Thomas M. Bridges Crow Creek and Fort Hall Reservations Collection, ca. 1850-1918 (majority within 1892-1899)
approximately 242 photographs in 5 albums, 13 loose photographs, and 2 pieces of realia
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 197 photographs in 2 albums
The U.S. Army 15th Infantry Regiment photograph albums consist of a two-volume set containing approximately 197 photographs compiled by a United States Army soldier stationed in China.
Volume one (33.5 x 26.5 cm) contains approximately 150 snapshots that primarily consist of images of street scenes, Chinese laborers, construction projects, and American, Chinese, and British soldiers at work and posing in front of buildings. Of particular note are extremely graphic images of Chinese men being executed at large public events. Also present is a clipping from Popular Mechanics regarding a hotel in Honolulu being converted into an army Y.M.C.A., a program from Christmas 1919 including the dinner menu and roster of "Headquarters Company, 15th U.S. Infantry," and a series of family photographs of unidentified men, women, and children on a farm presumably back in the United States.
Volume two (27 x 34.5 cm) contains approximately 47 snapshots. Contents consist of images documenting daily life activities of Chinese people including parades and street scenes as well as views of flooding, American soldiers, and military facilities. Also present is a clipping dated to 1927 from the Attleboro Sun regarding executions in China.
Both volumes appear to have sustained fire damage and are accordion-style fold out albums composed of heavy cardstock encased in brown covers with "Album" stamped in gold on the front.
approximately 197 photographs in 2 albums
59 photographs in 1 album
The Views of Santiago photograph album contains 59 views of Santiago de Cuba taken by professional photographer C. A. Smith including images of hospitals, landmarks, and streets as well as United States military encampments.
The album (27 x 35 cm) has lost its original cover. The first several pages of the album primarily contain images of the General Hospital and its staff while many subsequent images are of Morro Castle and other battlements, the Palace, the main marketplace, and La Alameda. Also present are images of United States military camps and headquarters as well as a photograph of the Peace Tree/Santiago Surrender Tree.
70 photographs in 1 album
The Wartburg College photograph album contains approximately 70 images of classrooms, young men, and the grounds of Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa.
The album (14.5 x 19.25 cm) has black fabric covers and gray paper pages. Images of note include several photographs of grade school boys in a classroom dated to 1903-1905 as well as views of dormitory, library, and classroom interiors, what appears to be the Cedar River, a campus building under construction, and the college grounds during the winter of 1903-1904.
approximately 374 photographs in 4 albums and 1 box of ephemera
The Weston family World War II photograph albums consist of four volumes containing approximately 374 images as well as one box of ephemera documenting the camp life and leisure time of married couple Lawrence and Elizabeth Weston. Lawrence served in the United States Army in France during World War II while Elizabeth worked as a nurse.
Volume one (27.25 x 16.5 cm) contains approximately 88 snapshots and one holiday card. The album is constructed like a graduated flipbook, with images loaded into plastic sleeves bound with metal pins. Many images have typewritten notes on the back written by Lawrence Weston. The photographs primarily depict Lawrence's time at Fort Dix in 1940 and 1941, showing soldiers at rest and camp life scenes. Also present are photographs taken in Trenton, New Jersey.
Volume two (27.25 x 16.5 cm) contains approximately 98 snapshots and three negatives. The album is constructed in the same flipbook style as volumes one and three. The images chronicle leisure time in France in Reims and Ancerville around 1945. Of note are several pictures of French civilians standing next to men in uniform, images of Lawrence at a plane crash site, and a cardigan knit from a parachute.
Volume three (27.25 x 16.5 cm) contains approximately 96 snapshots. This album is also constructed in the same flipbook style as volumes one and two and continues where the second volume leaves off. The first half of the album contains more images from France leading up to Lawrence Weston’s departure from Le Havre and Camp Lucky Strike in August of 1945 while the latter half concerns his return to the United States with his arrival in Boston Harbor in January of 1946. Several identified images of Elizabeth Weston are present, and some of the inscriptions on these photographs may be in her hand. The album concludes with views of Detroit, Michigan.
Volume four (30.5 x 24.25 cm) contains approximately 92 snapshots that detail Elizabeth Weston's life from her time in nursing school until 1942. Many images feature her siblings and coworkers while a 1942 trip to Canada is also represented. The album is blue with a ship design on the front cover and is spiral bound.
Also present is one box of ephemera containing three card photographs, 10 tickets and identifications cards, three "letters on record" envelopes, a memo book, two Bond Drive advertisements, a pamphlet on Camp Maxey, four event pamphlets, a copy of a Formula for Peace, a map of Fort Dix, seven documents relating to Lawrence's candidacy to Officer's Candidate School, a certificate, two 1920 letters regarding the location of Lawrence's father, Elizabeth's certificate as a registered nurse, a large map of Germany, and four 1945 copies of The Stars and Stripes.
approximately 374 photographs in 4 albums and 1 box of ephemera
250 photographs in 1 album
The album (18 x 28.5 cm) is string-bound and has black leather covers with "Photographs" stamped in gold on the front and black paper pages. Images are sequentially numbered in white pencil. Contents primarily cover a range of aviation training activities and other operational aspects of Wilbur Wright Airfield. Various training aircraft are documented in detail; the majority were Curtiss JN-4s, known as “Jennys,” but the base also had some DeHaviland DH-4s. Numerous views of planes are included, showing them on the ground, in the air, and operating in all seasonal conditions. Several crash landings are also documented, with most of the wrecks appearing to be “nose-overs” (planes flipping forward upon landing) rather than high-speed crashes into the ground.
In addition to pilot training, Cpl. McDonnell also documented aspects of daily life at the base including hangars, mechanics shops, fabrication areas, and barracks. Photographs include shots of military personnel working on planes, lounging in barracks, and searching for wreckage. Also present are photographs of visitors to the base (including actress Pearl White and possibly other cast members of Pearl of the Army), the New York Times airplane, experimental plane designs (such as a dual engine biplane and innovative wing shapes), and two images showcasing the newly developed Brock Automatic Aeroplane Camera designed for aerial surveillance. Cpl. McDonnell himself may possibly appear in photograph no. 69 posing with a young woman in front of an airplane.
Other locations besides Wilbur Wright Airfield are represented in the album, including storefront views and street scenes in Mineola, New York, which may possibly have been McDonnell’s hometown. Also present are four portraits of Theodore Roosevelt giving a speech in 1917 at a racetrack in Mineola, seven images of Washington, D.C., landmarks (including four directional views taken from the top of the Washington Monument), a view of the Tijuana Fair, the Horton Plaza fountain at the Panama-California Exposition in San Diego, and six aerial photographs showing an unidentified coastal city (likely San Diego) and several ships.
Other photographs produced by Cpl. McDonnell for official U.S. Army purposes differ from those found in this album in terms of their size, content, quality of composition, and attention to staging. It is likely that he took photographs for official (and sometimes classified) purposes in his role as base photographer while also taking his own personal snapshots, the latter of which are what appears to be compiled in this album.
64 photographs and other assorted materials in 1 volume
The Willard Cundiff scrapbook contains 64 photographs as well as poems, cartoons, illustrations, and inscriptions compiled by a young man visiting El Paso, Texas, and other western locales while being preoccupied with unrequited love.
Sometime between 1905 and 1908, Willard Cundiff became enamored with a young woman in El Paso named Argyra White. Both were teenagers at the time and while they may have seen each other on a few occasions the infatuation was clearly not mutual as Argyra was apparently more interested in a young man named Eldon Burns. By 1909 she had married a doctor and moved to Chicago. Various captions in the scrapbook suggest that the volume was mostly compiled in the aftermath of Cundiff’s rejection.
The scrapbook (26 x 33 cm) has green cloth covers and is framed as a personal tribute from Cundiff to Argyra White. Photographs of El Paso and other towns in the southwestern United States and Mexico (including Cloudcroft and Mesilla Valley in New Mexico and Tucson, Arizona) taken by Cundiff may have started out as potential postcard material for his employer at the time, Humphries and Co., yet Cundiff compiled and reimagined these scenes as places he might have enjoyed with Argyra. Small illustrations and verses he included with the photos express both his devotion to her and his disappointment at being rejected. Nearly every drawing includes a small image of a bleeding heart with an arrow driven through it. Some illustrations are of scenes near Antwerp and Innsbruck, suggesting that Cundiff also may have traveled to Europe. A few of the drawings seem to record actual encounters that Cundiff had with Argyra on a street, at a theater, and at a skating rink. The album ends with a picture of a cemetery captioned “we go to the last long sleep, the end of all disappointment.”
Cundiff appears to have recovered from his ill-fated romantic endeavors eventually. By 1908 he had relocated to southern California and became a successful illustrator. In that same year he published a cartoon version of Who’s Who in Riverside California, and in 1914 he came out with an innovative book of road maps envisioned from the air, The Panoramic Automobile Road Map and Tourist Guide of Southern California, published by The Cadmus Press in Los Angeles.
approximately 245 photographs in 1 album
The Wisconsin and Minnesota friendship photograph album contains approximately 245 photographs documenting a friend group of young women.
The album (18 x 29.5 cm) has black cloth covers and black paper pages. Contents generally progress chronologically starting from the 1910s while the friend group appears to be in college before documenting their lives once they get married and start having families. Numerous images have witty captions, likely referencing inside jokes. Photographs primarily consist of individual and group portraits showing the women partaking in various activities including striking comical poses together, attending costume and fraternity parties, holding picnics, and going on various other adventures. Also present are views of the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menominee, Wisconsin, Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and Loring Park in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Halfway through the album begins to document members of the friend group getting married and starting families of their own, with photographs mainly depicting young children, homes, and group vacations including a trip to Salt Lake City, Utah. The last few pages also include images of a World War I-era soldier and nurses with facemasks (possibly indicating involvement with treating Spanish influenza victims).
Photographs showing instances of blackface and other racially insensitive costumes are present.
approximately 245 photographs in 1 album