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Tarbell, Ida M.

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Scope and Contents note

From the Series:

(Information on Adams's use of photographs has been generously provided by Dr. Raymond Cunningham, Professor of History, Fordham University.)

Adams illustrated his lectures with appropriate photographs, prints and maps. These materials were also used in the Seminary setting. The maps aided in the study of historical and political geography; Adams believed strongly in thoroughly acquainting the students with the geography of an area before embarking on a study of its history.

The majority of the photos are carte-de-visites and cabinet photographs of friends, family and colleagues, and souvenier sets of famous works of arts and buildings. Adams's friends, colleagues and students at Smith gave him their photographs; these, along with a few of his nieces and nephews form the personal photographs. There are also two albums: one of prints that may have been taken by Adams, rather than collected or purchased; the other of commercially produced views of Heidelberg.

During the late nineteenth century, people avidly collected carte-de-visites, and later, cabinet photographs of famous people and places. Adams purchased photographs of the West, the Pacific Northwest and Alaska during his travels in that area. He also bought photographs of Carlisle Indian Industrial School (a residential school in Carlisle PA whose purpose was forced assimilation of Native children into white culture), a Trappist monastery in Canada, sights of Heidelberg, Paris, Zurich and other European cities, buildings of other American universities, and well-known works of art.

In addition to the carte-de-visites and cabinet photographs, Adams collected stereocards of European and American sights.

Dates

  • Creation: 1851 - 1903
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1876 - 1901

Creator

Extent

From the Collection: 29.45 Cubic Feet (46 legal size document boxes, 3 legal half-size document boxes, 10 flat boxes (15.5 x 12 x 3 inches), 1 flat boxes (11 x 9 x 3 inches), 1 flat box (15.5 x 10.5 x 3 inches), 15 pamphlet boxes (7.25 x 4 x 10 inches), 1 oversized box)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

Contact:
The Sheridan Libraries
Special Collections
3400 N Charles St
Baltimore MD 21218 USA