Boston-area photograph albums
Dates
- Creation: approximately between 1895-1915
Scope and Contents
Two disbound photograph albums of original contact prints by unknown photographers, produced by Keystone View Company and Underwood & Underwood between 1895 and 1915. Scenes depict Boston-area points of interest such as Bunker Hill, Charlestown Navy Yard, Harvard University, Mount Auburn Cemetery, and the Public Garden. Also includes images of collegiate performances, factory workers, and landmarks like the Huntington Avenue Grounds (home of the Boston Americans, now the Boston Red Sox), Plymouth Rock, and the Upton Frisbee Pharmacists building in Salem (now known as the Corwin House, or "Witch House"). Photographs depict many Massachusetts towns such as Concord, Duxbury, Gloucester, Lynn, Maynard, Newburyport, and Wareham. Examples of notable images include dogs selling newspapers on Boston Common, Portuguese laborers working in Agawam cranberry bogs, the launching of the USS Cumberland, and Belva Lockwood, one of the first women lawyers in the United States and the first woman to be admitted to practice law before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Creator
- Underwood & Underwood (1881) (Organization)
- Keystone View Company (1892) (Organization)
Restrictions on Access
Collection is closed pending conservation review.
Conditions Governing Use
These materials are made available for use in research, teaching and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. The original authors may retain copyright to the materials.
Historical note: Keystone View Company
The Keystone View Company was a major distributor of stereographic images located in Meadville, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Benneville Lloyd (B.L.) Singley in 1892, who previously was a salesman for Underwood & Underwood. In 1905, Keystone View Company established an educational department, selling views and glass lantern slides to schools throughout the country, making it the world's largest stereographic company. Between 1915 and 1921, Keystone View Company purchased the negatives of nearly all of its competitors, including Underwood & Underwood, and by 1935 Keystone had approximately two million stereoscopic negatives.
In 1932, a stereoscophthalmic department was formed to meet the needs of eye specialists, safety and efficiency engineers, and psychologists who required stereoscopic tests. In the years following, stereoviews continued to be produced but the stereoscophthalmic department exceeded in importance. In 1963, Keystone View Company was purchased by Mast Development Company of Davenport, Iowa. In 1972, Mast Development Company closed the Keystone Meadville manufacturing site, although the name of Keystone View Company continued to be used on eye training equipment.
Sources:
"Keystone View Company." The Stereoscopy Blog, January 3, 2021. https://stereoscopy.blog/2021/01/03/keystone-view-company/
"Keystone View Company." Wikipedia, May 5, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keystone_View_Company
Historical note: Underwood & Underwood
Underwood & Underwood was a producer and distributor of stereoscopic and other photographic images, and later was a pioneer in the field of news bureau photography. The company was founded in 1881 in Ottawa, Kansas by two brothers, Elmer and Bert Elias Underwood. They relocated to Baltimore, Maryland in 1887, and then to New York City, New York in 1891. Underwood & Underwood entered the education market in 1895 by producing packaged sets of stereographs with descriptive texts. Around 1900, Underwood & Underwood was the largest publisher of stereoviews (also known as stereographs or stereoscopic cards) in the world, producing 10 million views a year. The company expanded into news photography by 1910 and gradually decreased its stereographic work. In 1920, stereograph production was discontinued and Underwood & Underwood sold its stereographic stock and rights to the Keystone View Company.
Sources:
"Biographical/Historical." Underwood & Underwood Glass Stereograph Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, 1986. https://www.si.edu/object/archives/sova-nmah-ac-0143
"Underwood & Underwood". Wikipedia, May 5, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwood_%26_Underwood
Extent
1.5 Linear Feet (1 container)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Two disbound photograph albums of original contact prints by unknown photographers, produced by Keystone View Company and Underwood & Underwood between 1895 and 1915. Photographs depict Boston-area points of interest and landmarks, factory workers and laborers, notable figures, and scenes of daily life.
Arrangement
Each album was assigned a number by the archivist to maintain distinction and original order. The album numbers were designated based on contact print numbers. Each album is arranged by page number.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Elizabeth A. Burns, 2022, 2023, 2024.
Gift of Alice Lease Dana, 2022, 2023, 2024.
Processing Information
The photographs in this collection appear to be contact prints from original negatives with handwritten annotations from the photographer(s). Based on several photographs appearing in Keystone-Mast Collection, UCR/California Museum of Photography, University of California, Riverside, they were most likely published by Keystone View Company and Underwood & Underwood, producers and distributors of stereoscopic and other photographic images. Each photograph has a numbering code that gives some indication as to source (publisher) and the original order of the prints; these were used to reassemble the albums.
- Title
- Boston-Area Photograph Albums
- Subtitle
- approximately between 1895-1915
- Author
- Molly Aleshire
- Date
- 2025
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the John J. Burns Library Repository
John J. Burns Library
Boston College
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill MA 02467 USA
617-552-4861
burns@bc.libanswers.com