mid-Cambridge, ca.1860-1947, n.d.
Subseries E. North Cambridge, ca.1870-1940, n.d.
Series II, Cambridge Churches, 1831-1970, consists of photographs and prints of Cambridge churches and divinity school buildings. These images also include: stereoviews taken for the 1875 Cambridge Centennial Celebration of Washington taking command of the American Army and photographs from Harvard Class Albums, 1863, 1866, and 1887. Several of the churches in this series are no longer standing, most having been replaced by later church buildings, or have since been demolished or moved. Although there are currently no images in Subseries B, Cambridgeport or Subseries C, East Cambridge, this series is arranged in five subseries in order to provide for further expansion. These subseries are based on the geographic subdivisions of Cambridge, as outlined by the Cambridge Historical Commission's Survey of Architectural History in Cambridge:
Subseries A. Old Cambridge, 1831-1970
Subseries B. Cambridgeport, (currently no images)
Subseries C. East Cambridge, (currently no images)
Subseries D. MidCambridge, 1880
Subseries E. North Cambridge, 1871-1904
Series III, Cambridge Buildings, 1848-1990, consists of photographs, prints, paintings, etc., of Cambridge houses and various other buildings. These images also include: stereoviews taken for the 1875 Cambridge Centennial Celebration of Washington taking command of the American Army and photographs from Harvard Class Albums, 1863, 1866, 1887, and other unidentified years. Many of the buildings in this series are no longer standing and have been replaced by later houses or commercial buildings, or have since been demolished or moved. This series is arranged in five subseries in order to provide for further expansion. These subseries are based on the geographic subdivisions of Cambridge, as outlined by the Cambridge Historical Commission's Survey of Architectural History in Cambridge:
Subseries A. Old Cambridge, 1848-1990
Subseries B. Cambridgeport, ca.1880-1900
Subseries C. East Cambridge, 1851-1990
Subseries D. MidCambridge, ca.1850-1960
Subseries E. North Cambridge, ca.1875-1960
Series IV, Social Organizations, Events, Objects, etc., 1855-1997, consists of photographs, prints, slides, etc., of groups, social organizations, modes of transportation, events, objects, etc. Several of the photographs of groups are from Harvard Class Albums of various dates and include students, clubs, and staff. Other groups include school groups, firemen, military groups, clubs, etc. Images of transportation include horse-drawn carriages and trolleys, motor vehicles, trains, etc. Images of objects, advertisements, etc., include items in the Cambridge Historical Society collection or that are in some way connected with Cambridge history. Also included in this subseries are images not associated with Cambridge, but are examples of professional Cambridge photographers’ works. This series is arranged in four subseries:
Subseries A. Social Organizations, Groups, etc., 1855-1964
Subseries B. Objects, Advertisements, etc., ca.1866-1997
Subseries C. Transportation, ca.1860-1990
Subseries D. Events, 1868-1990
Series V, Harvard Buildings and related, ca.1850-1980, consists of photographs and other images documenting the buildings, gates, grounds, etc., of Harvard University. These consist mainly of photographs from Harvard Class Albums of various dates. A number of these buildings are no longer standing or have been altered or replaced by more recent buildings.
Series VI, People, 1759-1990, consists of photographs, paintings, prints, glass-plate negatives, etc., of various individuals (and at times their families) most of whom were either residents of Cambridge or important to the history of Cambridge in some manner. A number of these consist of images of Harvard University professors, many of whom are unidentified, taken from Harvard Class Albums of various dates. Some of these are more famous such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell, George Washington, etc. The bulk of these images, however, consist of paintings, photographic portraits, and snapshots of ordinary Cambridge citizens.